Ten Reasons I HATE Living in a Remodel Project

We've been working on our house since moving in three years ago. We've resanded the hardwood floors, painted walls and kitchen cabinets, replaced floors, installed carpet, and we're currently gutting and rebuilding the bathrooms. It's a pain in the butt, BUT I know we'll appreciate it that much more. I hate living in it though because...

1. One project always leads to another! For example, we decided to put a full bathroom in the basement. When we did that we realized how absolutely screwy the electrical box and plumbing really was and needed to be fixed, badly. So instead of simply building a bathroom, my brother (an electrician) put in a new box for us and organized it so it's up to code and Reno (my mom's hubby) replumbed everything because we couldn't understand the logic of the DIYourselfer who tried before us. In fact, we were surprised that we hadn't experienced a basement flood or a fire because of the way it was put together. We honestly didn't realize how bad it was until the walls were down and we had to stare the problem right in the face. I'm not an electrician or plumber, but even I could see the issues and the difference!   
   

   

   Before and After Matt fixed it.

   
2. If we're working on one room, everything from that room must  be moved to another room, creating complete chaos! For example, right now we're working on our bathrooms. So my toothbrush is in the kitchen. The vanity is on the porch. Everything from the vanity is in plastic sacks in our bedroom. When we were working on our kitchen, every appliance went into our living room. When you're big and prego, maneuvering around all the stuff is rather... interesting.
3. It's a dusty, dirty mess everywhere, not just in the room where you're working. It doesn't matter what precautionary methods you take (like plastic over the doorways), it seeps through every single nook, cranny, and crack. So it's embarrassing when people stop by and you have to explain, "Uh... this isn't an indication of my house keeping skills. Please ignore the mess. Sorry."
4. It always takes longer than you originally thought it would, which forces you to LIVE in it LONGER. (Reason? See #1)
5. It's noisy. Hammers, Sanders, Saws...
6. It's smelly. Glue, finish, paint... the plumbing is especially awful.
7. It's expensive. Even after creating a budget you have surprise costs. Reason? See #1
8. It's exhausting. You work your butt off because you know that leaving and coming back just forces you to live in it longer. So you work longer days, harder hours, and all with less breaks than you normally take on an average day of work. And you do this until it's DONE, or you literally crash.
9. Living without electricity or water while something is being worked on makes day to day living difficult. You have to think ahead for simple things like using the bathroom or getting a drink.
10. Exhaustion and frustration are a deadly combination, and they go hand in hand with remodeling. So there's times you're literally on the verge of killing each other!

Still, there is a positive aspect to living in a remodel project: we will enjoy and appreciate the finished product that much more!