3 months into house remodel and losing the will

[Hellodarknessyouoldprick]

Okay so on one hand, I am very grateful we get to do this. We didn’t buy a house until I was 40, I thought we would be in rented shitholes forever. I still pinch myself daily that not only did we manage to buy a house, we are able to make it how we want it.

4 years ago we bought a bit of a hole as it was all we could afford. We’ve done bits and bobs to it, including an 8 week project three years ago.

But this year, we were able to do the big jobs. Half the decrepit old extention rebuilt, closing off rooms, opening up others, kitchen, bathroom. It will be great when it’s done.

But they started at the end of August and it’s still ongoing. Not anything to do with the builders - they are fantastic, it’s just a big job and being an old house, some not so nice surprises have popped up along the way. While they didn’t add too much in the way of expense, they added time.

Today marks the 3 month point. They reckon another 3 weeks until everything is finished.

Anyone else just get so fatigued during a big job? I want my house back to normal. It’s the entirety of the downstairs, so everything we have is piled in the loft or in bedrooms and I just feel so claustrophobic!

Everything is always so dusty as well.

It's crazy isn't it, by the end I was friends with all of them as well. It's when they also want to work on the weekends really early - appreciate they wanted to get it done but oh man ! I've completely done this house from top to bottom, defo never doing it again!

We have just knocked through from our kitchen into our new conservatory and the dust! I thought I covered everything quite well, but it got in everywhere.
I think what keeps you going through is the end goal. I keep picturing what things will look like when done and how much they will improve home life.
We have various projects in mind for the next few years which will require deep breaths. And gin 🍸

The dust is insane. It gets everywhere and in everything! When we were in the thick of it, with all the rooms down stairs being taken down to brick and having walls taken out, we were all having to wash our hair everyday.

I would have a shower and wash all the dust out of my hair in the morning, and by the time I left for the school run in the afternoon, my hair was full of dust again, so quite often, I’d have to wash it again at night too. My hair
now looks like it belongs on a fraggle!

Yes we ended up taking our living room back to bricks, wasn't expecting that but... stuff happens, or rather, is revealed! Am now at the decorating phase which is far nicer and really is uplifting.

I'm too scared to even think about the bathroom! 😂

I hope you at least have reliable workmen you can call in, that is one huge advantage.

Yeah, they are excellent. We’ve used them before for another job and they are friends of ours too. Extremely reliable!

We had the whole down stairs, including the hall, stairs and landing back to brick at the beginning, all ceilings off and floors in parts too where the old joists had rotted. That was … an interesting way to live for a few weeks!

I wouldn’t recommend but it was all the original plaster from 1930 that had completely blown and was only being held on by wood chip wallpaper (layers of it in parts!) plus some walls coming down so there was no choice.

I may not have any paint on them now, but at least it’s all nice, new plaster!

Yes having reliable trades people is most of the battle. Most of our old plaster had blown as well. Has mainly been replaced but not everywhere. Other fun discoveries such as a lath ceiling which had to be removed! Plus, wallpaper on ceilings, who even does that? 😂

Oh yeah, we had wood chip on some ceilings too hiding a multitude of sins! and all the ceilings were lath, Christ, the mess bringing all that down! Some had rotted due to old leaks that were just covered up with plasterboard and more wood chip. I’ve lost count of how many skips we’ve had. 7 big ones, I think we’ve been through.

I feel your pain. 6 months in and rooms close to being finished but not yet there. Hoping it comes together in the next two weeks. I am sick of dust, decision making and internet shopping!

Your post brings back memories.

Ten years ago, we undertook some house renovations which started in early August. On the day they started I distinctly remember saying "You will be done by Christmas won't you?"... and we all laughed and the builders said "of course, we'll be long gone by then."

Well you can probably guess the result! To be fair, they were mainly done, just a few snagging issues to fix, but I was still battling dust on Christmas eve!

Old house 1804. The biggest job took five months. I didn't have a kitchen for all that time. The rest of the house another five years. We were very happy there for 20 years.

I would never do it again.