Overwhelming house renovations!

last month

First time posting. Just wanting to get some advice about how to cope living in a do-er upper while we wait (and save) to get the house cometely renovated. We have just moved from a very modern home to a house that needs a lot of work. It will be lovely when complete but at the minute it's a bit of a wreck and not terribly comfortable living here!

Featured Answer

PRO

colourhappy

last month

I would start at the top and work down and if possible do a bathroom first so that at least you have a lovely place to unwind when the stress gets too much. No pain no gain so they say, it will be worth it.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (12)

Sonia
last month
We decided to get the bedrooms sorted first, so there was somewhere nice, cosy and comfortable to retreat to, whilst we saved/borrowed to get the rest done! It worked for us.
C D
last month
Hi Rachel,
I really relate! We bough our house 3-4 years ago and are moving really really slowly to get it renovated.
Some rooms are really a 70s-80s throw back (and not in a good way... 😕) Absolutely everything need changing! From sockets to windows, flooring to the artex ceiling - even the fireplaces!

What made it liveable for us:
- installing a new central heating in the first few months (yeap...) that was an essential really!
- doing our kids bedrooms first so that they had a nice place for living, playing and sleeping- took us 6 months to do both rooms by ourselves but it was a great achievement!
- did our bedroom and en suite next to have somewhere nice for us too.
  All this took us nearly a year and half.
Then, we had no more budget so we had to wait.
Since, I decided to paint what I could to just “refresh”.
It was not a full redecoration, just to make the rooms liveable while we are waiting.
My mantra is “progress, not perfection”.

I am actually pleased we are doing it that way because it help to understand what works and what doesn’t in the house.
I changed my plan several times! 😉

At the moment, we are saving for a loft conversion and then, in a few years, a kitchen extension.
Dreaming and planning those also keep me motivated!

Last thing: some time, going away (eg to family, friends or an Airbnb) for the weekend to “escape the mess” really help me relax when it becomes too much 😉

Hope this help 😊

What are your plans for your house?
Related Discussions
first home renovation help please!
Q
Comments (14)
Thanks, is the light bouncing off it? I would go with the yellow as your accent in small doses. Bright yellow is obviously in fashion at the moment but could be expensive to replace when out of fashion so stick to cushions etc. you could do the walls in a light grey as it looks as if they could take it and choose navy or purple as your secondary colour (or turquoise/teal would work as above) for cushions, rug, accessories etc or even try a feature wallpaper. These are fairly classical colours so won't date. Try lamps etc in classical shapes (urns, ginger jars etc) so you can just change the shade when needed
...See More
Renovating house for resale. Carpet colour??
Q
Comments (3)
I think you are right, I really like polished dark wood with grey and white - very contemporary Australian style. Just make sure that they are non-slip as anyone with kids will worry about this so make sure it is clearly stated in your sales particulars so you don't put anyone off - buyers can be so fussy about this slightest little thing. If not, you could always go for a runner thereby keeping the polished walnut but also having stair carpet but that seems like an unnecessary expense as you are selling. Good luck :-)
...See More
Before & After - Staircase and Landing Renovation in Donabate, Dublin
Q
Comments (0)
We did a complete renovation of a staircase in Donabate - it was run down and was in need of an up-lift! The carpet was removed and new maintenance free, high pressure laminate treads and risers were built on top of the existing staircase. The side stringer panels were given a maintenance free white veneer finish and the existing staircase accessories were removed. We supplied and installed new solid oak handrail, baserail and newel posts with primed white spindles. The client was over the moon with their new staircase, as were we! Before After If you would like to ask us any questions or enquire about a complimentary in-house consultation to talk about your bespoke renovation package - send us a message or give us a call on (021) 496 6612. We look forward to hearing from you! PORTAS Team
...See More
Old Stone House Renovation
Q
Comments (3)
Really nice inside. A dream home. Well done
...See More
Rachel Collins
Original Author
last month
The main building work we are needing/getting completed is a wall knocked down to have an open plan kitchen/living/dining area and a loft conversion. We had wanted to get an extension quite quickly at the back of the house (and there is planning permission already in place for this) however this will be years off if we decide to do it. The very worst part of the house is the kitchen itself. It's in a very bad state of disrepair, poorly laid out and just can't seem to make it 'feel' clean no matter how much I scrub it. Luckily a new kitchen is the first job on our list although it will take weeks/ months on the products to arrive. Thanks everyone on your great advice! It has been an emotional roller coaster this last few days. We've all had a little cry including my 14 year old daughter! We will get there slowly but surely!
PRO
Absolute Project Management
last month
Definitely be sure to tackle any weather-proofing issues as soon as budget allows as this will a. make a big difference over the winter and b. prevent problems from getting worse.

You could also start to engage with any specialists you'll need for the main works now - many of them will visit to quote at no cost. This will help you to plan for the main works, and might help you to feel like you're making progress.

- Roofing work can often be done without internal disruption, so worth getting a roofer over to look and quote if you suspect water is coming in from anywhere!

- Similarly, worth getting a damp specialist to inspect - if there are any issues w. damp in the kitchen you can then get that fixed while everything is ripped out.

Good luck!
kjas11
last month
I would second doing something with children’s bedrooms first. When I moved in with my partner we let the children choose paint colours and create their own stamp on their spaces. We didn’t spend much but it gave them a place to retreat to and that really helped them to settle into the new situation. 3 years later we are finally sorting out the rest of the house. Good luck with your renovations.
Sonia
last month
Yes I forgot about the tears Rachel. My house was stuck in the 1950s when we moved in and it was FILTHY so I sobbed as my dear mum scrubbed the wooden floor. It’s quite nice now 😂
berrecka
last month
Hi Rachel, I feel your pain. Our house had been rented out since it was built in the 1930s, so had never really been loved. Some work had been done to it over the years, but much of this made the house more unliveable (think subsiding side extension thrown up in the 80s, which, by the time we bought it had such large cracks that rats were coming in). Anyway, we DIY'ed what we could along the way (filling up cracks temporarily, scrubbing years of grime off with sugar soap, painting walls etc). But there were 2 bits that needed doing immediately and they were the kitchen (knocked non-load baring walls ourselves and turned 3 tiny rooms into a good sized kitchen) and bathroom (pulled out rotten floor and tanked new floor, put in shower, moved sink and toilet locations). We did these with the next steps in mind. So, when we did up the kitchen, we knew it would slot in with the extension when we could afford it, same with the bathroom. We have finally (just) completed the full renovation, gutting the entire house. But crucially, the kitchen and bathroom were taken off site and reinstated into the new house and and the work we had done 5 years ago still works and fits in perfectly.
HU-209277437
last month
We did the upstairs bedrooms first and gutted it out and decorated etc. We also put a new glass balustrade in. We decided not to do the bathroom as we thought it was quite nice.

Now we are just starting out on an extension to the ground floor. And also decided that actually we will re do the bathroom

In hindsight I wish we had done altogether as I am now worried about damaging the work we have already done - especially the glass balustrade !!! And the amount of dust it will create.

We are moving out though
lauren_hazel50
19 days ago
We did something similar a few years ago!
We decided to rip up all of the carpet right away because it was beyond cleanable, and we just had floor boards for quite a while - no point putting down carpet while you’re making lots of mess. We sanded, filled and repainted the bedrooms and just used an old wardrobe until we could afford the ones we wanted. The bathroom was the biggest task for us because it was horrendous. We had the budget to do it straight away but ended up spending that budget on a rewire, new boiler and radiators, and new windows and a front door and the bathroom had to wait. I bought second hand furniture online (never buy soft furnishings only cleanable hard furnishings) and got the sofas from DFS on interest free credit which cost £7 a month or something ridiculously cheap like that. We have replaced the furniture room by room. We did the garden ourselves in the summer - it looks amazing and saved a fortune but it was really hard work. A lick of paint can really freshen up a room until you have funds to do what you really want to. For the kitchen you can get adhesive paper that you stick over your worktops - there are lots of videos online and it comes in many styles - might be worth you using that until you can redo your kitchen completely. Good luck!
PRO
NCM Building Ltd
7 days ago
It can be difficult renovating while living in the property. Have you considered completing the renovations on a room by room basis? This way you will always have at least one fully complete room!
Michelle Spilling
7 days ago
Don’t be tempted to cut corners to get it done faster- you’ll only have to redo projects. I did find stripping wallpaper and white washing walls helped to see the blank canvas. We bought a very busy, 80’s decorated house so stripping out some of the pattern/colours helped me to stay calm 😆
I did find it was worth waiting on expensive spaces to see how we used it, what the light was like through the seasons etc. Similar with the garden, waited a few years before we could afford what we wanted to do

More Discussions

Curtain Colour for living room

looking for an extra tall gray bed

Colour matching help

Single wall kitchen layout

How to furnish kitchen/diner with center placed wood burner?

Ireland

Tailor my experience using cookies

By continuing to browse this site or use this app, I agree the Houzz group may use cookies and similar technologies to improve its products and services, serve me relevant content and to personalise my experience. Learn more.

Overwhelming house renovations!

Comments (12)

Related Discussions

Rachel CollinsOriginal Author

Rachel Collins
Original Author