Home Renovation

Living in a home

renovation project

How can you cope living in a house renovation project?

Home renovation: ‘How can you cope living in a house renovation project?’ That is the most asked question. Admittedly it’s not easy but with grit, determination and focus on the end game I muddle through. In a previous life, pre-Norfolk, and pre-Starre Corner, I was an IT Project Manager. Nothing however prepares you for managing and physically renovating your own home.

On the seventh anniversary of moving to Starre Corner, I want to write about my renovation journey, focussing on last year, 2022. Can I be honest with you? Last year was tough. Really tough.

7 years ago

Today is not at all like it was, 7 years ago when it heavily rained all day, and the skies were dark and gloomy. Today thankfully, 7 years on, it is sunny. It’s amazing the affect a sunny day can make, especially whilst living in a house renovation project. Dark, wet, chilly days are simply not conducive with renovation life.

The second most asked question is, why is it taking so long to renovate?

The second most asked question is, why is it taking so long to renovate? This is easy to explain away. When moving to Norfolk with my family, we moved with nothing. We travelled light. Most of our belongings were sold before embarking on this new adventure – furniture, knickknacks, the lot. The move was away from grandparents, aunties, uncles, and cousins to start a new life in Norfolk. It’s an adventure I was ready to embrace but I recall sobbing for most of the journey to Starre Corner. For the first few years I wanted to explore and make Norfolk feel like an exciting adventure for my children to enjoy. Secondly, I wanted to get to know the house before making any major decisions. If I’d gone all in, like a bull in a china shop, major design mistakes would have ensued.

Up until 2021, the renovation was going at a snail’s pace

Up until 2021, the renovation was going at a snail’s pace. Taking the work slowly, whilst juggling work and family life worked well. Thoughts and decisions were considered and although progress was slow, it was possible to keep Starre Corner feeling homely with a modicum of comfort. Starre Corner is a family home and should feel like one, no matter what the situation.

It has always been important to me, to make sure that my family feels warm, safe, and cosy. Not an easy feat, living in a renovation.

I will never forget the fear, attempting to sleep during a storm

I will never forget, the fear of attempting to sleep during a storm, only weeks after we had moved in. My husband and I were convinced that the old chimneys were going to come crashing through the roof. We repositioned the beds in the end, so at least they wouldn’t fall on us. On the morning after the storm, for obvious reasons. we set about making sure that we had new chimney stacks built before the next Norfolk storm.

Within the first few years, serious jobs were tackled, including a new roof, rebuilding two chimney stack, and new electrics. Better night’s sleep followed.

After the initial couple of years of tackling renovation priorities and exploring Norfolk, the mundane task of stripping Starre Corner down to her bare bones took place

After the initial couple of years of tackling renovation priorities and exploring Norfolk, the mundane task of stripping Starre Corner down to her bare bones took place. She needed to be stripped bare to fully assess the scope of the renovation project. This is when living in a renovation project starts to get challenging. Unlike decorating, it can’t be attacked one room at a time. Now that is not easy, let me tell you. It’s at this point that all the unknown issues also come to the fore. There were many! So, there’s the answer. That is what’s been happening. Starre Corner has been sympathetically fixed, using traditional materials and methods. There is not a lot to be seen for the effort, but she now has good bones and soul.

Towards the end of 2021 the pace picked up

Towards the end of 2021 the pace picked up. After a slow start it suddenly felt imperative to pick up pace and sprint to the finishing line. It was time to build an extension. With finances in place and a determination to succeed, the time had come. Just to confirm, hubby and I have no prior knowledge about extension building, just like we have no previous renovation experience. There’s nothing quite like learning on the job with You Tube and Google as support. A previous doer upper was far more decorating focussed than renovating. Starre Corner is at a whole new level.

2022 was a tough year of home renovation

2022 was a tough year. It felt like the year I had taken on more than I could cope with. With the back of the house knocked down, and a new extension rising from the ashes, Starre Corner was open to the elements and there was no going back. Every task, from digging out the foundation to laying breeze blocks, to constructing the roof, took far longer than anticipated. The tasks felt never-ending and tedious, and I must admit, I thought the challenge might beat both hubby and me. Mark was looking thin and stressed and I was attempting to keep family life as normal as possible.

Taking on the challenges of 2022 really made me appreciate home comforts

Taking on the challenges of 2022 really made me appreciate home comforts. or lack of them. Starre Corner was without a cooker for 18 months and as the breeze block walls went up, the doorway to the only bathroom facility was blocked up too. On the day the bathroom door ceased to be accessible I asked Mark how we were meant to get into the bathroom? Next thing, a sledgehammer was being wielded and a hole in the wall appeared in the side of the house. From that point on, no matter what the weather the only bathroom facilities have been accessed from outside, through the hole in the wall. It’s cold, it’s damp, it’s mouldy.

Physical exhaustion and decision fatigue

Physical exhaustion and decision fatigue set in last year, and the tedious task of getting to a point of being watertight and secure felt like massive hurdles. But we did it! We finished and wow, what an achievement. It wasn’t until I sat down, drinking tea in the part-finished kitchen, that I realised how much of a strain we’d been under. As I expressed to my husband how proud I was of his achievements, I burst into uncontrollable tears. Maybe stress tears. Maybe tears of joy. Or both. What a year!

Home renovation; So, what’s next?

So, what next? You may well ask. This is where the fun part really starts. All the paint charts are out. Fabric samples are strewn. and evenings are spent browsing the internet for light fittings, switches, sockets, showers, toilets etc. Reclamation yards are my weekly stomping grounds, along with antique and reclamation fairs. 2023 is the year where visible progress will definitely be seen. It is going to be a good year.

I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below about my home renovation. If you enjoyed reading this and aren’t already following me on social media, please pop over to instagram and give me a follow,

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