New Year Resolutions for Remodeling, Renovating, and Updating a Home
The start of a new year is a particularly interesting time for setting house goals. Most people’s home improvement resolutions aren’t based on mindset or habits. And that can get them into trouble. Read on to learn about how to set intentional resolutions for a remodel or home update. The concepts apply beyond just New Year’s.
“You have to navigate with the information you have at that moment and be able to make smart, informed decisions.” — Mona, House Coach
Maybe this is the year you want to finally remodel your kitchen, add on an ADU, or replace the windows. Or perhaps start a major overhaul like a full gut renovation or begin building a ground-up house.
Unlike traditional new year resolutions of the checklist variety — like “drink more water” or “exercise daily” — most home improvement resolutions aren’t based on habits and can be harder to track and accomplish.
Podcast Interview: Resolve To Remodel
Those of you in my private Facebook community know that I’m deep in the middle of remodeling my midcentury fixer while also coaching you all on how to navigate your own projects.
My House Maven house friend, Katharine MacPhail, an Architect from the east coast has also been on a home renovation journey of her own — restoring a charming old house in New England.
We connected recently to recap our year of renovation experiences and you can listen to the conversation on the Talking Home Renovations podcast, episode 135.
The episode is called Resolve To Remodel and in it, I share:
How I made a new year's resolution last January to renovate my fixer upper
The first step I took to commit to the project
How it's going one year later
I also share the fun, new 5-Day Challenge I put together for homeowners resolving to leap into home projects this coming year as matrons of construction builds.
If you’re setting some home improvement resolutions for this year, here are some tips to keep in mind…
When your dream house is stuck in the ‘ideas’ phase.
Don’t let another year pass by. If you’ve been watching design trends come and go while still living in a hot mess of a home, it’s time to do something about it. This FREE 5-Day Challenge for Homeowners will help you overcome the mindset hurdles that have kept you from turning your ‘house dreams’ into a ‘dream house’.
Construction is a process.
Put aside the idea that you can draw up a plan, pick out some products, and then your builder or contractor will know what to do with it.
If you want progress, you have to embrace the process.
Embrace the uncertainty.
Seek out strategies, people, and tools that give you a structure to navigate that process.
Sometimes that simply means to take a first step, any step, and know that it will lead you to the next.
You won’t have control of everything.
So many people and players go into a home transformation.
There are designers and architects, building officials and inspectors, contractors, subcontractors, engineers, consultants, fabricators, sales reps, shippers, freight companies, and all sorts of home vendors you’ll likely have to engage with for any major build.
Knowing you’ll have to engage with all these parties, it’s helpful to recognize what you have control over and what you don’t.
You’ll hear me use the term ‘Empowered Homeowner’ a lot.
Because an Empowered Homeowner is someone who is informed enough to know when to step in to be the boss, and when to step aside and let the experts do their magic.
Make your resolutions based on your personal obstacles rather than a To-Do List of solutions.
Afraid of the expense of home remodels? Get your finances in order, along with accurate estimates.
Don’t have the energy to manage a big project? Focus on how to assemble a trusted team to do it for you.
Lacking the confidence to commit and make decisions? Join my Pinterest To Progress Challenge to help reframe your mindset.
In the meantime, pop-in those earbuds and enjoy the Resolve To Remodel podcast episode for more tips. You can also find it on Apple, Stitcher, and wherever you download podcasts from.
Ready to make serious progress on your reno?
Hi, I’m Mona — the House Coach behind this post. I’m a serial renovator, licensed architect and former design consultant to HGTV shows, who’s on a mission to help everyday homeowners feel empowered in their build journeys.
Grab my free Renovation Roadmap to navigate any build project with confidence and clarity.