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Declutter: Step 0 of any Good Remodeling Plan

2 min read I’m not kidding. Before you start any remodel plan, get rid of excess stuff. Your re-design should be about making space you LOVE, not making room for your things!

Someone once said that a really good declutter of your life is as good as a remodel (and so much easier and cheaper).

Now as an architect, I don’t know that I totally agree with that.

A remodel can improve your layout, add natural light, add in stunning new surfaces and generally custom fit your home to your life. A solid decluttering job can’t do any of those things.

However, sometimes a declutter is as good as an addition.

Let me say that again:

A declutter could save you the cost of an addition!

Surely that is worth thinking about!

We Americans have been primed to think that bigger is better in nearly every regard, but often that’s just not true.

Sometimes just rearranging the space inside our house is what we need to make it work better. You won’t need any more space if you don’t have too much stuff.

Purge before you organize. Put another way, you can’t organize clutter.

You have to get rid of the things you don’t need or love before you can create a good system for storing, accessing, and enjoying the things you really do want in your life. Likewise, you need to pare down BEFORE you plan your remodel so you don’t waste valuable time, effort, and MONEY making more room for your things instead of creating a home you love.

And here’s one more thing I’ve learned from helping helps loads of families, including my own through remodels… Before you can take on a remodel, you first have to move all your stuff out of the way. Having less of it will only help.

Living with less can be a real challenge, but it can also be incredibly rewarding and freeing.

In Today’s Episode you’ll hear …

  • Real talk: you’re going to need to declutter before your remodel anyway … you’ll have to get ALL of your stuff out of the way before you can start swinging a hammer for demolition! [1:45]
  • Two fun stories of my rolling stone past: that time I lived in a tent for five months, AND that time I lived in hostels along the Mediterranean coast for five months … and what both adventures taught me about living with less [2:37]
  • Parkinson’s Law applied to stuff in your house [4:45]
  • Two quick tips to make your kitchen bigger … overnight! [6:31]
  • A little shout out to all our friend, Marie Kondo, with my thoughts on why her methods don’t always work for Americans [9:17]
  • My personal decluttering hero: Marla Cilley, aka FlyLady and her magical 15 minute burst theory of doing everything [9:53]

Listen Now On

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Resources Mentioned in this Episode

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