I have been making over peopleʼs homes for almost ten years now. For the past five years, I have been doing it frequently on television. On TV, itʼs always about the hustle and bustle, the "will we finish before they get home?" And, of course, The Big Reveal. There are a plethora of possible homeowner reactions with varying degrees of emotion. Some homeowners become suddenly speechless, some become hysterical and then we have those who cry. But every homeowner, like clockwork, asks the same question:
How did you do this in one day?
The short answer is, I didnʼt. While youʼve been bragging to your friends about how youʼre going to be on TV and how you are going to score all this cool, free stuff for no apparent reason, Iʼve been trudging away all month to get this just so. Because, in the end, I really only have one day to get it right. The onus weighs heavily on me. At the end of the day, I signed up for this and I am ok with it. Actually, I love the pressure. And I love to see the homeownerʼs faces at the reveal. Sappy, but true.
However, through the years I have become an busier and busier. There is now a husband, two young children who are colossally over scheduled, two dogs and a bustling career. There are more helpers, yes. But in the end, I still do most of the work. That said, I have become quite skillful at pulling off the One-Day-Makeover-That-Really-Takes-A-Month in less and less time. Truthfully, I have no choice. If you follow my tips, you can too. They are helpful tips. Valuable ones that you should heed at every chance. Why? Well, the number one reason that turns a pleasant "Honey, letʼs remodel!" into "How much longer must we endure this pain???" experience is simple.
Time. Number two is money. No worries, I can solve that problem, too. Read on for the rest and you will be able to redecorate or remodel in one day-Just like they do on TV!
1. Plan, plan, plan!
Research. Take your time. Decide on exactly what you want to do, go on the web and gather your ideas. Organize them. Attack this like you would any other important project. Once you have a crystal clear plan of exactly what you want, buy online, whenever possible. Most companies offer free shipping nowadays. Use it! This is by far the most important tip. The better you plan, the smoother the rest of your experience will be. Trust me. You can have a great time or a miserable one. It all starts here.
2. Budget
How much do you want to spend? How much can you really afford? Now add 20%, because thatʼs how much you will go over your original budget. This also gives you some wiggle room for errors. Iʼm trying to keep you in that happy place!
3. Coordinate
Try your best to arrange everything to arrive on the same day. I do this all the time, it is 100% possible. Youʼre the customer, you call the shots. Remember that.
4. Act Like A Designer
Have your floor plan ready. Doesnʼt need to be fancy and perfectly to scale. Pencil and paper will suffice. You should know in advance of deliveries, exactly where everything is going. If you plan properly (see tip #1) this shouldnʼt be an issue.
5. Call In The Reinforcements
Invite some good friends and family members over. A bunch of them. Give them food, drinks and money, if need be. One day makeovers take a village. They cannot be done alone. Donʼt even try it.
Take pictures and make a Before and After photo book to remind yourself those super energetic, creepily happy, heavily made up people on TV have nothing on you!
You can follow Courtney Cachet on Twitter @CACHETLIFESTYLE