Why It’s Ok To Take Things Slow

When I thought about the title of this blog post, I realised it sounds like I’m talking about dating. And whilst of course it’s the house I’m talking about it does feel like a relationship of sorts. I’m not going to lie, this place is definitely one of the great loves of my life and that’s probably reflected in the time, effort (and cost!) that we take in bringing it back to life.

It will soon be FIVE whole years since we picked up the keys to this place. I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved in that time but also feel as though we could have and should have done so much more. The problem with putting an Aquarian and a Sagittarian together is that we can be as laid back as each other with procrastination being both our middle names 90% of the time.

Then I go on social media and think to myself “where on earth do people find the money to do a whole house renovation inside 12-18 months?!” Now I know that’s none of my business, but a bit like the recent update to what and how influencers should disclose their work, I feel sometimes like I would stop the comparison if I knew a lottery win had come in, or Sarah’s husband happens to be a hedge fund manager, or Great Aunty Joan popped her clogs and left £200,000 in the inheritance.

Failing all my nosy questions being answered, I just have to let it go and know that it’s ok to take our time. Money doesn’t grow on trees especially now I’ve left my job and so a bit like the tortoise and the hare, I’m hoping that slow and steady will keep us working through the projects. And then when I DO scroll back through old posts on here or old pictures on Instagram I remember just how far we’ve come.

Our current windows

Still one of the biggest drivers of traffic to the blog is this post that I wrote about our external home makeover transformation. It’s so funny to think that when we bought the house, how it looked genuinely didn’t bother me with the exception of the windows which I knew had to go. And then as soon as we replaced the windows, it showed everything else up, plus we had some pretty big external cracks that needed dealing with so we set about bringing back that curb appeal. I’ve had people knocking on the door asking where we got our windows from, or whether we replaced the hanging tiles around the bay window. It just goes to show what you can achieve with a little bit of determination and a little less procrastination. From now on, I’m going to let myself be ok with just moving along at our own (glacial) pace and knowing that we’re not going anywhere, so long as it’s finished before I need a stairlift, it will all be fine.

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16 Comments

  1. Fiona Mostyn
    January 29, 2019 / 1:31 pm

    Your house looks really good. You’ve done such a great job. Whilst dreaming about new decor on pinterest its hard to accept that it is actually really expensive to do the important structural bits of renovation. Keep at it and you will have the home of your dreams

  2. January 29, 2019 / 3:50 pm

    I’m going to join you on the #glacialpace renovation club. I’m doing one room PER YEAR. Taking it easy works because you make timeless choices.

    • Lins
      Author
      January 30, 2019 / 10:05 am

      This is SO true Juan! I don’t want to be someone who is constantly changing things up, it’s terrible for the environment for starters! One per year sounds good to me 🙂

  3. January 29, 2019 / 4:39 pm

    I completely agree with you. I’ve been in the house a year and a bit now and have a whopping 2 rooms done. But I do believe if you want something doing a certain way, you just need to accept that it might take a while to save – and it will feel so gratifying when it’s done 🙂

  4. January 29, 2019 / 8:49 pm

    Wow that’s a great transformation – well done. I am trying to speed up my renovation now – as it would be good to be able to appreciate living in a nice house before I move and have to start all over again. Hope fully you don’t move a much as I do and can enjoy doing things at your own pace. Good luck with everything!

    • Lins
      Author
      February 4, 2019 / 2:44 pm

      Thank you Lin, oh yes we have no plans to go ANYWHERE, ever 🙂 I’ve done enough moving around as a child so I’m committed to this place for keeps! Good luck with your plans X

  5. January 30, 2019 / 12:47 pm

    So true! We’ve got loads to do to ours, and wish it could all be done straight away, but need to take the slow approach. Slow and steady will win in the end!

    • Lins
      Author
      February 3, 2019 / 9:09 pm

      Absolutely Rachel! I’m also not into fast interiors at all, so whatever I do needs to stay put and therefore has to be the right choice. Thank you for commenting X

  6. January 31, 2019 / 10:16 pm

    I’m a firm believer in doing things once and doing it properly! Our next home is going to take at least 10 years to get it where we want to so will be joining your club!

  7. February 1, 2019 / 4:40 pm

    I giggled when you compared your house relationship with dating! I so agree that it is worth taking the time, in my case (talking selfishly here) we HAD to redo the bathroom/kitchen (adjacent rooms) right when we got the keys as it was in terrible condition but since then we have been taking it relatively slow. I guess it helps we both like DIY yet I don’t think I’ll ever be the type who redo the same room every two years.

  8. February 2, 2019 / 4:52 pm

    You shouldn’t have to kill yourself when upir rennovating, no one says you’ve got to do it all in 6 weeks. But I understand the desire to speed it up with the better judgement of taking it slow. Good luck for the rest of 2019

    • Lins
      Author
      February 3, 2019 / 9:05 pm

      Thank you Mary! And this is what I need to realise I think, it’s my journey rather than anyone else’s. Social media can be so inspiring but also so demoralising at the same time.

  9. February 3, 2019 / 8:27 am

    I’m in the glacial pace club too. Mostly due to lacking funds and time. Having read this post I worked out we’ve done a room a year too. Ideally I’d have loved to get people in to do it all super quick. But we just can’t afford it. Also my husband and I are Sagittarius Aquarius mix so that explains a lot. Love the transformation of the exterior of your home. It looks fab. Just keep plodding on.

    • Lins
      Author
      February 3, 2019 / 9:07 pm

      Oh Stacey that’s so interesting that you’re also Sagittarius and Aquarius!! Thank you for sharing 🙂 Sometimes I need to just hear from other people who also don’t get everything done at breakneck speed, to help me realise I’m not alone X

  10. February 3, 2019 / 9:25 am

    If it’s any consolation Lins, we’re still doing our home up 13 years down the line and ultimately boils down to the money pot and lack off. I’m always intrigued how others magically update their homes too… On a positive note, the longer you live with a home, the greater understanding you’ll have of it as well as how you’ll use it. It ultimately saves time and money and you end up with a home that’s more fitting to those that live there.

    • Lins
      Author
      February 3, 2019 / 9:08 pm

      This is so true Maria and great advice. When we first moved in, we wanted to redecorate all the hallways and landing immediately and got a quote for just that which was eye-watering. I’m so glad we waited because I would have changed my mind as to what I wanted anyway X

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