Whisky yes it is super stressful! We went into the project thinking that since it was just upgrades and labour was already included, our 60k budget and 15k buffer was more than enough, but it simply isn't. Still significantly cheaper than starting from scratch, but more expensive than we thought. We can't really go elsewhere for certain supplies because then we'll have to cover labour costs ourselves (we've paid for that in the house cost) and will have to pay the whole cost of the materials vs just supplementing what the existing budget doesn't cover, so in the end it works out about the same cost and more headache if we source things ourselves if that makes sense. I mean, in the building company's defence they're using very nice products, but it really bothers me that there is no middle ground here in Lux in terms of product quality--it's high quality or nothing. I'd love to be able to ask them to just get flooring from the DIY shop instead of local boutiques. :(
We'll be okay. Worst case scenario we borrow 10 or 20k and pay it off in a few months after the build finishes. At the moment we're doubling up on rent and mortgage, which is where we're feeling the pinch. Thankfully once we move into the new place and stop paying rent, we'll free up a few thousand per month to chuck at the build. Our mortgage isn't bad at all, and really in terms of finished product we're getting an absolute bargain for our money compared to homes in the area that are already finished. It's such a delicate balance as the house is in an area where the quality needs to be at a certain standard if we want it to be competitive when we sell it on, so we have to walk the line between quality and cost very carefully.
I think on balance it's better to err on the side of quality and pay a bit extra now, but the process is so stressy!