#10 of the Top 10 Sanity Savers When Remodeling

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The end of the construction work is not the end date for your project. You could be staring at a blank wall.

I studied and prepped by reading a ton of articles from folks that had finished huge projects. Their houses were immaculate, staged to perfection. They had curtains, something I still lack. My walls sat primed for two years after we finished construction before I could think about painting, let alone afford the paint. I would have been discouraged had I not noticed this one common thread.

Glowing couples and their beautiful houses, the kids and the dog around the fire place or on the new back deck were talking about projects that had been completed two or more years ago.

I did not understand this phenomenon fully until we completed our project and I cite two major factors in this delay.

Mental Exhaustion– On a large project like ours it took every ounce of brain power and will I could muster for nearly a year from prep to finish. The day the guys laid down their tools and left for good we were so happy to have our house back. We we’re so in love with being home after our displacement that the last ting we wanted to do was have a painting party or lend brain power to the finishing one room at a time. No, we wanted to be home in the worst way.
Financial Burden– The project cost us everything we had allotted for construction. I assume anyone doing a large scale project is not going to find themselves with cash left over. When we moved back in and the walls were ready for paint we were…not. Nor would we be for two years. Same for curtains and rugs and furniture.

Some people plan to budget for such things and if you can, more power to you, but I think most folks that are trying to save a farm house and bring it into modern code find themselves tapped out and likely with a new mortgage.

The point is, Cheer Up, you are right on track. Are you broke? Are you sitting in a new room on an old couch? Does the giant naked wall of your new entertainment room have an empty plug, just mocking you?

You are not alone. From what I could tell nearly every beautiful home in those magazine articles took more time to look completed post construction. We sat on a 20 year old Loafa from Grandmas basement until we saved up for the couch we really wanted. Don’t let your pride sink you into debt. The truth is people get the rest of the dressings done over a much longer stretch of time. We are just past the two year mark and I would say it is true. The main floor walls are painted, most of the bedrooms all of the bathrooms. The main floor looks like it is ours, and not a weird conglomeration of hand me downs. The best part of taking our time and not rushing is that it allowed us to give our house a personality. We could have never bought that at a store.

Don’t be afraid of empty spaces, naked windows and bare walls. You are right on track. Moving back in will give you same time to get to know your new space and make a plan for how you want it to feel.

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I wish you all the best of luck with these tips and I hope your project makes you as happy as ours has. I would love to answer any questions you might think of and tel me what was your favorite tip out of the Top 10 Sanity Savers.

I am planning on posting these as a PDF file soon so subscribe or check back in a week or two and I should have them ready to share.