The Renovation Rollercoaster

Disclosure: This is an unsponsored post. All opinions expressed are my own.

We have all been there…. We have a project that we have been DYING to do around the house. It would be so great if…. I only need so much money… wouldn’t it improve our living situation? What about how much value it would add to the house??? How can I convince my spouse that this is a good idea???

My playroom project is no exception to this pattern. In my case I didn’t have to convince my spouse, he was already on board. I had great ideas and was so very excited to choose each item. I had it all set, I had picked out each and every detail painstakingly….

And so it begins. We are at the top of our game. We got the go ahead and the plans start. So optimistic about the outcome, we start having people come in and give estimates. We do our research and choose the best person for the job. There are so many possibilities… what can be added? What colors to use? What textures? What types of materials? We create a Pinterest board, ask friends and family to work with us on ingenious ideas to personalize the space…

My Pinterest board looks nothing like the real room. Like many other busy moms I first tried to do the bulk of my decorating online. I think that this is a big mistake, and a time waster. I could have pinned rooms that I liked, and moved on from there, but picking out a couch and carpet from an online source just didn’t work out.

The project starts and you change your mind because they can’t install the material that you have chosen, something is on back order, you saw the couch online and it was NOT as pictured when you went to check it out.. Now what? Your budget is slowly being BLOWN to smithereens (what budget, let’s get real, you didn’t know how much carpet was going to cost, and who knew you paid for the padding extra???). Why don’t cabinets come in the sizes I need? You want how much money for a custom cabinet in a playroom?

I had everything set, until I went to look at some of the items in person. Oh and might I mention, having to change it all basically doubled my budget. I am not sorry that I did it, I learned a valuable lesson. Most of my other renovations have been need based so I haven’t had this much time to decide on things before. It has never really been for FUN. I did learn some valuable lessons from it. Nothing beats the real thing. Go in person or you will be unhappy. I also found amazing local cabinet makers (after calling several) who worked with me and had reasonable pricing.

The windows go in, followed by the flooring and the furniture, things are looking up. You can finally remember why you started the project to begin with. Friends and family start returning their finished masterpieces, you can hang the decorations on the wall. There is a light at the end of the tunnel.

That is where I am today. The carpet is in, the couch is in place. The custom camera throw pillows are adorable. I have mounted the chalk and dry erase boards and the kids are loving it. The first part of the cabinets are in (minus the trim and doors) and I can start to put things away. (A) and (D) even slept on the pull out bed already. When (A) plays he wants to go into that room. Wants to watch a Disney movie on his own TV. Additionally, I have a room to put guests in when they come to visit instead of on my couch. I am starting to breathe again and love watching the kids play through the kitchen window while I cook or clean up.

My roller coaster is starting to wind down and I can see the line of passengers waiting to get on ahead of me (I actually think it’s the endless list of other projects to complete in the house). But knowing where to start is half of the battle. I learned to budget 25% more than I originally thought and found some great ways to save money. I also learned where I am willing to cut costs, and where it is just not worth it (cabinets, carpet, couch).

This is the last “Peek” you will get before the project is complete (mid-May). I am loving it. I will also list all of the people that I used for those who may have similar needs, unsponsored. I just believe that if you find someone good, you should go with it and pass along their information.

The room is cleaned out, windows changed, ceiling painted, and heat source added.