When renovating a property there are a number of priorities to focus on but I didn't think apologising for the mess you're creating would be one of them.

We're very much in the ‘things looking worse before they look better’ stage (and this is before the building work and demolition has even started)

During this calm before the storm we are tackling small projects that seemingly still create a huge amount of mess.

This week my husband was like a giddy child as he dusted off his sledgehammer and prepared to knock down some walls. Unfortunately it was the walls of an old weathered garden shed rather than the house but I suppose this would be a good training ground to hone his skills. It was also comforting to know one wrong swing wouldn't result in devastating impacts to the structural integrity of the house.

placeholder image — Our very own Steptoe's Yard

So as Tony cosplayed the part of Jack Nicholson from The Shining as he battered through the wooden door with an axe I assisted in my own way (by filming the whole thing for an Instagram reel).

It felt good to see some progress but my enthusiasm was dealt a devastating blow when I saw the mess that had been created in the process. They say you can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs but this was an eggy mess of epic proportions.

The driveway resembled a war zone with piles of wood, rusty nails and broken tree branches dramatically set against a caravan backdrop to really bring our Steptoe's Yard vision to life.

I was calculating how many trips to the local tip it would take to dispose of this chaos when right on cue, the new neighbours started moving in across the road and something strange happened. I instantly felt guilty, embarrassed, and the need to apologise for the state of the place but why? They weren’t moving into my house.

Reporter Kate Mason is taking on the DIY challenge of a lifetime

This was not the Desperate Housewives-style welcome to the neighbourhood I had envisioned where I would appear at their front door holding a whicker basket filled with homemade cookies flanked by my children dressed in their Sunday best.

I’ve been on the other side of the fence and it is annoying being woken up by builders on a Saturday morning and breathing in brick dust on your daily stroll and now the shoe was on the other foot and the fit was uncomfortable.

We were the ones now awkwardly and apologetically smiling to passers by and contending with twitching curtains with prying eyes looking to see where all the noise was coming from.

I felt like a member of a politician’s PR team going into crisis mode, if I wasn’t apologising to strangers for the noise I was apologising to friends calling in for a cuppa about the state of the house – it was exhausting.

The truth is when you’re renovating a property it’s all consuming and you almost forget a world exists outside your building bubble that your project may be impacting. So let me save my breath and publicly apologise in writing, on the record and in advance as things are going to get worse before they get better.

Keep up to date with all the progress by following @ohgodweboughtavicarage on Instagram.