5 Tips To Survive A Home Remodel

Congrats!! You've decided to update that kitchen and turn it into the dream kitchen you have been
waiting for. Designing and picking out your finishes customized to your exact style is truly a great
feeling.  My suggestion would be to hire a home construction company to help you achieve all your
goals to the fullest. My recommendation only comes after my husband and I decided to take on our
kitchen ourselves. We are still alive and married, but I do have some tips to share if you decide you
want the experience of doing this yourself. 

#1 Start hitting the gym now! 

What does the gym have to do with your kitchen? Well, from my experience, doing a kitchen remodel
will work muscles you never knew you had. My lack of gym lifting came into play within the first
5 minutes of running a chipping hammer. In our remodel, there were a lot of tiles that had to come out
first. HGTV made it look so simple. I imagined each tile would magically pop up in one piece, and it
would be maybe a day worth of work. My real-life experience didn't end up like that at all. It took us
many days of chipping, grinding, and crying to get it out. As of recently, the tennis elbow I had suffered
with is actually a torn tendon, possibly due to our hard work and operating a chipping hammer.
Needless to say, surgery is scheduled soon. So like I said, get those muscles in shape and ready to
work. 

#2 Cover everything! 

 Another obstacle I had overlooked was the mess. In my mind, tiles were popping up with ease, so
why worry about those plastic drop cloths? Oh my, how I was wrong. I would say I realized this also
within the first 5 minutes of running a chipping hammer. Pieces weren't just popping up but bursting
into mini tile bombs. Grout and thin-set would explode in a million directions keeping nothing safe,
even ourselves. I did have the common sense to be wearing eye protection but hadn't thought about
a full bodysuit. Spend the money on the plastic sheets, masks, safety glasses, bodysuits. If your
neighbors think the CDC has come to your house to quarantine everyone, you will be much better off
and prepared than I was. 

#3 Stock up on supplies. 

It is not a bad idea to get stocked up before the demolition starts. I made a plan to hook up a small
microwave in our living room to be able to cook some frozen meals while the kitchen was down.
We stocked up on frozen dinners, paper cups, and plates. Anything that made cooking and cleaning
a little less maintenance. I enjoyed this more than I probably should have—no stress of what I will
cook tonight. Frozen dinners, grilling outside, or eating out became temporarily normal during the
renovation. What I didn't prepare for was stocking up on painkillers. I would highly suggest stocking
up on some Tylenol and Ibuprofen as well. Headaches can occur on those long, noisy work days.
If you drink, you might want to add a little extra alcohol to your list too. Anything to ease the daily grind,
plus you deserve to reward yourself after all that hard work.

#4 Document the journey.

It might not be the first thing that pops into your head when you think of a family scrapbook, but take
pictures throughout the process! Not only will this motivate you during the renovation, but it will also
give you a sense of pride upon completion. If nothing else, it will help remind you why you never want
to do this again or give you the proof you need that hiring a contractor would be a much more
appealing option. Might be helpful to have pictures to show your marriage counselor as well?
But in all seriousness, the joy is in the journey, and in a few years, you'll want to remember what went
into that beautiful kitchen.

#5 Create and follow a plan.

It wasn't easy to decide what room to remodel first. Our minds were constantly changing on what
would be the easiest to start with. Then one day, my husband brought home a chipping hammer and
started chipping up a tile in the middle of the kitchen. I guess that answered that question. I would
suggest having a game plan. Designate an area where you can relocate everything to and still be
able to function as much as possible. A plan will also help keep tempers and stress down. Remember,
life will get back to normal soon. In fact, life will be better than normal since you will have a beautiful
new space customized just to your liking. It might all seem a little overwhelming but hang in there.
The whole journey will be way worth it in the end!