5 Lessons I Wish I Learned Earlier About Renovating a Home as a First-Time Homeowner

Earlier this year, my husband and I were lucky enough to buy our first home. And like many first-time homeowners, our budget and can-do personalities drove us to choose a fixer-upper. We were confident that buying a home that needed some upgrades would make it feel more like our own.

After years of dreaming about undertaking home projects together and putting our stamp on our home, we were finally ready to get started.

But there are a few things we learned along the way that we didn’t necessarily expect—and not just how many of our weekends we’d end up spending at Home Depot.

You Can’t Do Everything at Once—and Priorities Will Shift

When you buy a home with the intent to do some renovations, unless you have an unlimited budget and don’t have a full-time job, you’re going to need to make some sacrifices about what renovations are prioritized and which ones may need to wait a year or two, or more.

The home we bought was generally in good shape, with no major structural changes that needed to be made—the kitchen is in good working condition with real wood cabinets, and the bathroom is totally functional for our needs right now.

But the exterior—including the roof, paint, and siding—has seen better days. The back deck probably doesn’t have many years left. The floors in the main living area were old laminate, the walls were painted a depressing gray color, and the basement (while finished) was a blank slate with a lot of potential—I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it and turn it into a karaoke lounge.

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Instead, we prioritized replacing the floors in the living and dining room—which we were able to do before we moved in, a game-changer—as well as getting rid of the gray walls.

We decided to replace the stairs on the back deck, as they were in the worst condition, but leave the rest for another year. And thank goodness we did, because just months after moving in, our roof began to leak and we needed to replace it.

I desperately want to paint the exterior of the house and replace the front and back doors with more modern options (and design my ’70s-style karaoke lounge).

But in the end, the practical upgrades are more essential, and it’s important that we don’t blow all of our savings on the aesthetic upgrades, in case any other surprises come up.

It Should Be Collaborative Process

Not everyone in your family or household is going to have the same skills and abilities, but coming together to work on home projects is not just more fun, it also ensures a better result.

In our case, I have big-picture visions about the general design and feel I want out of each space in our home. My husband tends to be more practical and has a lot of DIY skills that make it possible for my ideas to come to life.

My husband’s practicality helps to ground me, but he also encourages me when I have an idea about something I want to do—whether it’s wallpapering an accent wall in the dining room or painting the bathroom vanity.

He often even ends up helping me hone in on the perfect paint color. In the end, we end up compromising and combining our skills in ways that make the finished product even better.

Small Upgrades Have Just as Much Impact as Large Ones

When you buy a home, it can be tempting to dream big about your renovations, like designing your dream kitchen or installing a spa-like bathroom—but don’t overlook the smaller projects, too.

One of the first things we did when we closed on our house was replace all ceiling light fixtures. We went from boring, builder-grade fixtures that lacked any personality (and even a dangerously-low ceiling fan in the bedroom), to stylish, colorful lights that feel so much more “us.”

In the months since we’ve moved in, I’ve been amazed by how much of a difference paint can make. After years of living in all-white apartments, having the world of paint colors at my fingertips has been so freeing—our dining room is teal, our bedroom is terracotta, and our bathroom vanity went from boring white to a striking green that I love.

If It’s Worth Doing, It’s Worth Doing Right

If you’re going to embark on a home reno project, it’s important to do it right and to do it well. We all want to have these projects finished as soon as possible so we can enjoy our homes, but if you make a mistake or rush into a decision, you’re going to regret (and stare at) that decision for years to come.

When we decided we wanted to replace the laminate flooring, we thought we might upgrade to luxury vinyl planks that we could install ourselves relatively quickly.

After doing some research and consulting with my contractor father-in-law, we decided to invest in engineered hardwood. This more than doubled the price, and would be more difficult and time-consuming to install.

But we also knew that engineered hardwood would be more durable, look nicer, and add more value to our home in the long run.

When it came to the installation, we were lucky that we would still be living in our apartment for a month before we moved into the home. So while the flooring took a bit longer to install than we thought, my husband was able to take his time and make sure he did it right.

You Can DIY More Than You Think

While I can’t necessarily recommend doing intensive electrical and plumbing work yourself, don’t be afraid to DIY as many projects as you can. This doesn’t just save you money on hiring a pro, but it also comes with a lot of satisfaction in seeing the work you’ve done every single day.

My husband installed the engineered hardwood floors on our main floor himself; we did all of the painting ourselves; we replaced all of the ceiling light fixtures ourselves (a surprisingly simple task when you already have the wiring in place); my husband built the deck stairs, shed, and fence; and we landscaped our mud pit of a backyard into a space with flower beds and a kitchen garden.

Every time we complete a project ourselves, we marvel at “what a difference it makes.” We spend many evenings admiring the work that we’ve done—and it’s made us love and appreciate our home even more.