Ways to Choose the Most Suitable Surfaces for Your Home MakeoverThe Complete Checklist for a Successful Home Renovation 53

Ways to Choose the Most Suitable Surfaces for Your Home MakeoverThe Complete Checklist for a Successful Home Renovation 53

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It started with a shelf. Or maybe not even a shelf — more like the suggestion of one. My girlfriend said we needed “a better place for the keys,” and instead of just using the table, I decided I'd go big. Wall-mounted. Minimalist. Stylish. Or whatever people call it when they're about to drill blindly.

I marked the spot above the radiator, took one step back and thought, “Easy” Ten minutes later I was staring into the guts of the wall, confused why it looked like someone had left a mystery next to the wiring. The shelf never happened. But somehow the drywall crumbled more than expected.

That's the thing about home improvement — it doesn't follow a plan. You start with one thing, and the next thing you know, you're up at 2 a.m. Googling “how to rewire a light”. I just wanted a shelf. By the end of the week, I had paint samples taped to the wall.

There's no clear moment when it all flips. It just read more happens. You go to the store for a screwdriver and come back with a bag of stuff you didn't know you needed. That's how I ended up repainting a not even that bad wall because the guy at the store said, “People are doing sage now.”

Supplies multiply. You buy the same sanding block because you can't remember where the other ones went. Spoiler: they're all in the laundry, behind the ironing board.

It's messy. Not just physically. One night I stayed at a friend's place because the dust was everywhere. I also cried over a crooked towel hook. Real tears. Over a hook. I don't know what to tell you.

But you get through it. With sheer willpower. You learn things you'd rather not. Like how the power outlet leans “for character”.

Eventually, though, things feel right again. Not perfect — nothing is. The tiles by the bin still tilt. But now, I step into that space and don't duck. That's progress.

The shelf? Never built it. We use a bowl now. Same one we always had, sitting on a crooked sideboard. But the wall's patched. Mostly.

And that's renovation, isn't it? Not polished. But it's something real. With all its cracks and leftover screws.