How to Plan Your Home Renovation
With a home remodelling project, you’re inviting in a certain amount of chaos. When your household isn’t prepped in advance for the work, it only worsens. If you’re looking to reduce stress during a home renovation, prepare ahead of time. A little foresight will go a long way towards ensuring the experience is as enjoyable and efficient as possible.
There is lots of disruption that happens during a renovation. If you have any big plans, set them aside during the renovation. Be ready to adapt. If you have pets, they’re going to need some special accommodations. If you have children, they’re going to need things. If you have roommates or family living with you, it can be draining to take care of them and maintain your schedule.
A home renovation may involve many elements, but you can have everything under control with proper preparation. Here is how to plan your home renovation:
Empty the home renovation area
Wherever you are renovating a home, you will want to remove all furniture and relocate everything elsewhere. If you are renovating a kitchen or bathroom, it’s going to be unusable for the duration of the remodel. Make alternative arrangements in terms of where to go.
You can rent storage space to put items that you can’t keep in the home. Alternatively, put them inside an empty bedroom, garage, basement, attic, or elsewhere.
Section off your home
Home builders can aid in suggesting a few different ways to section off your home. Their expertise ensures you’re comfortable and designated between where you’re living and what’s being renovated.
Any dividers will also aid in containing the renovation mess, which can be substantial at times. In sectioning off your home, you will also need to think about how you might live a little differently while the renovation is ongoing.
Notify your neighbours about the renovation
A renovation is disruptive and loud. Your neighbours can be caught off-guard by the noise and new people walking around your property. Let them know what’s going on and what to expect beforehand.
It’s the neighbourly thing to do, and you can give them a rough timeline on when construction will be done and when to expect noise during the day. Many renovations do not take overly long, and contractors know to work efficiently.
Call your insurance
If you have home insurance, give them a call before the renovation starts and let them know what’s going on. A renovation can change several aspects of your insurance, including the replacement value of the home, the occupancy status of the property, albeit temporarily.
Doing so will reduce the risk of liability relating to hazardous areas in the home. It will also reduce premiums on older homes if you’re repairing the structural integrity.
Expect dust after the home renovation
Dust from a renovation will get everywhere. It will travel to spots you wouldn’t even expect. Buy some non-slip footwear that you can walk around in. This will ensure you do not slip. After a workday, you may also want to take some time to do some light sweeping along the runways.
Sometimes, a contractor may do this, but other times, they may be too busy to. Although you don’t want to get carried away cleaning, a quick sweep can make a difference in walking.
Ensure proper ventilation
In addition to dust, you will also have solvents, paints, and possibly products producing harmful fumes making their way through your home. You need proper ventilation to get these things out.
Running an air filtering system can help. This alone may make your home unlivable for you. It might be better to rent a room somewhere or stay with friends while a renovation is ongoing if you determine that this is too much to try and organize yourself around.
Be ready for calls & emails
Ensure your contractor has your contact info and that you are available during work hours to respond quickly to calls or emails. As things come up and your contractor needs to check in regularly throughout the renovation, the faster you respond, the smoother the process.
Prompt communication will help keep things on time and under budget. Be sure to make arrangements with your contractor for regular updates on what’s going on as you or they see fit.
Plan your home renovation budget
Set aside 10-20% of your estimated home renovation budget for unexpected expenses. If something comes up and you don’t have enough money to complete a renovation, you may be left with a partially done job. Always have a little extra for whatever may come.
This way, you’re ready, and you don’t have to be worried about the slightest rise in the budget. Contractors can provide estimates, but they may discover problems that increase those costs after renovation. It happens. It’s better to be prepared for it.