Anyone else feel like they nearly went insane during home renovations

[GingerKittenTail]

If so do you have any survival tips and did you go back to your old self after ?

We had a an extension built earlier this year which included knocking through many walls to make the kitchen and dining room open plan. It took 10 weeks and was hard going but you do go back to normal after. It's really hard but worth it. When it's done I recommend paying for a builders clean to get rid of all the dust.
What are you having done?

I forgot to say for 7 of the weeks we didn't have a kitchen!

I think the moment you think I really can't do this any longer it suddenly gets better. Kitchen definitely the worst.

Yes,and yes. We have an open plan living room/kitchen, bungalow. Bought a kitchen from wicks,it was sitting in boxes in the spare room. DH working with a long day and 80 mile driving commute. It had to be gutted, concrete floor dug up to move pipes,it took 4 months (it's tiny) I just had the old free standing cooker that was left here. Washing up in the bath on my knees. Me working full-time nights with 100 mile driving round trip commute. He eventually temporarily plumbed a dishwasher into the conservatory,so I didn't kill him. When it came time for the bathroom, I said I would live with the pink 60s suite rather than a building site. Guess what another 4 months! We washed in the kitchen sink,(I could shower at work,or dropped into my DKs) we had a toilet, and chucked water from the water butt down with force to flush it. It does look great. It's lovely knowing he did it himself

Yes, we have had a loft conversion that involved lowering the ceilings on the middle floor. It's been massively delayed by trades shortages and a couple of issues that meant we missed our booked slots which caused knock on effects. So so much disruption. But roof and windows finally went in this week after work started in July and already feels so much more positive. Cant wait for the carpentry to be done next!

He's replaced kitchens and bathrooms before, but we could close the door on them,worse this time being open plan. The conservatory probably saved my sanity and marriage, haha. We've only ever been able to afford doer uppers.

We are on our 3rd year of a major renovation on a budget. We have knocked a wall down and have an open plan living room/kitchen now with both being swapped over. Drainage, digging up gardens, fully replumbed under the floor, new kitchen, new appliances, brick walls at the moment in the living room etc.

Every stage has been done with a massive waiting time in between living with various degrees of chaos. Partly due to us having to do it ourselves so fit in with dh's work. A big part to do with finances- every single job seems to be bigger and more expensive than planned at the beginning so it sets us back. And then the waiting time for trades to do the jobs that dh can't do which is crazy at the moment. We're on month 4 waiting on the electrician coming. Which puts the others back too.

I have found myself stressed in the chaos for a certain amount of time while a big (usually dirty) job gets done and then in the pauses between I am more patient and can catch my breath. I tidy up a bit and get a routine going and live with it for a bit. Then we take a deep breath and do another stage.

We currently have no oven or cooker and haven't since July, we are working with a camping stove and and a microwave. I'm hoping we can get the gas and electrics connected for the fab stove cooker we have sitting there. It has been a great pot stand but will be nice to actually cook on it.

The hardest bit was when we had no sink or cooker this summer.

I go between stages of getting on with it and accepting the chaos and being fed up and impatient for it to be done.

We did our bathroom just before it too and it was a similarly big job with drainage, plumbing and knocking out walls and replastering. At one point we had no floor and just down to the dirt.

I can see the potential now though and I know it will be worth it. We're going to have a beautiful house at the end of it all.

Oh yes, and every now and again I buy something 'frivolous' or decorative. I have a beautiful reclaimed shelf up in my kitchen with lovely things on it. It's my little haven of peace in a room of chaos.

Breathmiller, I can beat that,it's taken 8 years overall to do everything,in our 60s bungalow
Our last house a 1930s cottage (we didn't have CH till 15 years ago, no-one died!) So I thought ooh this place is really modern,then discovered you can't get parts for a 25 year old boiler. We did our last one over 10 years,as you said,as we could afford it. Hubby has removed small walls, to put in doors, french doors to conservatories,used as extension. We did the first one ourselves,all the DKs mucking in, sliding the glass roof into position.