Everything That Has Gone WRONG During My House Renovations

Things ALWAYS go wrong!

☞ My name is Ariel and I’m a Canadian writer, poet, and YouTuber. I organize my shelves by genre and then colour and my favourite book is Animal Farm. I've been making bookish content online for a decade and love spreading a love of reading through videos, panels, articles, and more!

☞ Thanks for watching! ☜

[erin]

For future projects if you are using multiple cans of stain, don't test them! Get an empty metal can and dump all the stains together and mix them in one big batch so you know that every single one is absolutely identical. If you just visually match them, they might not actually match when viewed under different light or on different types of word or, worst of all, after you seal them. One giant can eliminates any variables.

[bandgeek]

I run a hardware store, and honestly it's kind of nice and fun seeing our regulars come in multiple times for things they forgot. Even the professional tradesmen who visit us make second trips often. Its nice sort of vicariously living through people projects and seeing the progress unfold. With certain types of projects its just inevitable and a hassle, but we never judge people for it

[donschamun]

I work with professional contractors and all the problems that unpleasantly surprised you also happen to them. Mismatched batches, expired product, color on the swatch not matching color on the surface, old coating not bonding to the new. It's not if it will happen, it's when and how you adapt. And you adapted magnificently.

[Brie.W]

As someone a year and a half into reno'ing a 40's place, and we have replaced a lot of the guts (and skull) of the house, and haven't even gotten to really work on the aesthetics of the inside of the house, I deeply, deeply appreciate you and your candid videos on this, and very much enjoy living through you vicariously as you do your place. <3

[aaardie]

I never really comment on youtube, but Ariel this video was fantastic. I’ve been renovating a 1969 airstream with my partner and it seems like every step forward sets us two steps back. Watching you renovate your home has helped me stay motivated, but this honesty and discussion of mental health when things go so SO not to plan was exactly what i needed to see. Thank you. We’re not professionals, we’re just doing our best out here!

[hiloglenn]

As a self-employed handyman, I concur, Frustration management is one of the most important skills in undertaking projects. Mistakes are valuable because they help to educate as well as help to refine the vision of the project. Knowing when to walk away and come back another day is also a good skill to have. Good work, Ariel, i love your videos,

[heatherg]

Ariel, this is literally every project my husband and I have ever done in 33 years of marriage. We now rate projects at the end by how many trips to the hardware store we had to make. Just keep on trucking, girl! You’re doing great and your house just gets lovelier all the time.

[emmalawson]

You should eventually turn the scary upstairs room into a library. If you fitted it out with cool shelves and a cozy nook that would be perfect!

[marzi]

Not sure if this would help at all with feeling pressure to have a "finished product" or needing a simple video out for revenue, but i would enjoy half baked videos just as much, so we can see baby steps of progress in real time over a few different projects. So impressed with how far you've come and your fortitude and perseverance. This was such a great and realistic video ❤. Also, you hair looks FABULOUS like this!

[bijoubijou]

Thank you, Ariel, for your honesty and transparency and your mom's suggestion that you record the video. It is so easy to become frustrated and temporarily defeated, but I continue trying to make small steps toward progress for the place that I call home. Patience, laughter, and grace are the necessary attributes for all homeowners.

[belorama]

What a lovely enjoyable reality check 😂

[MicD]

Idea! Paint book spines on the risers of the hallway stairs!

[GustavMorgan-mfit]

Another low stress video idea, you could show us online "window shopping" of home decor or Facebook market place.

[northwoodfalls]

The running joke in every DIY house renovation channel is that the hardware store is their second home, that they could navigate the aisles blindfolded at this point. You’re not doing anything wrong at all lol. I so appreciate your vulnerability and honesty in this video, Ariel. I’ve done my fair share of renovations on a limited budget with limited skills and sometimes I watch renovation videos and think, “Well, I guess I’m just not as psychologically robust as them because I have never done a project without a few moments of utter despair and frustration but they seem to be gliding through it effortlessly and cheerfully.” But that just cannot be the case. There’s a reason why moving is cited as the most stressful event next to a death in the family and I think major renovations has to be up there. It’s such a disruption, it costs so much in time, money, and effort ….. You’re doing an amazing job with your home. It’s beautiful, personal, and inviting. Owning a home is a never ending list of “to do” projects. Once you get “done” it’s time to start all over again with repairs, updates, etc. But the confidence, skills, and perspective grow as well, so it does get easier. And it’s deeply satisfying to make it into a nest where your heart and soul can come to rest ❤

[hailbee]

My husband and I were supposed to buy his grandparents house, but decided against it. They've been the only ones to live there since it was built in 1956, and it showed...We realized it was not worth the stress of having to work full time, come home, and renovate every single room in the house for probably the next 2-3 years. It would have ruined our mental health for sure, and we didn't even really LIKE the house in the first place. I applaud your resilience Ariel, it is not for the faint of heart!

[wrustria]

Renovating is single handedly the most satisfying fulfilling thing while also being the most soul sucking frustrating experience ever😭.

[mosha]

When using multiple cans of stain or paint I find it helpful to mix them all together in a 5 gallon bucket, that way the color is consistent throughout.

[SJP]

Your mom is brilliant! It’s the whole point of YT to see the hiccups in real time. This whole edited perfect outcome is something we can see on HGTV. We want to know that we can do it too. So all the mistakes, running back and forth to the hardware store, the picking of paint color etc. is exactly what we want to see!

[erikar]

Ariel, I don’t know that you’ll ever see this but, I have wanted to say this: I started watching your house videos in a time of my life when me and my partner were looking to buy a house. Months & months went by and nothing had changed about our living situation and it felt like we were stuck. Meanwhile, my mental health was declining because of how unhappy I was in our apartment. I went into a pretty deep depression for me and during that, I found comfort in your videos. The days of laying in bed, watching your videos and snacking on seaweeds snacks, live vividly in my mind. As a creative, your use of colors and creativity with personalizing your home began inspiring me again and I started playing with color again and you planted little seeds of joy back into my life again. I’m happy to report we’re in a new house now and I finally feel like we are home and I want to thank you for your videos during that time. I still very much enjoy your videos, but hearing your “behind the scenes”- if you will- in this and your “Tidying & Resetting for Spring” video really resonated with me. Mental health can be so invisible and I can only hope that your videos, the production behind them, the work and stress of renovating your home, is seen and not taken for granted from your viewers. Please take your much deserved rest when needed and we will be here happy to greet you when you are ready. I wish and send nothing but happiness your way and a big hug for being there for me when you didn’t know you were, and for you, when maybe you need a hug too. 🩷

[oli_kate]

This video was honestly the most helpful one you've made

Most of your videos make it seem like it's fairly easy to do home renovations, and while that is lovely and exciting, this is also way more realistic.

It helps me plan my own small renovations easier and more realistically.

Because I'm disabled and I know nothing about any of this and nor does my mom.

So we're probably going to need a whole weekend to tear up the carpet in her bedroom and make the floor liveable. Maybe longer.


Side note whoever thought carpeted floor was a good idea has not had pets. They're hard to clean. And besides wood floors look so beautiful!

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