Renovation projects usually start out from a place of optimism—we think about how much nicer our house will be, all the value we’ll be adding, and all the problems we’ll be solving. In the abstract, a DIY renovation always seems pretty straightforward: Buy those supplies, take some vacation days, and knock out projects according to a crisp schedule.
Yeah, it’s never that easy. Seasoned DIYers know to pad their schedule and their budget when tackling any sort of renovation or remodeling project, but even so, more than a third of people wind up regretting their DIY renovation. Sometimes that regret comes after all the paint has dried and the caulk has cured when you ponder the debt you went into or the design decisions you made. But sometimes the regret comes earlier—when you’re halfway through the project. Sometimes called “Mid-Project Regret Syndrome” (MPRS), 89% of us have experienced it at some point. What do you do when you suddenly realize you hate all of your choices, you’re exhausted, and you’re so very tired of living in a construction zone—but you’re only halfway through?
Take a break
If your house is still livable, your first step should be taking a little reno vacay. Taking breaks from projects—whether at our jobs or in our homes—offers a lot of mental and physical benefits. Renovations are exhausting, and DIY renos even more so. You might be experiencing renovation fatigue or simple burnout, so stepping away from the project for a day or longer might give you the second wind you need to keep going.
It will also give you the opportunity to assess the project and figure out why you’re experiencing reno regret. Is it because your design choices already seem outdated or mistaken? Maybe you can make some swaps to bring back your excitement level. Whatever the reason for your regrets, knowing their specific cause will let you make a plan to get out of this DIY hell. So put down the paintbrush, leave the dropcloths where they are, and go relax somewhere for a while and let your subconscious do its thing.
Go small
If you’re experiencing reno regret halfway through the project because the project has turned out to be a lot more work (and time, and money) than you expected, reconsider it as a series of smaller pieces—sort of like a phased remodel, but for just this one project. For example, if you’re halfway through renovating a bathroom, you might still need to tile the walls and floors, install the toilet, and put in the fixtures. Thinking of these pieces of the renovation as separate projects reduces their scale to something more manageable. Shifting the goalposts like this can give you a mental boost because you’ll see each step as a success, giving you little dopamine hits every time you check one off the list.
Easy wins
The other benefit of breaking your DIY renovation into smaller bits and pieces is that you can think about which bits you don’t actually need to do. Sticking with the bathroom example, maybe your initial plan, back when you were young, flush with cash, and filled with hope, was ambitious. Now that you’ve broken it down into smaller tasks, what could you live without? Maybe the walls outside the shower don’t need to be tiled—you could just paint them and be done. If it’s earlier in the project and you haven’t demoed the floor, maybe you could skip it and just tile over the existing floor. Maybe you planned to remove a wall, or a window, that you could now choose to just leave in place.
Scaling your project down to a more manageable size might be the boost you need to gird your loins and head back into the fray. When you’re done (much sooner than you thought because of the reduced scale) you might not have achieved your dream reno, but you’ll be able to get back to your life. And you’ll live to renovate again when you’ve recovered.
Subcontract
Here’s a secret: You’re allowed to switch gears in the middle of a DIY renovation—whether it’s ditching underperforming contractors to finish things up yourself or doing the opposite. If you’ve run out of gas in your DIY efforts, consider whether hiring a few contractors to finish things up wouldn’t be the best option, depending on your budget. Depending on the level of work needed, you might be able to get by with a handyman, but if you need specific things done (like the plumbing work in that bathroom), hiring a licensed, insured professional will let you get back to your life and still get the project finished up.
Of course, one big reason you chose to DIY the project in the first place was probably the costs, so consider paring down your project first. After breaking it down into smaller pieces, organize them into what you can skip, what you can still do yourself, and what you’ll need help with. By getting rid of some of the more ambitious stuff, you can hopefully open up your budget a little for some hired help.
