Now, as you might already know, every DIY renovation starts with a bright idea and a wildly optimistic timeline. But the plan? Well, a simple weekend project. Maybe a week at most. And hey, maybe even get the family involved in this if it’s safe enough (gives them skills to learn). But then, reality sets in.
Suddenly, the “quick” project is stretching into its second month (yes, this can happen). Maybe there’s half-finished walls, missing materials, and the realisation that a single trip to the hardware store is never enough. So, somewhere between measuring, cutting, and figuring out why nothing is fitting quite right, progress slows to a painful crawl.
Overall, just avoiding delays isn’t about working faster, it’s more about making sure nothing gets in the way of actually finishing. Because nothing feels worse than looking around at a half-done project, wondering when it will finally be over. But how can you actually avoid delays?
Get Absolutely Everything Before Starting
It always starts the same way. The first day of a project kicks off, excitement is high, and then… something crucial is missing. That perfect shade of paint? Well, it’s not enough to finish the job. The new tiles? Okay, but they’re still sitting in a warehouse and not delivered. The screws needed to hold everything together? Somehow something as basic as that was forgotten entirely.
Now sure, a missing item might not seem like a big deal, but every extra trip to the hardware store adds up. One missing piece turns into an entire day lost. Having screws, fasteners, and all the essential materials on hand from the beginning means progress doesn’t come to a screeching halt over something small. Yes, they’re basic, and when it comes to the basics, well, you’ll need a lot of them.
Measure Twice, Cut Once
Seriosuly, there’s nothing quite like the sinking feeling of realising something was cut too short, or worse, that an entire batch of materials was measured incorrectly. It happens fast, and yeah, it happens pretty often too. So, a misread tape measure, an overconfident guess, and suddenly, the only option is to start over.
Now sure, rushing through measurements guarantees frustration. So, just taking the extra time to check (and check again) avoids wasting expensive materials and keeps the project moving without unnecessary do-overs. Because nothing slows down progress like having to fix an easily preventable mistake.
DIY Timelines are Lies
Is this a harsh reality? Well, yeah, it is, but at the same time, this is totally true as well! Somewhere deep down, every DIY renovator knows the truth: things never go as quickly as planned. That “one-week project” often turns into a month (and you’re doing this only during your free time). A small fix reveals a bigger problem. The unexpected shows up just to make things interesting (in the worst way possible of course).
That’s why it can’t be stressed enough that planning extra time from the start means avoiding the stress of falling behind. When everything takes longer than expected, it doesn’t feel like a setback, it just means the original timeline was way too optimistic.
Keep Tools Organised and Ready to Go
There’s nothing more frustrating than stopping mid-project just to look for a tool that was just here a second ago. Somehow, essential items disappear into a black hole the moment they’re needed. So, as frustrating as this is, you just need to make sure that you’re completely organised!