Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
flowers101

Going insane

flowers101
12 years ago

Can't find a forum for advice on how to keep your sanity while doing a huge remodeling. I need some advice-----PLEASE. I'm having the living room, family room, one bathroom, and two bedrooms remodeled and I'm already stressed out. This is only the first week and this remodeling is going to take 3 months. What do you do to keep your sanity?

Comments (12)

  • User
    12 years ago

    Seriously?

    Rent a short term apartment and move there.

  • Jumpilotmdm
    12 years ago

    Don't try to make a decision on every little detail. Give your GC or trade professional some license to do it "as he would in his own house" or something like that. Decisions can wear you down A LOT!
    Consider moving out, all joking aside. Are you really that stressed? It could be worth it.
    Ever try skydiving? Schedule a tandem jump. It will put all else you're worried about in a much different perspective.

  • julcarr
    12 years ago

    Help me!! I have not even started yet and I think I am going insane with selecting the kitchen cabinets...I keep changing my mind. I like the white cabinets with marble and wood flooring. But I also like the contemporary wood slab cabinets. I also thought of the charcoal gray cabinets so popular in Atlanta.

  • sombreuil_mongrel
    12 years ago

    If you are literally going insane you need a mental health professional.
    If you are not literally going insane, you are making light of a serious set of conditions that plague many people; you are just annoyed, perturbed, having an off day, not dealing with pressure well, need a life coach, or are afflicted with "affluenza" so get over it.
    Casey

  • EngineerChic
    12 years ago

    Here's what I do when stricken with analysis paralysis ... Or chronic second guessing. I look at pictures on Houzz for things I really do NOT like and identify the thing I don't like about them. For a kitchen, it might be too cold or cutesy or faux-French ... Whatever it is, I start listing the things I want to avoid.

    And then I look at the options I am torn between and try to figure out if any of them will give me that same feeling - I imagine walking into the house on the crappiest day when I hated work and traffic was awful and the cat vomited on something expensive. Based on that imagined day, which option will I enjoy the most?

    That goes to the top of the list. And the next day I look at the top contenders again, just to be sure I really do like it best.

    I've been rethinking my tile choices for the 2 bathrooms a lot lately but in the end, I went with a pretty bland palette, some interesting shapes, and know that I won't ever hate it or grow tired of it.

    Last thought ... No matter what, it will be better than what you have now, right? And as long as you are doing it for a price you can afford then who can judge that, right?

  • worthy
    12 years ago

    Get operated on for a life-threatening condition. It puts things in perspective.

  • EngineerChic
    12 years ago

    "Get operated on for a life-threatening condition. It puts things in perspective"

    Perhaps temporarily, but having done that 11 years ago I can say that even with that experience I can be overwhelmed with the number of decisions (and expense related to each) during a remodel.

    I suppose if one were to battle serious illness on a more regular basis, like every 3 years, the change in perspective might be permanent but I'm not sure it's worth the toll on one's body & mind.

  • kudzu9
    12 years ago

    angiein-
    Week one is always the worst. Then you start to realize that you don't need to worry about everything. Unless you have hired an incompetent contractor, just let the job proceed.

  • brickeyee
    12 years ago

    And if you decide you really cannot live with how something turned out (and you may not know for sure for a few months) it can always be changed.

    I remember my wife thinking the new 48-inch 4-tube T8 fixture in the large kitchen was brighter than she liked.

    I even ran the extra cable to allow dimming before closing up a section of wall and finished off the ceiling.

    Before I could order the (painfully) expensive dimming ballast and control she decided it was OK.

    Pick what you think you want now, if something is more than you want to pay at the moment at least plan so it can be easily retrofitted later, then move on and get the job done.

    I have a section of kitchen counter with a sink and GD that has been in numerous remodels.
    I just block it up on some 2x4 framing and the homeowner at least has a functional (but still ugly) kitchen they can work in.
    Customers have ALL loved it.
    Even in the middle of a to-the-walls kitchen demo and remodel, they have a working sink every day.

    Usually with a DW beside it (their old one or new one).

    I have been invited to sit down and eat numerous times.

  • dseng
    12 years ago

    Look on the bright side - you still have your kitchen so you're not trying to cook for 5 people on a single electric burner and a toaster oven for 4 months.

    Seriously - having that much of your house turned into a construction zone simultaneously can be stressing - if it's the noise, strangers in your space, dust, clutter, disruption that's bothering you, moving out may be the best solution.

    One part or another of our houses for the past 12 years have always seemed to be some kind of construction zone. You CAN get used to anything. What's stressing you out? If you have a good plan and the major decisions were made before you started, there will probably be some unplanned issues that need to be dealt with and maybe some choices that need to be made, but overall it shouldn't be that hard on you. And remember - now you only have 8 more weeks to go - and as boot camp has proven for decades - anybody can put up with anything for 8 weeks! Good luck - and remember to look for the bright side of the coin!

  • salem1772
    12 years ago

    1. Hire a competent designer to walk with you through the bazillion decisions you will have to make. I do not envy you one bit. I feel your pain! I just completed a master bath renovation and though I am very pleased with the final outcome, it would have been SO much less of a headache had I hired a professional to present me with two choices of paint, tile, lighting, grout, granite, stain color, etc. Instead, I burned up a ton of time roaming the aisles of stores, pouring over Houzz pictures, reading GW posts, searching for on-line deals ---- I do not have an affinity for this sort of thing, and it just nearly did me in. I tried to cut corners and do all the research, shopping, and decision-making myself, probably not the best use of time or money in the long run. If ever I am in these circumstances again, I will hire help.

    2. Keep reminding yourself that whatever you end up with will be an improvement over what you have now.

    3. Remember that a large chunk of the world's population don't even have a house to remodel. Your problems (and mine) are indeed pleasant ones in the grand scheme of things.

    Good luck!