Renovating your home could hurt more than your bank balance Renovations can come with significant mental stress. RENOVATORS have been warned there may be an emotional cost to home improvement. At a time when our TV screens are dominated by renovation reality TV programs such as The Block and House Rules, those thinking about renovating have been urged to remember renovations come with significant mental stress as well as the financial stress. And for some people that stress leads to more than just your home being gutted, according to Melbourne relationship expert and psychologist Janet Hall. "Children can feel very insecure in the midst of this chaos and can develop fearful symptoms such as nightmares and bed-wetting," Dr Hall warned. I have worked with many couples who found their relationship dramatically deteriorated during renovations, some who ended up in divorce. Shiran Jowzy, a builder on The Block and veteran of Australia's reality renovation world, has also warned there is an emotional toll that even the drama hungry TV cameras often miss. Mr Jowzy said the emotional stress of seeing their home torn apart has left homeowners in tears. "When it's something that you have lived in for 10 to 15 years the emotional attachment makes it pretty overwhelming for them," he said. We have had couples cry and say, 'Is this what you really need to do?' and I have to reassure them that it's all right and it's worth it. Propell National Valuers chief executive Bart Mead warned that even with a hefty emotional and financial investment, renovations can still land you in the red. "Not only can renovations add zero value and put the owner in deficit by the amount spent on the outlay, but done poorly, they can also detract value from the property, creating an even more devastating financial blow," Mr Mead said.