Renovation Slip-Ups You'll Hate — and Fix ThemThe Complete Checklist for a Stress-Free Home Renovation 65

Renovation Slip-Ups You'll Hate — and Fix ThemThe Complete Checklist for a Stress-Free Home Renovation 65

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It began with a shelf idea. Or maybe not even a shelf — more like the feeling of one. My girlfriend said we needed “a better place for the keys,” and instead of doing the obvious, I decided I'd build something. Wall-mounted. Minimalist. Stylish. Or whatever people call it when they're about to poke holes into a wall.

I marked the spot above the radiator, took one step back and thought, “Easy” Ten minutes later I was staring into the suspicious darkness of the wall, confused why it looked like someone had left a mystery next to the wiring. The shelf never happened. But somehow the situation escalated.

That's the thing about home improvement — it doesn't stay put. You start with one thing, and the next thing you know, your hallway looks like a crime scene. I just wanted a shelf. By the end of the week, I had new plasterboard.

There's no clear moment when it all flips. It just happens. You go to the store for a screwdriver and come back with a basket of grout samples. That's how I ended up repainting a perfectly fine wall because the guy at the store said, “People are doing sage now.”

Receipts get longer. You buy a third roller because you can't remember where the other ones went. Spoiler: they're all in the laundry, behind the box labeled “misc”.

It's messy. Not just physically. One night I slept in the lounge because the bedroom smelled like plaster. I also cried over a nail that wouldn't stay in. Real tears. Over a hook. I don't know what to tell you.

But you get through it. With forums full of questionable advice. You learn things you'd rather not. Like how the bathroom window frame isn't attached to anything.

Eventually, though, things start to look better. Not perfect click here — nothing is. The tiles by the bin still look suspicious. But now, I look around and don't trip. That's progress.

The shelf? Never built it. We use a bowl now. Same one we always had, sitting on a chipped sideboard. But the wall's patched. Mostly.

And that's renovation, isn't it? Not polished. But it's lived-in. With all its wonky lines and odd colors.