Page 2 | Renovation hell —give me hope…please..

Walkthelakes · 2024-04-10T15:40:39+00:00

I’d love to hear any stories about renovation disasters that have turned out alright in the end and you have regained your sanity. Currently sacked builder after 18 months. Was supposed to take 16 weeks. We are going to have to pay twice for stuff, and struggle to get someone to take on the mess he’s made. Currently living in half the house. It’s ugly and dark. I feel like it was the worse decision ever to buy this house. Can I make my peace with it when it’s done? Will I have PTSD and never be able to enjoy it? I can’t sell it until it’s finished anyway as it’s a building site. So I have to get through it but fuck me im fed up

Noseyoldcow · 12/04/2024 22:01

Process, not prices....

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Walkthelakes · 12/04/2024 22:09

ibelieveinmirrorballs · 12/04/2024 21:25

Solidarity from me too OP. I'm not sure my message will be what you want to hear, but I went through a renovation with a builder I had to sack (this was the second one, after the first lot of renovations a couple of years before I'd had to sack builders from too - they turned out to be coke heads and stopped turning up to finish the job after they'd only done about 70% of it) and definitely had PTSD from it.

With this last round, I got another builder to finish it off - whilst he wasn't brilliant, he was a lovely man and he was reliable and he got it all done. It cost me more, but the worst part about it was that some of the bad work done by the first builder just couldn't be rectified without huge expense and so I left it. I sold the house only 18 months after the work was finished because it depressed me so much to be constantly reminded of it. Whilst on the surface some of the work looked amazing the reality was it had been done very badly.

The 'happy ending' (if there is one 😆) is that a few months ago I randomly saw the most beautifully renovated house come on the market, which had been lovingly restored by someone from top to bottom. On a whim I put mine on the market, managed to sell it, and moved in here last month. I am grateful on a daily basis never to have to go through that sort of renovation hell again. I'm a single parent with a demanding job, and just don't think I've got the mental bandwidth for it when things go wrong. I'm not sure that's helpful for you but just in case you're worrying that you too will be traumatised and never love the house, there are ways out of it!

This actually makes me feel better. That in the end it will be ok somehow. This wasn’t my dream house. We bought in the madness of 2022 and kept offers in on houses and were completely outbid. Some houses went for 150k over the asking price. This was the best we could get at the time, in our price range. A lot of the others we looked at were fully done but this needed everything doing. I just didn’t realise it was so hard. We have also realised some real problems with what the sacked builder has done and I just can’t even think of how we’ll get it sorted. I can totally see us selling 18months after it has been completed…but think we would be in the same position of struggling to find somewhere suitable. It’s nice to hear a happy ending though!

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Walkthelakes · 12/04/2024 22:11

Hiddenmnetter · 12/04/2024 21:34

I’m in the middle of building a granny annexe for my parents in my garden. It was meant to be 3 months start to finish. We’re nearly at 5 months and about 2/3-3/4 of the way through.

having the builder come around and take a big old shit every morning is starting to irk me. He’s an old friend, and a really nice guy, and he’s doing an outstanding job, but he’s not nearly as quick as it was planned to be. It’s making it a little hard to talk with him (doesn’t help that he’s ADHD and he often doesn’t talk sense…)

Still, nearly there. The paving is going in and it looks amazing. Just a little longer and my parents will be out of my living room. I’m desperately trying to find recommended tradesmen to finish various jobs that my builder doesn’t have the time to finish as he’s accommodating the ground works for the paver. He will get back to them, but it’s holding up the moving in date considerably because he has to focus on ground works right now and I just want their internals finished!!!

Our builder also went for a shit as soon as he arrived. Pissed me right off 😂

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Walkthelakes · 12/04/2024 22:14

I think I underestimated thr mental bandwidth needed. I’m pretty resilient and not scared of hard work but 21/2 years of renovations has really broken me

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Walkthelakes · 12/04/2024 22:15

Particularly dealing with the builders

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ibelieveinmirrorballs · 12/04/2024 22:24

Walkthelakes · 12/04/2024 22:15

Particularly dealing with the builders

I think going through trauma with bad builders, including having to sack them, is very different to things just taking longer and going over budget. There is something incredibly abusive-feeling to someone coming into your home, giving them a large amount of money, and feeling like you’ve just paid them to smash it up. It’s horrendous - sending a big hug.

Original poster

Walkthelakes · 12/04/2024 22:44

ibelieveinmirrorballs · 12/04/2024 22:24

I think going through trauma with bad builders, including having to sack them, is very different to things just taking longer and going over budget. There is something incredibly abusive-feeling to someone coming into your home, giving them a large amount of money, and feeling like you’ve just paid them to smash it up. It’s horrendous - sending a big hug.

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Yeah even the head fuckery of coming to the realisation that they have fucked you over. I’ve thought I’ve imagined it, sent myself mad, been persuaded that it’s me that’s been unreasonable and given them a last chance too many time. That’s been an emotional thing to come to terms with on top of the building itself

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Notthatcatagain · 12/04/2024 22:57

I knew I was in trouble the day that my deputy at work suggested that we should book into a hotel for a few days. The house never did actually fall down but it was a close run thing. It did get done in the end and now I'm not even sure how many years ago it was, probably 13 or 14. It's a happy home and unless we win the lottery, it's forever. It suits us and meets our needs. There is one big crack that just refuses to be filled and I have really tried. Of course I could knock all the plaster off and re do but I probably won't. However, I no longer even consider anything other than the smallest job, sometimes I think wouldn't it be nice to just.... then I give myself a slap

Newofficechaur · 12/04/2024 23:42

ibelieveinmirrorballs · 12/04/2024 22:24

I think going through trauma with bad builders, including having to sack them, is very different to things just taking longer and going over budget. There is something incredibly abusive-feeling to someone coming into your home, giving them a large amount of money, and feeling like you’ve just paid them to smash it up. It’s horrendous - sending a big hug.

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So very true 😥

Hamcc · 18/12/2024 13:28

How did this work out in the end? Doing my own at the moment and finding it incredibly stressful and obsessing over a poor skim job. Interesting to know if you got there in the end!

IsItWickedNotToCare · 18/12/2024 14:01

We are in this position too, bought house 5 years ago and still living in building site. Just about to make some progress when builder comes down with covid this week so that's us with dust and rubble all over the house during Christmas! I am very sorry for everyone who is also suffering!!! Xxx

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Walkthelakes · 20/12/2024 21:30

It’s nice to be able to check back in and give a bit of hope. We have moved into our extension in the last couple of weeks. It still needs bits doing (skirting boards, some finishing) but I’m not exaggerating when I say it feels transformative. Just having one nice space. I realise how hard it has been to be essentially camping in a house for 3 years. It has been so so hard; I have four kids and work a stressful job and this is the closest I’ve ever been to the edge. I’ve still got the rest of thr hiuse to do (slowly) but even that feels less intimidating now I have a nice room

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Walkthelakes · 20/12/2024 21:31

IsItWickedNotToCare · 18/12/2024 14:01

We are in this position too, bought house 5 years ago and still living in building site. Just about to make some progress when builder comes down with covid this week so that's us with dust and rubble all over the house during Christmas! I am very sorry for everyone who is also suffering!!! Xxx

Constantly one step forward and 2 steps back.

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