How To Prepare For Your Home Reno
Planning for a home renovation is an exciting time, but it’s also easily stressful. The good news is there are steps you can take to make sure your project goes smoothly. To get started, here are some of the most important things to keep in mind:
Decide If You’re Going to Stay:
Some homeowners choose to rent a small apartment or put up a camping tent inside their home during the process, but this is not necessary.
If you are going to stay in your home during the remodeling process, make sure you have enough space for yourself and all family members. It can be an uncomfortable situation if everyone involved is crowded into one room and stressed out.
Be sure to designate an area for fun and games as well, you will need those distractions during the process of your home renovations.
Consider Where to Prep Food:
If you are camping out at home, it will be necessary to prepare food somewhere. If your project includes work done on the kitchen, you can move your dining room table into the living room or choose another area of the house for mealtime. It is also possible to rent a kitchenette or even order take-out during this time if you do not want to eat at home.
If you're not having work done on that part of the house or if children are old enough to go elsewhere while they wait for their food, then consider setting up an office or backyard location instead.
It’s also helpful to decide whether everyone eats at one time so that meals can be planned out accordingly. That way there is no need for making stressful last-minute decisions about where and when people eat during your remodel project.
Prepare Other Rooms:
For this project, we recommend taking all of the following precautions:
Remove items from walls (including shelves, pictures and prints). Removing items from your walls will help prevent any damage caused by dust particles or debris flying around during the construction process.
Move anything off the floor. Moving everything off of your floor will keep it clean and prevent any damage that could be done by construction equipment or debris.
Cover objects you'd like to leave behind (i.e., couches, chairs, etc.) with moving blankets and/or cardboard. Covering your items will further protect from dirt and any accidental damage.
Close off or cover any open spaces (doors, windows etc.) with temporary plastic sheeting. This is to protect the rest of the house from getting covered in dust and debris when work begins on adjacent rooms.
Close vents that are located in the adjacent rooms. This will help prevent dust from entering your home.
Cover plumbing fixtures in adjacent rooms with plastic bags and duct tape to avoid any dust/debris getting into the pipes. The last thing you want is for debris to flow through your house's piping, potentially causing damage or creating a mess.
Cover your smoke alarms with plastic to protect the detectors from dust/debris.
Make A Plan for Pets and Kids:
It can be difficult for younger children to understand why they cannot play with their toys in one part of the house while construction is being done elsewhere. It can also be stressful trying to keep animals away from areas that are being worked on. Keep your kids, pets and everything else safe by planning ahead of time how you will handle this situation. Here are some tips:
Keep kids and pets in a separate location until construction is complete.
It's important to keep them away from the work area as much as possible. They can also help by keeping a journal, coloring book or calendar to mark the days before your renovation is over - being able to look back will be helpful later on!
Make sure they have a comfortable place to sleep and play.
If your renovation project is expected to last more than a few days, you may want to keep them in another room with everything they need (toys, books, etc.).
Give kids and pets something new to play with during the process.
Taking this step will make it easier for your kids to deal with the situation; they can still have fun while you're getting things done.
Make sure pets are safe and secure indoors, especially if they haven't been accustomed to spending most of their time indoors.
This will help prevent any accidents or injuries that may occur outdoors.
Final note:
Remodeling can be a hectic time for all parties involved, but with the right precautions and preparation it can make the process much easier.
Take your time to properly plan your renovations before they begin, stay flexible throughout construction and prepare yourself for any emergencies that may arise.
With these steps, you'll be able to stay calm and collected throughout the renovation process!