How We (Barely) Survived Renovating Our Entire House
If you’ve ever considered renovating your entire house by yourself, I have one piece of advice: don’t do it. Just kidding! Kinda. Over the years, we’ve taken on home renos from head to toe—everything from new kitchen to flooring to electrical, and somehow, we’re still here to tell the tale.
Let me share some of our favorite tools, tricks, and lessons learned, often the hard way, along the way. Spoiler alert: most of these involve avoiding injury and maintaining my sanity (mostly).
The "Magic Wand" aka My Favorite Tool of All Time
If I could marry a tool, it would be my trusty multi-tool oscillating saw. I swear, this thing is like the Swiss Army knife of renovation gadgets. There’s no greater joy than realizing, once again, that I can use it to cut, sand, scrape, and even save my marriage by finishing a project on time.
If you're like me, you'll find yourself wondering how ancient civilizations built pyramids without it. I mean, those guys needed a grout scraper! Over the years we have ended up with two. We love both of them. DEWALT 20V MAX XR Multi-Tool Kit and the Makita Multi-Tool Kit.
The Ladder of Broken Dreams
Oh, ladders. We’ve had some good times, like when I learned to perfectly balance on the top rung while painting trim. (By the way, if you're wondering, yes, standing on the top rung does mean you’ve made several poor decisions leading up to that moment.)
My pro tip: buy a ladder that extends and is versatile because it’s not just about height; it’s about being able to carry those dreams and reaching them safely. And nothing says "home renovation expert" quite like a ladder that doesn’t wobble when you look at it funny. If you do not have a lot of storage space, we love a good telescoping ladder that we can hang in the garage.
Paint Yourself into a Corner—Literally
Painting is one of those activities that seems fun in theory but quickly spirals into a saga of blue tape, endless edging, and finding paint in your hair weeks later. We once painted an entire room only to realize it resembled baby bird poop. And while I was tempted to say it was "modern art," we repainted… in a color that didn't make us cringe. And to this day we still call it the “baby bird poop” room.
But through all the walls, ceilings, trim, crown molding, and cabinets, we learned that having a good paint sprayer was essential. It was surprisingly easy to clean and a complete game changer, allowing us to move so much faster.
Floor It!
When it came to laying down floors, I was sure it would be the most Zen part of the renovation. Turns out, installing floors can be a bit like playing Tetris with giant, awkward planks while the clock is ticking, and your back is slowly turning into a question mark. The trick here is patience—and something called a Laminate Floor Cutter that, once I got the hang of it, made me feel like a true DIY legend. No joke, if you don't have one, your floors will end up wonky.
The Power of YouTube University
Let’s be honest, YouTube is the unsung hero of our renovations. Whether you need to tile a bathroom or figure out why your power drill just made a noise like an angry squirrel, there’s a tutorial for that. Some of the best tricks I’ve learned came from strangers on the internet—and they’ve only led to minor disasters.
I still remember one video titled, "How to Install Drywall Like a Pro," and let me just say, if there was a follow-up called, "How to Fix Drywall Mistakes Like an Amateur," I’d star in it.
Lesson Learned: It’s Never Over
After every reno, we swore it was the last. We even toasted with cheap champagne (we were broke by then) and declared the house "finished." And yet, there’s always something more. I once read that DIY home renovations are like Pringles: once you pop, you can’t stop. And it’s true. There's always one more light fixture to replace, one more bathroom to tile, one more shiplap wall to... regret.
My Number One Trick: Just Start
At the end of the day, the best renovation tool you can have is courage (and, okay, maybe a really good friend who owes you favors). Just starting, even if you’re not entirely sure how to finish, is half the battle. You’ll make mistakes, you’ll laugh, you’ll probably cry a little—but in the end, you’ll look at your home and say, “Yeah, we did this. And we survived.”
And that, my friends, is the real DIY magic.
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