Everything that can go wrong in your dream space

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Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. If you talk of house-building as a dream, as in “making your dream home", it probably means you have never tried to build one. This is a facetious line I’ve written several times in several ways over the years.

It is my quippy way of warning readers that the process of space-making is never what you expect, unless you are actually expecting to be reduced to tears. I’ve been part of several construction projects across the country in the past three decades. I’ve watched, at close quarters, how difficult it is, how unexpected the twists and turns, and the painful costs, both emotionally and financially.

Those were projects that were considerably larger but recently, I took on something that I assumed would be easier and was surprised to find that tears (figuratively speaking) are still part of the trajectory. If you’ve been reading this column then you may know that I have been working on an office space for myself. Two floors of a small suburban house, which wasn’t in great condition but had the potential for my partner and I to create a warm, cosy work environment.

But what was a simple renovation—painting, fixing lights, redesigning two bathrooms and the kitchen—that was estimated to take three months, went on for nearly six. We just moved in. A few weeks ago, I was talking to acquaintances who are building homes in different parts of the country.

They are seasoned entrepreneurs who have overseen many construction projects, both personal and professional. And yet, we were all bemoaning the waywardness of our projects. They were working with architecture studios with excellent reputations, and yet the stories merged into common plot points: Cost overruns, schedules stretching like