We’re at 134 days and counting on our house renovation project. At this point it’s in easily in the top 3 of most stressful times I’ve ever had as a human being. You can have it too if you want it bad enough! Just follow this guide.

• Pick a contractor based on their availability and if they seem to have a space in their schedule when all other builders are busy, don’t consider that a red flag at all
• Only get one reference prior to selecting your contractor
• For the reference you do get, get the reference from someone you don’t know and who is a family member of the contractor
• Expand your renovation project to be double the scope of what you originally thought you’d do, just because “you might as well” since they are already tearing up one part of the house
• Trust that the timeline your contractor provides isn’t going to be late by more than 50%
• Believe that no matter what, the costs of the project can’t possibly overrun by more than 20%
• Pick materials in colors that aren’t common, which, in Scotland, means anything not brown, grey, or white
• Give your contractor money before things are done
• Move in with your in-laws while you are renovating your house to guarantee you don’t have any space or time alone 🙀
• Stop asking for a schedule after the twentieth time and just go with the flow because, as your contractor has told you, we’re “nearly there”

So yeah, we’re “nearly there”. There was some movement today (counter installed!) but also more delays (floor install is delayed).

Man, is this stressful.