10 things I've learned about DIY renos

1. You will ALWAYS go over budget. Even if you're a bargain hunter. Maybe you'll find the perfect sink on kijiji for $100 less than your "budget". Maybe the carpet you wanted is miraculously on blow-out right now and you save 50%. But then, (especially when you have to budget for a huge project - like, say, an entire house) you find out you need a new roof. That, say, will cost ten thousand dollars. Suddenly the couple hundred dollars you've saved doesn't seem so great.

2. Your renovation will ALWAYS take longer than originally anticipated. Especially when renovating a century home. " Expect the unexpected" is Justin's motto. You never know what you're going to find when you pull up a floor, or take down a wall. This can cover anything from a couple extra days to a couple extra years.

3. Anything is "liveable". Right now when I lay in bed I look through our thin plastic ceiling and watch the bats fly around the attic. I just think of it as having the pleasure of sleeping out in nature while having the luxury of my comfy bed.

4. The little things will drive you crazy, but the big things will go un-noticed. For example, I am itching to buy curtains for our living room. I dream about the fabric and pattern I want. The sheer "used-to-be-white" curtains that hang on our windows drive me insane. I can't WAIT to replace them. BUT - I am currently sitting in a disgustingly green room. Actually, according to my sister (who is a licensed medical doctor) the walls are the exact colour of gangrene. I don't even notice them anymore. Gangrene Green - sounds nice, doesn't it? Maybe Ben Moore should come out with a new shade.......

5. Plaster dust is my mortal enemy. Enough said.

6. Any tool that is labeled "Featherlite" is a huge, HEAVY lie.

7. Each room has the ability to morph into another room. When we lived on Gladstone, our dining room became the temporary kitchen while our kitchen was gutted down to the studs. Our living room then became our living/dining room.
In our current house, we sleep in the "loft" which is the amalgamation of 2 bedrooms, a linen closet, and a hallway. There is a framed up bathroom in one corner, and when I'm not looking up at the bats, I look directly at my children's doors. Privacy doesn't exist in our house.
Also, our playroom acts as a laundry room, and our "washing machine room" is also our only coat and boot closet. (Our washer and dryer are in two different rooms. See #3).

8. My kitchen sink is invaluable. You just can't live without a kitchen sink and still be considered sane. Especially when you don't have a main floor bathroom. I had to live for 5 months without a kitchen sink. I nearly lost my mind. Perhaps I did. I also had a newborn baby, so I'm sure that didn't help. But, I bet you've never noticed how often you use you sink. Not only for washing dishes, but for draining pasta, potatoes, vegetables, etc. For dumping out the last of your soup broth, or cereal milk. Washing fruit, or say, YOUR HANDS!!! Having a kitchen sink is VERY important. Perhaps I might even say, it really is the only thing that negates lesson #3. We ended up moving to my parents house until our kitchen was a bit more "kitchenish".

9. "How is your house coming along?" will be the first question most of your aunt, uncles, and people at church, will ask you. Which is just fine. But be prepared to answer the question a million times.

10. My husband continues to amaze me. I feel like one of my kids when I say "there's nothing that Justin can't do". But I'm serious. There has yet to be a project that Justin hasn't been able to complete. Lately, he installed a 1200 pound beam to replace a load bearing wall, ALL BY HIMSELF. Well, I moved the ladder for him a couple of times. He's amazingly talented. And strong. And I'm very thankful for him.