Home decorator and content creator Leah Hodson is one of Ideal Home's new Open House contributors, sharing her thoughts on overhauling a home with clever DIY and decorating tricks. See the rest of her articles here.
We’re used to seeing renovations play out online in quick snippets and fast transformations; dust, delays, and decisions carefully edited out. These perfect before and afters of dream kitchens installed in weeks, and a hallway project completed in a quick 4-part series, isn’t a fair representation of reality. Instagram and TikTok are my favourite platforms for inspiration, but it’s also quite frankly exhausting to see these fast transformations. So in 2026, I’m choosing to stop comparing my home to someone else’s highlight reels online, and start enjoying it for what it actually is.
When we bought our first home five years ago, we had just enough money for the deposit and the white goods. So I turned to Instagram for DIY inspiration on a serious budget. By the time we moved in, I had months of ideas saved and felt ready to take on the house… even though I was in no way prepared for the state of the house! But somewhere along the way, in between being inspired and staring at half done rooms, comparison crept in. Suddenly, I felt like my house wasn’t big enough, my progress wasn’t fast enough, and that constant pressure quietly became exhausting. That’s when I realised how damaging it can be to measure your real, messy home against someone else’s perfectly curated feed. I asked a few of my Instagram friends to share what renovation really looks like behind the scenes.
Renovating on a tight budget has meant taking a slower, more hands-on approach for Rosey of @roseylivesinafirestation. She only brings trades in for jobs that would be unsafe to tackle alone - gas, electrics and roofing, whilst everything else is learned and done bit by bit. Finishing a project with your own hands, she says, is “one of the most rewarding parts of the entire process”.
It has been a lesson in patience and restraint for Lucy of @a30sinour40s. Taking a true, slow, reno approach, tackling one room at a time to minimise disruption and ensure spaces are properly finished. With sustainability at the forefront, Lucy “doesn’t want to do any quick makeovers, or buy anything that will need to be redone or replaced in a few years”. Renovating this way also makes it easier to save intentionally for each space before work begins!
For Hannah of @thatstonecottage, renovation has unfolded slowly around full-time work and raising three young children, with progress made after bedtime and weekends, and trades drafted in for specialist jobs. “It took us four years to break ground on the extension - we actually went through planning permission twice as we realised we couldn’t afford the cost of our first design after prices went crazy”. Her biggest lesson? Always sense-check costs before submitting plans, and don’t rush the design.
After falling in love with a dilapidated former primary school in the Scottish countryside back in 2014, Gemma of @oldschoolrenovation_ quickly realised that without deep pockets or full project management, a renovation like this would take far more than she ever imagined: not just time and money, but also motivation, headspace and emotional resilience. Now ten years in and still going, she says the biggest lesson has been learning to compromise, adapt, and live alongside the unfinished, rather than racing toward an unrealistic end point. “Knowing the building will live on for generations to come has made every delay and detour worth it”.
Last but not least, Sophie of @coachhouse_to_coachhome fell for a semi-derelict 1880s coachhouse in May 2021, undeterred when the previous owners walked away saying “not for us.” A project that was supposed to take 6–9 months is still ongoing years later, with unfinished rooms and missing skirting boards. Renovation, she says, is not for the faint of heart: behind every polished Instagram “after” photo is blood, sweat, tears, and countless weekends lost. Her advice is to picture the 14 hour shifts, missed social life, and emotional rollercoaster ahead - then decide if you’re a little bit insane enough for it!
Renovations rarely happen as quickly, or as perfectly, as they look online. Behind every flawless Instagram reveal is dust, delays, and countless tough decisions that end up deleted during edits. In 2026, I’m choosing to stop measuring my home against highlight reels and instead enjoy the process, the progress, and the imperfections that make it truly mine.
