How to be Prepared for your DIY Home Renovation

We made our first real estate purchase back in September and were hoping we would be all moved in by Christmas well- Valentine's Day is approaching and we aren't very close to moving in at all.  The reason? We did what everyone has been wanting to do since Chip and Joanna Gaines, Property Brothers, etc have come on TV- WE BOUGHT A FIXER UPPER.

Now, I know what you are thinking...that's a big task. Well, you don't even know the half of it!! I have been doing Instagram updates >Follow Here < along the way and that in itself still hasn't captured the full experience.

Learning from my mistake, here are the things you need to do to prepare for your home renovations:

1. Set Priorities: What are your must haves and what are things that you don't think are that important? Is it important to have entertaining space, private space, play area, fancy bathrooms, etc. After that, go room by room and get specific (ex: heated towel rack in bathroom, apron sink) then take it back to your spouse or living partner and revisit priorities. You will want to keep this handy as it may change as your projects progress. 
2. Budget!!: Some of things are harder to budget than others especially if it your first time doing a renovation. My rule of thumb? Always tack on 15-20% of your quoted costs. You also want to revisit that priority list and get real with yourself. Is it worth to have that $500.00 apron sink or will a $200.00 sink be just fine? Remember, be very strict with your budget because nothing is worse than having a beautiful kitchen if your den looks like it came straight out of the 70's. 
3. Stay Organized: Keep it together by communicating constantly and keeping a check list. Yes, some of you hate the idea of a check list but, they are my secret weapon. If I don't have a check list, I'm lost. Remember step 1? Well, that is taken in to account when making a checklist. If a top priority is getting a gorgeous kitchen- well guess what is on top of my checklist along with a nice % of my budget- KITCHEN. 
4. Stay Organized Physically: Paint brushes, dust, tools, nails, screws- oh, they get everywhere. So much so, that sometimes you walk in and think "How are we going to get out of this mess?" Positive attitudes strive in organized environments. Keep your space clean and you will feel that you can accomplish anything.
5. Communication: I can not stress how this is beyond the most important factor when DIYing. Your vision becomes a reality when you have a plan in place. Tips 1-4 will not be achievable if you do not have a plan that has been thoroughly discussed. Seriously. I, for instance, felt that our lay out needed to change dramatically- my husband did not. We talked it through keeping our priorities and budget in mind and came to a solution that accomplishes everything we wanted. Was it what I had in mind? No. Am I happy? Yes

I hope this was helpful and if you have more specific questions regarding planning a DIY project, I will be happy to help you figure it out.