Scott
You’ve decided to remodel your home, and you couldn’t be more excited. The finished result is a goal you may have been waiting for years to achieve. And yet, before you enjoy it, you have to go through it. For some people, living in the home is an important part of maintaining their health and managing their stress throughout the project. With these eight tips, you will know what to expect and be able to handle it with greater ease.
1. Get the Scope of the Workspaces
The first thing that you’ll want to do is get a sense for where the workspaces will be. You can probably imagine that a kitchen remodel or bathroom addition will be focused in those specific areas. But it’s also important to consider where else you will need to make room in your home. This includes entrances and exits for workers, as well as staging materials. As such, you might discover that what you thought was a relatively confined project will actually take up several rooms of your home. Ask for this information well in advance of the start of construction. That will allow you to figure out what the rest of your living area is going to look like during the project.
2. Determine a Timeline for the Project
All projects have a general timeline that your remodeling team intends to follow. Of course, there are possible delays, but you can get a good sense of the plan before you begin. Typically, major home improvement projects take at least several weeks. Some of them may take several months, depending on accessibility of materials, as well as the time of year. Use the timeline to create a checklist for which areas of the home will have the most action and when. If you’re needing to work around construction for multiple months, this will help you to determine which weeks will focus on particular rooms.
3. Create Temporary Living Spaces
In some cases, you may be able to keep most of your home functional as normal. But if you’re renovating your kitchen or building a second story, you may need to significantly change the flow of your household. It’s easy to assume that you can live off takeout for a few weeks, but not having access to a refrigerator or a bathroom can make things significantly more difficult. Note which rooms will be in regular use throughout the project, and create alternatives. Make sure that your choices are something that you can live with, so that you don’t accidentally create a situation that causes stress.
4. Place Belongings in Storage
Since you’re going to be living in a smaller space of your home for a period of time, it’s important to find a place for seasonal belongings and precious items. This way, they don’t make it difficult for you to function in a smaller space. Putting a few things in storage also increases the likelihood that these possessions will remain in their current condition. Some people choose to rent a storage facility or build a temporary shed on their property. Others may choose to ask friends or relatives to hold antique or high-value items until the project is complete.
5. Designate a Safe Space for Small Children and Pets
Construction sites do not mix well with young children or pets. You may be able to understand that you should take care when walking through a room under construction. However, kids and animals lack the ability to understand the risks. As such, you should ensure that they do not have access to the rooms that are under construction. It’s also important to create safe spaces where they can participate in something close to their normal routines. This will help them avoid hurting themselves or damaging the work in progress.
6. Find New Routines
For any sizable home improvement project, you may need to put certain aspects of your life on hold until it is done. However, it’s still wise to keep some kind of routine during this time. Some people are able to adjust their sleep schedules or work in off-hours as it is convenient. On the other hand, most people will start to feel more stress about the situation if they do not have a basic guarantee that their needs will be met. Set a reasonable sleep schedule that works with construction times, and build in leisure time so you can relax.
7. Aim for Simple Living
The thing about home renovations is that they can take over your life for a short period of time. The more you lean in to it in the moment, the better the result. Since this probably isn’t something you do every year, it’s important to make it your primary focus. This means that you should aim to simplify other aspects of your life so that you can devote the right amount of attention to it. For example, you may want to pick another time to take a big vacation or host a large event for friends and family.
8. Know When to Relocate
Although many people can live reasonably in their homes during home improvements, it isn’t a perfect fit for every house or every project. If you are preparing for a whole house remodel, it’s possible that there just won’t be enough living space for you to manage during that time. Similarly, if you are taking down the kitchen and all bathrooms at the same time, you may find it difficult or impossible to work around it. Sometimes, the best way to live through your project is to find temporary lodging during the most intensive stages.
Remodeling your home takes plenty of time. You will need to find ways to manage it if you live in your house while you have a professional design and remodeling team complete it for you. These tips can help. To talk about your project and see what our team can do for you, contact us today.
