Hi Dee101,
Well, we are currently in the middle of a do-er upper. The house was built in the sixties, so needed complete renovation, and we are adding a double height extension at the back, and double height bay window at the front. The whole house needed re-wiring and re-plumbing. We got an 80% mortgage from KBC and we had approx 100,000 to spend on the doing up. So that's the money part. All sounds simple.
In reality, it has been a Long. Hard. Slog. My husband is project managing, labouring, getting quotes for materials, doing all roofing and wood work. The stress has been incredible, and we have been nearly driven NUTS over it. We will be exactly one year at it from pulling out the first of the old kitchen units, on 01 July. There have been some low moments, with my poor husband coming home covered in muck from head to toe, frozen to the bone, after digging foundations in foul weather back in january for days on end, to dealing with incompetent tradesmen, one in particular who made a complete mess of the plumbing and had to be removed from the job. This all now needs to be rectified. It has also put a strain on our relationship, and we seem to be arguing alot.
HOWEVER.......I can see light at the end of the tunnel. Unbelieveably, from mounds of muck, dust, flooding, freezing, planning application saga's, I am beginning to see a beautiful house. The really dirty work is finished, we are now just finishing off the wall insulation, and the plasterer is coming next week. I am expecting delivery of my beautiful kitchen, which has just what I want, at the end of the month. I have a utility room! I have a walk in wardrobe !!! The stress levels are dropping, the arguments are falling away.
So, is it worth it? If you had asked me that three month ago, I would have said no way, why did we ever decide to do this, its driving us all insane. Now - I'm starting to feel that it really was worth all the pain and suffering. My advice to you is to expect that it will be really, really hard, but keep reminding yourself, that it will come to an end and hopefully you will end up with a house that you really love.