10 Clues It's the Right Time to Renovate Your PropertyOpen Concept Layouts: Is It Right for Your Renovation? 43

Eventually, you stop blaming the house and start asking if you're the problem. Not because anything's in ruins. The bones are still holding. The roof's fine. Technically, everything works. But it also barely does.

You always fight the same loose handle. You hop over that one plank that squeaks even though it's center stage. And the kitchen? A comedy of errors. You stand in it and think, *Who designed this triangle of chaos?* You don't even cook that much, but the layout still offends.

Most people don't update their place because they saw something on TV. They do it because they've run out of excuses.

That might come off blunt, but once a space stops working, it starts to drag you. You cover things — a poster on a hole. But that doesn't stop the feeling: your home isn't what you need.

Some people start from scratch. Skip bins. Dust clouds for weeks. Others chip away. A new tap here. A paint job there. It's not a matter of right or wrong. Just how much chaos you're okay with.

Budgeting? Ha. That's a wild bet. You write a number down, feel proud, and then something sabotages you. A pipe. A beam. A quote that forgot to mention VAT. You reconsider a skylight and cut something. (Not the dishwasher. Never the dishwasher.)

Still — when it starts to come together? Worth it. Even if the paint drips. You chose this stuff. You made it yours. That matters. You'll joke about the chaos website later.

It's not about what the neighbour did. If no upper cabinets makes sense to you, then it makes sense. That's what matters.

Perfect homes aren't real. But the ones that match your pace? Those stick. You might have to pull up a few floors. Maybe more than a few. Depends on your contractor.