5 Signs Your Addicted to Home Renovations

Are you always thinking about the next project around the house? Scoping out what the neighbors did and plotting on how you can do it just a wee bit better? Does the staff at the local home improvement store know you by face...or worse, by name?

If you answered “Yes” to any of these questions, you very well may be addicted to home renovations. There are different levels of this, addictive behavior. You could be a weekend warrior focused on fixing up a few outdated rooms or items around the house, a DIY hobbyist that just likes to make things better, or you could possess a full-blown home renovation obsession.  

Still not sure which category you fall into? Check out the list below of the 5 places to check to verify where you fall on the spectrum:

Your Planner

Start by looking at your use of time. Home renovations can be very time consuming, especially if you are going the DIY route and not going the route of hiring a professional.

Check your yearly planner...if your time given to your home projects spills over from every weekend for a few months, to six months, to every waking moment for the majority of a year (or longer!) you may have a problem.

Most addictions start with a risk-reward analysis. You invested in a certain hobby or project, and you enjoyed the payoff. So you went for it again, and again, and again...Get the picture? And next thing you know, BOOM, you’re hooked.

Your Bank Account

Evaluating what someone spends their money on can tell you a lot about what the person values. It’s your hard earned cash, and you can spend it however you see fit. Increasing your home’s value might be your focus, but when you spend more money in that category than several others combined, you may have a slight obsession.

Do you leave the local hardware store with a receipt that’s longer than your arm? Do you have your contractor on speed dial? Has a small tile job spiralled into a six-figure overhaul of the entire house?

If there has been a negative impact on your finances or even your work or career goals, you may need to break up with those ongoing home renovations, even if just for a little bit.

Your Relationships

Do your friends avoid you because you’re constantly asking them to help with DIY favors? Does your nickname contain “Fixit” or “Toolman”? Or did the once great relationship you had with your neighbor go south? Gutted sections of your property visible from the road or your neighbor’s yard can become an eyesore. No one wants a messy or noisy neighbor!

You’re Never Satisfied

A fresh coat of paint...check! Now onto the new laminate floors you’ve been waiting for...check! But wait, now the paint doesn’t really match the new flooring...no worries another layer of paint can fix that! Sound like you?

You just finished updating your living room, and finally found the perfect furniture and accents. As you sit on your coveted new sofa you glare into your dining room and realize that the wood doesn’t match the accent tables. Ahhh! Guess what’s next on the list...dining room overhaul to complement the living room!

The true addict is never quite satisfied. There is no “ah-ha” moment where they realize their projects are officially complete.

Your Social Feeds

Social feeds are kind of like window shopping. Are yours full of interior decorating/design sites? Do you follow home improvement personalities and obsess over all of the new trends? Is your PInterest overloaded with a specialized board for each room in your current house, and one for your next dream house? If you rarely see pictures of your friends on facebook because your feed is consumed with all things home, then you may need to take a long hard look at yourself in the new mirror hanging in your freshly remodeled bathroom.

At a certain point, it’s not about keeping up with the Joneses anymore, but rather, chasing a dream of unattainable perfection. Don’t worry, the first step in addressing the problem is realizing you actually have a problem. If you read through this and released a sigh of relief because you confirmed you aren’t addicted to home renovations...congratulations!

For everyone else wondering where do you go from here now that you know you have a problem, here’s how you can start to work on fixing it:

• Contemplate what you really do value - relationships, time with your family, adventures. Whatever it is, remind yourself every time you think about starting a new project that it will be pulling you away from these things.

• Deal with the underlying issue of perfection. Aim for something that is livable even if it’s not perfect.

• If you are married, or in a relationship, make sure you and your partner are in alignment on what time and money can be given to completing a project, and stick to it.

And most importantly, enjoy what you have instead of obsessing over what you don’t.