Tip number one: Don’t. Just don’t do it. That’s the only advice I really feel qualified to give. So, fair warning to anyone reading this: the advice beyond this point reflects the attitude of a stressed-out layman whose sole desire is for this whole thing to be over with so I can properly relax outside of work instead of life being entirely work/managing renovations/sleep (sometimes.) Even the prospect of moving into the house pales compared to just being done with the renovations. Though… perhaps I should clarify a touch: If you want work/life balance, don’t DIY. I mean that. We’re doing some DIY, and it’s already more stressful than planning a wedding. If a wedding has some hiccups here and there, it’s a funny memory down the line. If a reno goes even slightly wrong, it’s a massive headache (and a lot of money) to fix down the line. Maybe, before we decided to try doing some things ourselves, I should have checked out The Homeowner’s Guide to Managing a Renovation. The opening sentence on the blurb is probably the most accurate advice you’ll get in this blog: “Major home remodeling isn’t for the faint of heart…”¹, though honestly, that feels like a kinder way of saying: Don’t do it.

“But Adam,” I hear a constructed strawman cry, “I like DIY projects!” This strawman probably constructed itself with that attitude, but stuffing some coveralls with straw, or inventing an opponent to argue with, is a lot less complicated than renovating a home. Think about it briefly: what if your DIY project was remodelling your kitchen? First, you’ve got to demolish. Admittedly, demolishing can be fun. Ripping hardwood off the floor was good exercise and a great stress relief, which we needed by that point. But to remodel a kitchen, you’ll probably need to know about plumbing, wiring, tiling, drywall, cabinetry, and so on and so on. Are you rethinking DIY renos yet? Now, we mostly didn’t do these complex things on our own. We’re not bonkers, and we know contractors will do a much better job than anything we’d get up to in those areas. We’re handling things like painting and the aforementioned ripping up of hardwood. And Carpets. My wife and I will never shop at Staples again after that experience².

But we handled one bathroom ourselves—well, I say ourselves, although we were essentially glorified gophers. Having a family member who’s worked as a contractor is a boon to this process, but when that family member prefers to do everything themselves and not teach… yeah, I can’t really say it was DIY. It’s been a while since this family member did this kind of work, so maybe a refresher course on general contracting would have been wise for them and us. The bathroom turned out nice, though! So I guess here’s the second tip for renovating: Having family do it for you is worth all the migraines in the end.

I mentioned I’m stressed, right? Our house isn’t habitable yet, the reno consumes life outside of work, we’re living with family, and our cat lives in one of the finished bedrooms at our under-renovation home due to allergies where we’re staying. Fortunately, Loki seems to be handling things just fine; we spend time with him so he’s not too lonely and fill his belly with treats and raw meat. So, while this might be a significant shift for the little guy, he’s probably the least stressed-out member of the family. Maybe we should have him spread some of that chill, taking notes from the manga Cat Massage Therapy, in which a savvy, business-minded cat opens a massage parlour, offering kitty massages to stressed-out office workers. The book is absurdly cute, and we’ve got all three volumes on our shelves, so check them out. I promised renovation tips in the title, so make arrangements for your pets, people! Looking after our kitty has meant more travel between our home and where we’re staying to ensure he’s fed and looked after. If you have a family member or friend who can take your pet(s), it’s worth it. Also, a bonus tip: look after yourself, find ways to reduce the stress, and take a day away from the reno now and then if you can. Before moving on, I have one more thing to say: pull your weight, Loki! I want a massage!

Maybe I’m looking at renovations all wrong. Perhaps they can actually be… relaxing? At least, that’s what people say about House Flipper. Naturally, playing a video game about renovating homes will be a very different experience from doing it in real life. There’s no dust, no mess, and no physical labour, and you’ll have a much more reasonable budget in the game than you’re likely to have in real life. I admit that the design process for the renovation was fun, and there was a time, long, long ago, in the heady days of elementary school, when I thought I wanted to be an architect. So the idea of getting to the end result of a renovation that you’ve envisioned, without any messy, dirty, hard labour in between, certainly has some appeal. So, where’s the tip here? Thinking about the demolition and the fun of designing, find joy where you can. Even if most of the process is a miserable slog, there’s going to be something that piques your interest and is enjoyable or relaxing. Check out this game before starting an actual renovation to see what aspects you might enjoy the most.

So I’ve given a few tips here, but I still stand by tip number one for renos, and give some real tips here at the end:

1. Don’t—at least not DIY.
2. Find a good contractor, and manage your budget wisely.
3. Let someone else do the stressing while you enjoy the results.

And if that’s outside the scope of your budget, take on the smaller jobs, things you know or can learn to do. Just go into it knowing everything that must be done and how it all fits together. Check out some project management guides to help with that and pick up a new skill that’s useful beyond the renovation.

¹ Yes, yes, spellcheck. I know there should be another l in remodelling, but I’m quoting so we can give the Americans their lazy, dropped letter.

² No matter how good their marketing used to be. Yes, I mostly wanted an excuse to reference this commercial. Especially in August, which feels fitting.