The Essential List for a Smooth Home RenovationDo-It-Yourself vs. Contractor-Based Projects: What's Smarter? 55

The Essential List for a Smooth Home RenovationDo-It-Yourself vs. Contractor-Based Projects: What's Smarter? 55

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That tap wasn't even broken. Just temperamental. You had to turn it slightly left and then back a hair to the right to get usable water. If you messed up the angle, it'd let out a weird sound. Not deafening, but unpleasant — like a kettle screaming. I lived with it for far longer than I should've. Blamed the plumbing. Blamed the apartment. Blamed everything except the fact that I hadn't done anything.

One rainy evening, I was home early, waiting for the pasta water to boil, and it hit me: I am tired of this space.

It wasn't a rage fit. More like a slow itch that had finally spread to my ribs. The cabinet handles jiggled, the bench was too short, and the top cabinet door kept hitting me every time I bent down. I'd started to flinch early.

I pulled out a notebook and wrote “new tap” at the top. Beneath that: “longer bench,” then “why is it behind the fridge?” The question mark wasn't accidental. The switch really was inexplicably placed.

I told myself I'd keep it simple. Just swap out the tap. Easy. But standing in the plumbing section three days later, confused by finishes, I somehow ended up with a brochure for splashbacks under my arm. And then came the mess.

I didn't call a tradesperson. I probably should've. Instead, I watched a video at 1am from my friend Rory, who handed it over with a grin Not exactly the instruction manual, but I got started.

Taking down that top unit felt like the beginning of something. Against what? I'm not totally sure. Maybe the version of me that made excuses.

The chaos spiraled. Not in a disaster way, just... inevitably. I spent three hours reading reviews about adhesive. Got into a minor argument with a guy on a Facebook group about “the best tile spacing tool”. I still don't really trust epoxy, but I'm convinced he was full of it.

And the new tap? Still isn't silent. Different sound now. Softer. Almost charming. I think I like it. check here Or maybe I've learned to live with it.

It's not perfect. The tile near the bin's not square, and the outlet by the toaster feels off-balance. But when I step in, I don't feel dread. That alone is a win.

And that notebook? Still on the bench. Nothing new written. Which, honestly, says a lot.