We're renovating our first house while living in it. Over the past year, we've lost our minds.

Staying in our home while remodeling hasn't been easy, but we've managed to survive. Maria VerMulm

Six months after my husband, Kenny, and I got married, we started saving and looking for a house.

After going to showings almost every weekend for several months, we finally came across a property with a lot of potential. It was only a little over 1,000 square feet and not much of a looker, but there was a creek in the backyard and a huge deck. The catch: it needed a lot of work.

The place had stained drop ceilings , old wiring, seven layers of flooring in the kitchen, turf-green carpet, zero insulation, and no doors beyond the front, back, and basement entrances.…