No one knows the trials and tribulations of renovating like Joanna and Chip Gaines. The Fixer Upper stars, who have flipped countless homes over the years, recently shared a humorous clip about their 'demotivational seminars.'
The pair joke about running workshops where they advise people against renovating. While everything is said in good humor, the clip actually brings up an important point: deciding if renovating is really for you.
Chip and Jo are sat together discussing house renovation costs when Jo says, 'let's do seminars where we just talk people out of it.' Chip's face instantly lights up as he grins and says, 'We would be good at that!'
'Listen y'all, you actually make no money,' Joanna Gaines jokes, in the Instagram video captioned 'Sign up for our ‘demotivational seminar’—today only!!! #justkidding.''. They imagine running classes that cost $100, helping save people thousands, by scrapping any plans they had in the first place.
Taylor Calmus, also known as DudeDad commented, 'I honestly think I could use some demotivation some times… I take on too many projects at once!'
'Yes please, I'll attend!' wrote one Fixer Upper fan. 'This makes my day. I would sign up,' said another.
Clearly, they've touched on a very real problem. So how do we know if renovating is for us?
Homes journalist Laura Crombie, who has renovated the kitchen, bathroom and living space of her home, has some words of advice. 'You need to go into renovating considering the value of your time,' begins Laura.
'On day one it seems great fun to finish your actual job and start DIY or project managing, but how will you feel six months or even a year in? It's hard work, draining and you need to make more decisions than you ever thought possible.
'You're excited about the color of your living room, but prepare to need to be excited about door hinges, waste pipes, types of plasterboard... Unless you hire a project manager, you have to become an expert in all of these things and a million more,' Laura comments.
'It's one of the most rewarding things you can do - but go into it knowing what you're taking on and be aware of your limitations,' she adds. 'If you normally finish work and flop down in front of the TV for the night, then renovating might not be for you...'
If you've not been put off, find out how to prepare your house for renovation as your first step. But if now isn't quite the right time, it's so much better to realize this now than face reno regrets.
