Spring Break for our kids is in just a few weeks. Because of Ken's job, this means that he will have some more free time on his hands than he usually does. So what are we doing for Spring Break? The beach? Lake? Stay-cation? Not quite.
We are diving head first into some home renovation projects. Some indoors and some outdoors. These are not projects that we have any kind of experience with. None. Zilch. This could be disastrous amazing! So if we have no experience with these types of projects, how do we expect to have a good outcome? Here are a few tips for you:
- Research. ReSEARCH. REsearch. Easy to say, but how? We are researching in these ways: YouTube, Pinterest, Blogs, Books, and Friends. Search for the type of project you are doing, and endless results should come up. This is not a "one and done" type of research. We're piecing together tips and instructions from different sources that will work best for our house and our taste.
- Measuring. Know exactly how much of each material you will need. Guessing is going to add to your frustration when you either have to go back for more or you buy too much. Frustrations = Stress = Bad Experience.
- Pricing. This could go along with research, but it's important enough to stand on it's own. Know ahead of time how much you're going to spend on materials. Simply deciding to walk into a store and buy what you find isn't the best way to do things. You should shop around, price materials, and discover all of the options that are available to you.
- Gather and prep your materials. I like to think of this as making a recipe for dinner. You're going to make sure you have all of the ingredients before you start cooking it. Make sure you have all of your "ingredients" before you start your project. If some items can be prepped ahead of time, like priming something, go ahead and do it before the day you plan to do the project.
- Make sure you have the tools you need. If you need a tool such as a saw or nail gun that you don't have, make arrangements to buy it, borrow it, or rent it before the day of the project. You don't want to spend time on the day you start your project to track one down. Tool rental places may have rented all of them out, friends may not be reachable, and impulsively buying a tool that you need will likely lead to overspending.
When you take the time to plan ahead and prepare yourself with knowledge and materials, your project is going to go a lot smoother than if you don't.
Maybe next year on Spring Break we'll actually take a break. ;)
XOXO,
Abby
Labels: books, DIY, easy, Refinish
