Where do I start?

Pick up one thing at a time and go from there. That's really all you can do. I'm in a similar boat at my FIL's house. We gotta get it all cleaned out before we can move in.. but the cleaning process seems extremely overwhelming. I did a touch of cleaning in there last summer.. and got so overwhelmed and fed up, I changed my mind about moving in. Today we got a ton accomplished.. and when I say we I mean my husband and kids.. A dumpster was delivered today, and they cleaned off the porch and dining room. Sadly, the dumpster is almost half full already, and the garage is full as well of things my FIL does not want thrown out but it also has no room in the house. (After FIL passes we will need to get another dumpster to clear out the garage). Saturday hubby has a friend coming over to help him move the larger pieces of furniture into the dumpster. Sunday hubby will work on clearing out the upstairs bedrooms. Next week we should be able to get in there and actually start scrubbing the floors and walls. That's going to be the hard part.

Well, since it's a house in progress, just do a little at a time. If you look at it as a whole, it can become overwhelming. When I have things to do, I try and focus on one thing at a time. This way, it will become easier. And before you know it, it will all be done.

i was trying to suggest that you should try putting everything outside then move it inside but it seems that you see it as a impossible task. WHY? having everything out of your way and setting things back again is what i do when i clean our house. it sure is a big mess when i do it. but i feel happy and satisfied whenever i see the output of what i have done. a very clean house with new style(i rearrange the setup of things so it will look more beautiful). the advantage of having everything outside is that when you don't want that item back in your house you just live it there. having to trow excessive things from your house will make your house look neater and cleaner. i am sorry that is the only thing that i do whenever i clean, so i can't contribute much to you. if you are having a hard time because everything seems to be heavy try asking some of your friends to help you. friends can really help when it comes to this kind of things.

Well that's how I do it when I clean a closet....take everything out..then sort and put back only what I really need to. Maybe making small piles with keep/ throw/ file/ sort might help. That's what professional organizers do. Good luck!

That's actually a great idea. Enlist your children, maybe some guests, and take everything outside. Then bring the stuff in piece by piece. It's so much easier to sort things when they are not in a personal space. Allow people to sort your stuff into "keep" and "reject" and you'll be surprised how much junk there is that you're perfectly willing to part with!

Usually I would start at the place where I spend the most time in. For me, that would be sleeping, so it would be the bedroom. I would clear all of the stuff away from there and make some semblance of home, or comfort area. And then I would start from there outwards. This usually means, other parts of the house may get messy, but at least it would be a start.

I know how you feel and I am not even building a house. I would, in your case, see if there is one room I can spare and put everything you own in that one room, and then move it out into the rest of the living area. If that cannot work, then maybe in each room pick one wall and put the things from that room neatly along the wall, sorted and boxed if possible. Clean and organize the empty space and then put the appropriate items out. Maybe you can only get one room done while he is gone, but if you do you will feel so much better and more optimistic.

Blow it up? That's what I feel like doing sometimes to this place. It was a mess when I moved in, and has never really been up to par...

If you have things which you don't need any more, but still good useful items, you can make a garaage sale, and get some money for them. That will help getting rid of them, and at the same time get paid. What do you think ? Would your partnet agree with the idea ?

Start with the trash first. Those things that you don't need anymore. Keep them in one box. I know it's gonna be a lot of work but at this moment you don't have any choice at all.

If I can imagine that the place you live in looks like a building site and the stuffs that you mentioned are mainly building materials.If so,can you clear them up on your own?You had better clear up them thoroughly by the time that your new house building is completed.Perhaps you are impatient to do it in order to give your partner a pleasant surprise when he gets back.

I understand your feelings. I will not survive if I were you. I don't like seeing a pile of things all over the place. The first thing you have to do is clear up your drawers or cabinets, and as you were doing that, you can set aside things that you dont' really need for the house. You can throw things that needs to be thrown. This way you can give space to more important things. You dont reall have to put everything outside the house. What you need is to find a place for all those pile of things you were talking about. You can put the same things in a particular place like, put papers or files in the same place and other things together with related things. You can also put the things you dont always use or dont need right now while your house is not finish in boxes. You can put them in boxes and them put them in one particular corner of the house and then by the time your house is finish, it will be easier for you to organize them well in their respective place as you like. I hope you solve your problem. It's not easy moving around with things all over.

If you can move the items, there will be no problems. If you cann't, then you can find other people to help you. Just take away the small items first. Little by little, I think it will turn out fine.