Whoever said death and taxes are some of the most stressful things in life obviously never renovated their house. Whether you limit your remodelling aspirations to a single room or the whole house is fair game, taking on household renovations can be stressful. Even the strongest willed homeowner can start to feel the strain. Stress, unfortunately, can keep you from making quick, appropriate decisions when it comes to your house. If you expect to survive it all without stressing out, take a look at these coping mechanisms. They’re incredibly simple to incorporate into your renovation plans.
Be pessimistic about deadlines.
For the Type-A, organized individual, deadlines are an unbreakable law. But when it comes to massive remodelling, the law doesn’t always apply. With so many moving parts, your renovations will probably take longer than any estimated timeline. Expect things to take longer, especially when you’re dealing with multiple contractors or vendors. At worst, you’ll hit the extended target on time. In the best-case scenario, renovations will be done early, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Expect the unexpected.
Though you have a plan, your renovations rarely follow them perfectly. Things happen. You finally get to peeling off wallpaper (original to the house) and reveal black mould underneath it. Your electrician takes one look at your wiring before they realize your house, built in the 60s, was outfitted with aluminum wiring instead of the current copper standard. While stressful, these SNAFUs are par for the course when it comes to renovations.
The important part is to stay calm. A big part of keeping your cool is knowing you can pay for these new tasks. If your renovations are already pushing over your budget’s maximum, check in with lenders like MoneyKey. As a direct lender, they do their lending over the Internet, so you can borrow money quickly online straight from their website. By moving the borrowing experience online, they’ve eliminated many of the complexities that slow down typical loans. That means you can apply as soon as you realize you need help covering repairs. If approved, you can get the cash you need to make these improvements in as little as one business day. When they’re issued this quickly, fast-acting cash loans can help you keep calm in the face of an emergency.
Prepare for the loss of your house.
Your house is under construction. You’re not going to have the same access to all your rooms and stuff as you usually do. It seems obvious, but it’s often a fact homeowners overlook during remodelling. Remember, if you’re home during the day, it’s going to be incredibly loud. Banging hammers, foot traffic through the house, and other ambient sounds can keep you from working or relaxing as usual. If the job is large enough that your contractors have to come back every day over the course of a week — or more — they’ll leave behind messes and tools that can obstruct parts of your home.
Plan around these changes to your living spaces. Look up inexpensive ways to spend time out of your home in your local area, so you don’t feel trapped in the one room left untouched by construction. Relocate your work to a nearby coffee shop or the library, so you can concentrate without interruption.
Like anything that takes a lot of time, money, and patience, home renovations can be incredibly nerve-wracking. Though naturally stressful, remodelling doesn’t have to be an unbearably anxious time in your life. Incorporate the above habits in your life, and you can take out some of the stress of your renovations.