We bought our house knowing it would be a major fixer-upper, but we love the location and really couldn't afford anything else in the neighborhood. We've had a ton of help from my dad, who is very handy, but his pace is k-i-l-l-i-n-g me. I know I shouldn't complain when it's free labor, but we've been here over two years now and are nowhere near where I thought I would be with the house. He's notorious for promising things and not following through.

We're finally feeling confident enough to take one some projects completely on our own so that we don't have to worry about his flakiness, but it's still super daunting! Up next is the main bathroom, our biggest project yet. It needs to be completely gutted and redone. We'll have some help from my dad - but he's not understanding why we want to map out a timeline for the project (he is the poster child for Adult ADD) and we'll also have some help from my husband's brother-in-law. We'll hire a plumber to do the things we can't (moving pipes and whatnot), but will otherwise be doing everything on our own.

We're also in the midst of TTC #1 and I just want some confidence that our two main projects (bathroom and master bedroom) can be done before a baby arrives, if we do get pregnant soon.

Anyway - just curious if anyone else is dealing with major home renovations! Any tips or advice from those who have lived through it without murdering their spouse or other "helpful" family members?