I’ve lived in my old colonial home for a little more than a year and have renovated our outdated kitchen for nearly as long. The full renovation actually has more to go—and I have zero regrets for how we’ve paced ourselves so far. In fact, the “slow reno” mentality is one I’d recommend to any new homeowners setting their projects for this year.
As the phrase suggests, a “slow reno” is a renovation that intentionally takes longer than the standard project. The methodical approach breaks down a larger transformation into bite-size projects over several months (or more) to better fit your schedule, energy level, and budget. Each phase might comprise related tasks that can be completed in a weekend or two. Then, rather than diving into the next phase immediately, you take the time to live with the updates.
Overall, a slow reno can be DIY-forward, but there’s room for professional help, too. In one phase of my kitchen project, for example, I hired an electrician to install a breaker line for the incoming dishwasher and bring all my kitchen countertop electrical outlets to code. Likewise, anyone planning a slow reno might delegate the painting of a room to a local company or TaskRabbit and still call that the project of the month.
Yes, there’s a little chaos to a piecemeal renovation. For starters, your tool kit is never truly “away,” or suddenly evolves into a tool in the workshop and a tool pile in the project zone. But taking our sweet time on a kitchen renovation was our best decision. Keep reading to learn what you can gain by slowing down, and my best advice for living with your renovation project.
1. You can spread out your costs.
When I began my renovation, I quickly remembered that a kitchen upgrade is one of the bigger home projects owners can tackle, even if only a facelift. In the 2024 Cost vs Value report issued by Zonda Media, the 2023 national average for a minor kitchen remodel was $27,492—in line with the $26,240 national average we estimated for the cost of a kitchen remodel based on Angi and HomeAdvisor data. That’s quite the investment if you expect to pay for it in one or a few lump sums to a hired professional.
Since you’re carving up a project into stages, you do not need to feel pressure to buy every tool and material at the start. For the most part, you can purchase what you need, when you need it—except, perhaps, if you plan to concentrate spending in deal-heavy months: February (President’s Day sales), May (Memorial Day sales), July (Prime Day Sales), November (Black Friday sales), and so on.
2. You can wait for sales.
When you don’t have to buy everything at once, you can hold out for a price drop. To get the best prices on your renovation, approach your deals-hunting with some structure. Develop your initial mood board early and assess your projects. When you have your rough punch list, determine what you need to accomplish these tasks.
A few product categories go on sale like clockwork throughout the year: marked-down furniture at the end of winter (e.g., January and February), discounted major appliances at big end-of-the-year holidays (e.g., Labor Day and Black Friday), and small appliances on sales holidays (e.g., Prime Day and Black Friday). For purchases that don’t fall neatly into those boxes, set your price trackers.
I watched products everywhere from Amazon to Etsy. I followed paint brands on social media for sale announcements, joined the rewards program at my local Ace Hardware store for coupons, and signed up for promotional newsletters from the likes of The Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Wayfair. And it paid off.
An Amazon app notification helped me get the bronze curtain rods I’d wanted at their best price. Instagram alerted me to 40 percent off of paints and stains at Sherwin-Williams in August 2023 (the best discount I’ve seen the retailer offer), where I picked up paint for cabinets and walls. I brought a coupon or a $5 reward to most hardware store visits for screws, sandpaper, wood putty, spackle, drop cloths, or spray paint.
3. You have time to find the secondhand treasures.
Shopping for used furnishings and materials for your project is a not-so-secret way to save money on any project. The curation also helps create an instantly lived-in charm when the renovation dust settles. And it’s environmentally responsible, too, by saving still-useful furnishings and materials from a dump. But unless you live near a network of antique warehouses or in a city that’s secretly a Facebook marketplace goldmine, sourcing every item secondhand in a weekend or two is unrealistic. Finding the right pieces is all about timing.
So, if your renovation project runs for several months, think of it as allowing yourself that much time to find the conversation pieces for your home. Half of a year of estate sales to attend, auctions to bid in, and Facebook marketplace finds to browse. I made my rounds at the nearby flea markets, but most of the hunt for furnishing my 1928 home with a nod to the past has been online. My greatest find for the kitchen? A pre-loved wood hutch with keyed drawers and rope trim around its glass windows for just $140 from Facebook marketplace.
4. You have longer to live with the progress, and you’re less likely to regret design decisions.
One of the more intangible benefits of a slow, deliberate renovation is the opportunity to change your mind. Each layer of a renovation can affect the subsequent steps. Give yourself at least a few weeks to live with a new cabinet arrangement before you decide if the next empty corner of the space better serves as seating or storage. Or, as you sit in the new breakfast nook, maybe you find yourself reconsidering which wall is the accent wall.
In a nutshell, living with each phase should reaffirm that you like the last round of decisions and ensure that your next set of upgrades matches how you intend to use the space. As a bonus, you’re less likely to regret an impractical choice or splurge.
5. Your design avoids trend traps.
Along the lines of “no renovation regrets,” the extra time built into the renovations eliminates the possibility of rushing through important design decisions. Yes, organizationally, it makes the most sense to start with a mood board that’s complete enough for you to set goals for the renovation. But throughout the project, keep an open mind to inspiration. These ideas are not set in stone. As such, you are less likely to subconsciously choose a trendy design scheme doomed to go out of style and more likely to land on something classic you’ll like long-term.
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