Remodeling on A Budget Part 2

By Jenn at Five Dollar Shake

When doing a major remodel (see Remodeling on A Budget Part 1) there is one thing you can be certain of.


Your project is going to take longer than you expected!

Especially if you’re doing the work yourself.  Once you really get going, there will be surprises that you couldn’t have planned for and there will always be ideas of how to make the project better.  You might as well fix “this” or do “that” since the place is already a mess, right?  Makes sense.

Living under construction can be a real stressful time for a family.  Yet, if you plan ahead there are a couple of things you can do to make it a whole lot easier.

So, plan ahead for the inconvenience!  Trust me, no wiser words have been spoken.

Here are a couple of tips based on my own experiences while my husband remodeled our living room, dining room and kitchen.  Basically our entire first floor over a two year span.

1. Decide on a “gathering” space or room while the construction is happening.  A space you can still sit together and spend time as a family.  For us, we’re lucky to have enough space in our basement for our living room furniture and television.  It worked out very well.

2. If you don’t have one – borrow or purchase a griddle, electric frying pan, slow cooker or something of that nature.  Trust me, this will save you a ton!  It’s all too easy to fall into the habit of buying out.  I mean what better excuse than not having a kitchen.  I had a griddle and a George Foreman Grill set up in our laundry room.  It wasn't ideal, but it sure helped us stay within our budget.

By simply making the best of what space we had that wasn't under construction, we saved our-self a lot of headaches, stress and over spending out of frustration.