One weekend. Two hours. Oh, that seems so easy to do. This subject is probably one that I get wrong a lot. My idea of the level of effort doesn’t equate to the actual time I need to complete the project. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard on those tv shows when a homeowner started a project and didn’t finish in time, then weeks or months go by and after awhile they may even abandon the project. Although, this isn’t intended to help you actually calculate the time you need, it is intended to help you think about some of the factors that may impact your timeline.
For me, these were the biggest factors:
· Issues Discovered – This by far is the biggest problem that impacts a project’s timeline to completion. Open up a wall and find that it’s dry rotted inside and you’ll have to replace some of the 2x4s before you can adhere that new drywall, or pull up a floor only to find that the previous owner added it over another set of flooring that you now have to figure out how to pull up so you can lay your beautiful new tile down. Or you want to take part of a wall down only to find that some of the plumbing or electrical runs right through the middle of it and now you have to figure out a way to work around it. Or let’s say you take out a cabinet and you want to replace it with some awesome yard sale find you made, but when you pull the cabinet there’s now a 3-inch gap in the flooring that you now have to figure out how to fix before you can install the new one. These are the biggest breakers of time. There’s always going to be a challenge or something you hadn’t anticipated. There’s going to be some fixing to someone else’s mistakes, or even fixing issues that the home builder made. You name it, and you probably may encounter it. This is the challenge. Find a way out but don’t get discouraged that it’s going to take you much longer to fix that one thing before you can get back to the fun part of your cool project. It happens.
· Children – If you have a baby, chances are you don’t have a lot of time and if you think you can work in between feedings or nap times, more than likely the noise, the smells, and timing your dry time will affect him or her. You may want to hold off till you can dedicate the whole time needed or have someone else watch the baby for you while you get it done. I did way too many projects with a young baby and what I found was the time I needed to complete the job was really doubled because I had to take constant breaks. When I finally figured out it’d be better to have someone else watch the baby, then the guilt got me instead. I felt really bad when I had taken on a larger project and had to have my daughter watch the baby while I finished. That guilt of losing time with my baby, and the countless weekends I needed to complete it really affected me in the long run.
· Work–Most of us have a set schedule for working our normal jobs and when you attempt to do a project, you’ll likely only have your time off to attend to it, or if you’re ambitious you take the time off to complete the project. This is a big misconception because you may estimate how long it takes and when you run into challenges or obstacles (like I forementioned) then that prevents the straightforward project from happening and you may become frustrated. Our time is precious, but know that if you run out of time don’t give up. Don’t just walk away. If the challenge you’ve run into means you have to fix something you’re not prepared to fix, before your project can be completed, then your project just got bigger. You may have to take a step back and determine another course of action to either - 1. Save up the money to fix that new thing, or 2. Know that you’re going to require a lot more time than you thought because you have to fix it yourself.
· Physical Limitations – I’ve already talked about trying to determine if you need help or not, or considerations when it comes to the limitations of our bodies and certain ailments, but when you have limitations like this it doesn’t mean it can’t be done. It simply means it may take you a lot longer than it would compared to your neighbor or friend. Know that our physical limitations will also add time to a project. Just had surgery? Just had a baby? Have a knee that prevents you from squatting? Babying that shoulder you just hurt at the gym? If you have some temporary limitations, you may want to wait till you’re back to 100 before attempting your project, otherwise, you may need to add some time to get the project done. My suggestion? Wait until you’re fully recovered if it’s temporary. It can wait. There is no sense in hurting yourself further, or allowing your body to heal before pushing it again to it’s limits.
2. Does it require Demolition?
6. How Many People Do You Need?
7. How Much Experience Should You Have?