How to prioritise home improvements in a fixer upper without feeling overwhelmed

[Everestisthebest]

Moved into a bit of a fixer upper 4 years ago and still have loads that needs to be done eg need new windows at front, new kitchen (ideally),, whole house needs painting, then things like curtains, shelving, new carpet. Just feeling a bit overwhelmed as to which thing I should be prioritising next...we have had a new front door, had previous floors sanded and varnished and new upstairs bathroom. Just looking for thoughts!

The woodwork eg doors and skirting boards are covered in layers of white glossy paint that has turned yellow

We moved into our 1980s fixer upper five years ago (and we're still not 'there' yet! For us, it's been a long and slow slog, but now we only have our bedroom, bathroom and toilet to go. (And the garden, but that's a very long term project!). And the drive. You get my gist 😅

For us:

• Initially all energy and money went into the 'behind the scenes' stuff, e.g. boiler, electrics, windows and plastering.
• We've then focussed on one room/ project at a time, dictated by a combination of priority and budget. For us this meant doing the kids' bedrooms first, then our small toilet, then a break for a year to save up for a kitchen reno and extension. We're currently on the lounge. Rightly or wrongly once the kids had updated bedrooms our priority was on social/public spaces where we might entertain people. So we have a beautiful modern kitchen, and then in the evening I have a bath in a green 1980s tub with carpet on the bathroom floor and lower walls 🤣

I think breaking it all down into affordable and realistic chunks helps. And accepting that it's a long term journey.

OP, this doesn't sound like a big overwhelming 'fixer upper', more about updating decoration with a fe F&Fs.

I would normally say start with the fabric of the building: so from what you say the windows would come first, if they are wooden then find a joiner and a painter and get them repaired then painted.

If you do have any electrics and plumbing or roofing to undertake then do that next. Plumbing throughout with the bathroom as the right people will be on site.

After that clean your old wooden floor, it doesn't want to be sanded, finish with an appropriate base if required and depending upon the type of wood.

Then it's decor, so anything messy first. Two ways to do it, one is all carpets or all skirting boards throughout. Or plan your rooms and do them in order. This will part depend on if you are doing the work yourself or getting trades in. If it's you then room by room is probably the most manageable for you.
Only you can determine the room priorities and if the kitchen is an early project or the last one.

If you haven't start thinking about how you use, or would use each room, then plan accordingly.

All the technical stuff first- plumbing, drainage, electrics, new roof, extending, knocking through.
Then the design stuff- new kitchen units bathroom. Then upstairs decor, then downstairs.
(If the only way out to the back garden is through the house then do that before any of the above).

I agree with @Tortephant that it doesn't sound like a particularly big or overwhelming fixer upper (to me, anyway, who's lived through several fairly major DIY projects).

However, I get that these things can easily overwhelm if you're not used to them!

We're almost two years into our current project - as usual doing majority of the work ourselves in our spare time - and still have no boiler or hot water, no working kitchen tap or oven (fortunately these days there's just me and DH at home!). On an almost daily basis I regret not getting the boiler (that didn't work and was 40+ years old) replaced immediately. But if we had, it would be in completely the wrong place as six months in we decided to reconfigure the entire ground floor layout. So, in the first year we took down any walls etc, fitted the required steels and stripped out stuff. Unfortunately the old kitchen was tiny so was collateral damage when doing this. We did prioritise getting our bedroom done as we needed an oasis of calm to escape to.

Previously, one considerably larger house took us ten years to finish. Like @mummabubs we treat it like a long term 'journey', breaking it down into mini, more manageable projects, although I do try to set goals as otherwise it would be easy to let things slide. Current target is to have the kitchen completed by end of August, although the boiler is not scheduled to be done till the autumn.

One thing I am finding hard is that this cottage being smaller means less space to put stuff when it needs moving for work to be done - the number of times I've had to decant all the books from our shelves is ridiculous!

I think the easiest way to avoid feeling overwhelmed is to separate the jobs into urgent, practical, and cosmetic improvements. Start with anything that could lead to bigger problems or higher costs later, such as windows, plumbing, leaks, electrical work, or other structural issues. Once those are sorted, you can move on to the kitchen and other larger upgrades. For plumbing work, one company I came across that seems worth considering is plumbing service in san diego, particularly for homeowners looking for professional residential plumbing assistance. After the essential jobs are completed, I’d tackle the house room by room rather than trying to renovate everything at once. Painting, curtains, shelving, and carpets can then be done gradually as your budget allows. Making a simple priority list and completing one project before starting another can make a fixer-upper feel much less stressful. Four years is a long time, so you’ve already made good progress with the front door, floors, and bathroom.

Start outside-in, and top-down.

Roof, windows, render/weatherproofing externally, then plumbing, electrics, boiler.

Then go room by room, hallway last. I would prioritise woodwork, curtains for privacy then carpets and lastly shelving.

Doesn't sound terrible!