You genuinely don’t understand stress until you’ve lived through a home renovation in the UK.
Builder told us the kitchen would be done in “about 2 weeks max.” Sounded reasonable at the time. Fast forward nearly 2 months and we’re still washing plates in the bathroom sink while surviving off air fryer meals and takeaway coffees. The fridge is currently in the living room, half the sockets don’t work, and there’s permanently one random tool making noise somewhere in the house from 8am.
What nobody tells you is how every single decision somehow costs extra money. You’ll think you’ve finally picked your cabinets, then suddenly you’re learning that handles, trims, edging, splashbacks and “labour adjustments” apparently exist.
Also, I now fully understand why dads spend entire Saturdays walking around B&Q without buying anything. That place slowly becomes a second home during renovations. Staff probably recognise me at this point.
The craziest part is how quickly your standards disappear. A functioning kettle and one clean mug suddenly feels like luxury living.