As a former Residential Designer, I often joke that one of my unofficial job titles should have been “marriage counselor.” Because let’s be real: renovating a home, especially a kitchen, tests relationships in ways that no other project could imagine.
Before any project begins, I sit down with clients and give them the unglamorous, what's-what. Know: you will be doing dishes in the bathtub, eating out more than usual, and living with the symphony of contractors, sub-contractors disrupting your house and sanctity of home. Even the best laid and intentional plans can go astray during the construction process. Being prepared and managing those expectations important to this process.
As you know renovations come with sounds, delays, disrupted routines, to both you, your family, and your pets. The list goes on. And even if everything goes according to plan (which, let’s face it, is a generous assumption), expect to be down several weeks to serval months, depending on the scale of the project.
This past week has been a textbook example. We’re experiencing record-breaking snow here in North Carolina. Beautiful? Yes. Practical for a renovation? Not so much as schedules get pushed further out.
So, here’s what I tell every client:
- Know you’re in this together. Renovation is a team sport. You both will be hangry, tired, and frustrated. Know this of each other. Go ahead and lead with grace.
- Be ready to sacrifice convenience. Set-up a make-shift kitchen in another part of your house. A place where you can cook on a dual burner, grill, wash dishes, and have some form of normalcy with your coffee maker and favorite snacks handy.
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Plan time away from the renovation. To me, this is the most important aspect. plan an extended weekend, visit friends in the evening for dinner, plan romantic dinners out.
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Communicate, often and kindly.
Small misunderstandings escalate fast when someone’s elbow-deep in drywall dust....I've experienced it myself. Check in with your spouse daily about frustrations, wins, and milestones. Together you can both agree that “we survived another day. -
Document the progress and celebrate small victories.
Take before-and-after photos to remember the progress and focus on the wins. Sometimes we lose perspective of our accomplishments when we feel overwhelmed. -
Set realistic expectations.
Not every day will be productive. Some phases of construction - especially lighting/electrical and infarctional work gives the illusion you are not moving forward. Trust me, you are. It's just not as satisfying as framing, drywalling, cabinetry installation. -
Protect your pets.
Animals hate renovation almost as much as we do. Consider safe zones or temporary boarding if noise and strangers stress them out. It keeps everyone’s anxiety levels manageable. -
Budget over the quoted amount. This is certainly something that no one ever wants to hear, but the hard truth is to expect delays and increased costs from the initial budget.
- Finally, be nice to your contractor. I have always had exceptional clients and exceptional experiences in the field, so I feel this has never applied to me personally. If you have issues, address your design team as you see them, but remember your design and construction team are your biggest advocates to completing any project. We all want the same goal and are working forwards this goal.
At the end of the day, renovations are temporary, but memories, along with frustration, are part of the story. I guarantee you will quickly forget the pains of renovation and will be on to the next project.