Tips to Prepare for a Home Makeover Without Losing Your MindWhere to Renovate First When Improving an Aging Home 88

Tips to Prepare for a Home Makeover Without Losing Your MindWhere to Renovate First When Improving an Aging Home 88

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It started small — a shelf. Or maybe not even a shelf — more like the impulse of one. My husband said we needed “a better place for the keys,” and instead of buying a bowl, I decided I'd make a statement. Wall-mounted. Minimalist. Functional. Or whatever people call it when they're about to drill blindly.

I marked the spot beside the door, took one step back and thought, “How hard can this be?” Ten minutes later I was staring into the guts of the wall, confused why it looked like someone had left a mystery next to the wiring. The shelf never happened. But somehow the hole got bigger.

That's the thing about home improvement — it doesn't stick to the script. You start with one thing, and the next thing you know, your hallway looks like a crime scene. I just wanted a shelf. By the end of the week, I had new plasterboard.

There's no clear moment when it all flips. It just spins. You go to the store for a screwdriver and come back with a tin of “soft almond” paint. That's how I ended up repainting a not even that bad wall because the guy at the store said, “People are doing sage now.”

Receipts get longer. You buy that same trowel because you can't remember where the other ones went. Spoiler: they're all in the laundry, behind the box labeled “misc”.

It's messy. Not just physically. One night I stayed at a friend's place because the walls were drying. I also cried over a nail that wouldn't stay in. Real tears. Over a hook. I don't know what to tell you.

But you get through it. With forums full of questionable advice. You learn things you'd rather not. Like how the power outlet leans “for character”.

Eventually, though, things settle into place. Not perfect — nothing is. The tiles by the bin still tilt. But now, I look around and don't duck. That's progress.

The shelf? Never built it. We use a bowl now. Same one we always had, sitting on a crooked more info sideboard. But the wall's patched. Mostly.

And that's renovation, isn't it? Not Pinterest-perfect. But it's yours. With all its wonky lines and odd colors.