Renovating
10 Signs You’re in the Middle of a Reno
A renovation project allows you to choose every last detail for your home, but decision making can quickly go from exciting to ARGH!
Overseeing a major renovation involves a lot of decision making. Even with the best builders and most experienced professionals on your team, you’ll be called upon to make hundreds of choices. These range from the significant to the more aesthetic, from where to position the kitchen island to what colour electrical sockets you want. Then you have to choose paint shades, furniture, window treatments, flooring… It’s enough to make even a seasoned renovator’s head spin. In fact, a big project can produce a severe case of decision-making fatigue. The following symptoms are typical of this common, but sometimes devastating, condition.
You’ve become evasive
You have turned your phone to silent/fed it to the dog/dropped it in a cement mixer. You are actively avoiding your builder and have been known to hide behind parked cars and wheelie bins to evade him. The mere sight of a tradie approaching with an open Bunnings catalogue has you hyperventilating. You’re right, he is going to ask where you want to position the electrical sockets in the cupboard under the stairs. Run!
You have turned your phone to silent/fed it to the dog/dropped it in a cement mixer. You are actively avoiding your builder and have been known to hide behind parked cars and wheelie bins to evade him. The mere sight of a tradie approaching with an open Bunnings catalogue has you hyperventilating. You’re right, he is going to ask where you want to position the electrical sockets in the cupboard under the stairs. Run!
You dream about decisions
The sweet embrace of sleep offers no respite for those suffering from decision-making fatigue. Instead, they dream about decisions. Those they have made and those they have yet to make. Those they made, which they think maybe they shouldn’t have, unless maybe they were right the first time…? It’s relentless!
The sweet embrace of sleep offers no respite for those suffering from decision-making fatigue. Instead, they dream about decisions. Those they have made and those they have yet to make. Those they made, which they think maybe they shouldn’t have, unless maybe they were right the first time…? It’s relentless!
You’ve spent a lot on tester pots
And when I say a lot, I mean A LOT. You could treat a family of four to a slap-up dinner with the amount you’ve shelled out on these little tubs of paint. In search of that elusive perfect shade, you may find yourself reaching for pot after pot, with each new purchase promising decorating heaven, but delivering even more indecision instead. Suddenly, pure plain white seems like the most sensible option.
Need help with your colour scheme?
And when I say a lot, I mean A LOT. You could treat a family of four to a slap-up dinner with the amount you’ve shelled out on these little tubs of paint. In search of that elusive perfect shade, you may find yourself reaching for pot after pot, with each new purchase promising decorating heaven, but delivering even more indecision instead. Suddenly, pure plain white seems like the most sensible option.
Need help with your colour scheme?
You are indecisive in all areas
If you can’t decide what to spread on your toast at breakfast without checking Houzz or a design blog first, then you’ve clearly lost your way when it comes to making decisions. And FYI: you don’t need to create a mood board just to make a cup of tea.
If you can’t decide what to spread on your toast at breakfast without checking Houzz or a design blog first, then you’ve clearly lost your way when it comes to making decisions. And FYI: you don’t need to create a mood board just to make a cup of tea.
You have changed your plans
You were thinking of going eclectic in the kitchen, with some softly industrial touches thrown in along with a few pops of colour. But when you looked into creating that style, it seemed to involve a lot of decisions. And you’re feeling a bit tired today. So you might change your mind on this. In fact, right about now, minimal is looking pretty good to you.
How to pull off a minimalist look that works
You were thinking of going eclectic in the kitchen, with some softly industrial touches thrown in along with a few pops of colour. But when you looked into creating that style, it seemed to involve a lot of decisions. And you’re feeling a bit tired today. So you might change your mind on this. In fact, right about now, minimal is looking pretty good to you.
How to pull off a minimalist look that works
You’ve spent three weeks researching light switches…
…but you’re still not completely happy with the ones you’ve ordered. Are they as suitable as those other switches you saw? Will you forever regret not spending just a few dollars more on those really fancy German-engineered ones? Should you have gone with a slider rather than a traditional switch? And what’s wrong with white plastic anyway?
…but you’re still not completely happy with the ones you’ve ordered. Are they as suitable as those other switches you saw? Will you forever regret not spending just a few dollars more on those really fancy German-engineered ones? Should you have gone with a slider rather than a traditional switch? And what’s wrong with white plastic anyway?
You no longer get asked out
When dinner invitations from friends dry up, this can be a sign that you have decision-making fatigue. Strangely, friends don’t want to hang out with you when you’re too exhausted from the renovation work to be any fun. Or you ramble on about why you chose engineered flooring over laminate. Or you ask for their help in selecting an armchair. Or all three at once.
When dinner invitations from friends dry up, this can be a sign that you have decision-making fatigue. Strangely, friends don’t want to hang out with you when you’re too exhausted from the renovation work to be any fun. Or you ramble on about why you chose engineered flooring over laminate. Or you ask for their help in selecting an armchair. Or all three at once.
You can’t think about the garden
You had planned to work on the garden or terrace at the same time as the interior renovation. Blitz the lot, you know? But now you’re so shattered from the work inside that you can’t begin to contemplate making choices for the outside. You no longer find yourself talking about the garden as an ‘outdoor room’. Instead, it’s simply ‘out there’, a place to be tackled next year. Or maybe the year after…
You had planned to work on the garden or terrace at the same time as the interior renovation. Blitz the lot, you know? But now you’re so shattered from the work inside that you can’t begin to contemplate making choices for the outside. You no longer find yourself talking about the garden as an ‘outdoor room’. Instead, it’s simply ‘out there’, a place to be tackled next year. Or maybe the year after…
You’re buying everything from the same place
Forget shopping around and taking your time hand-picking each new item for your renovated home. Suddenly, you have the urge to do the interiors equivalent of a supermarket sweep. The idea of grabbing the lot from one shop, in one hit, is oddly appealing.
Your language has changed, too. You no longer speak about choosing carefully, doing research and picking the right thing. Now the words ‘that’ll do’ and ‘let’s just get this one, seeing as we’re here’ are far more frequently uttered.
TELL US
Have you experienced any other signs of decision-making fatigue? Please share your stories and advice in the Comments below.
MORE
How to Renovate Right … by a ‘Serial Renovator’
Set Your Bedroom Up for a Better Night’s Sleep
Building a Home: 10 Decisions You Will Never Regret
Forget shopping around and taking your time hand-picking each new item for your renovated home. Suddenly, you have the urge to do the interiors equivalent of a supermarket sweep. The idea of grabbing the lot from one shop, in one hit, is oddly appealing.
Your language has changed, too. You no longer speak about choosing carefully, doing research and picking the right thing. Now the words ‘that’ll do’ and ‘let’s just get this one, seeing as we’re here’ are far more frequently uttered.
TELL US
Have you experienced any other signs of decision-making fatigue? Please share your stories and advice in the Comments below.
MORE
How to Renovate Right … by a ‘Serial Renovator’
Set Your Bedroom Up for a Better Night’s Sleep
Building a Home: 10 Decisions You Will Never Regret
You know you’re experiencing decision-making fatigue when you find yourself asking advice from other, unqualified people. You ask your mum, your hairdresser, the bloke who delivers sandwiches to the office, about everything from solar panels and side returns to curtains and blinds. But when you collar the milkman at 5am to see what colour he thinks the front door should be, you know you’ve gone too far.