6 Tips for Living in Your House During Remodel |
Posted: November 8, 2017 |
The decision to stick it out or move out during a remodel is definitely a tough one. Home renovations are messy and noisy, a combination no one wants to deal with. Choosing to live outside of your home temporary can be costly. The good news is that sites, such as Hearth, can make the financial planning side of things a bit easier. But, the bottom line is that packing up and moving out is much more expensive than staying in your home. If you’ve decided to stay put during a remodel, first, kudos! May your weeks of renovation go as smoothly as possible. These 6 tips should make life a little easier for you while you wait for your home’s makeover to be completed. 1. Make Sure the Decision Works for Everyone Home renovations are stressful. No matter if you're planning a DIY project or if you're hiring contractors, you can still expect plenty of anxiety and stress. Renovating is time-consuming, energy-consuming, and can really throw off everyone’s stress level. Be sure that staying in your home makes sense for not only you, but everyone else involved. If you've got a spouse that can't deal with stress and change, you may want to reconsider. Otherwise plan on weeks of insanity! If you have children, staying in your home may make the most sense. Of course, only you know your family and how they will react. Be sure that everyone is onboard with staying in the home versus finding another temporary living solution. 2. Prevent the Spread of Dirt Renovations often produce all sorts of dirt, including sawdust, drywall dust, and other particles you don't want dispersed all over your home. To contain the dirt to one area, you'll want to invest in a few items including:
It's also useful to turn off your HVAC system. You don't want dirt and dust to travel to other parts of your home through your air vents. With this said, it's important to plan renovations during a time when you can live without heating or cooling. 3. De-clutter & Remove Unnecessary Items During renovations, you don't want to risk personal items breaking or getting damaged. Before the remodel starts, take the time to de-clutter your home as well as to remove unnecessary items. Photographs, art, and decorative items should all be packed away to keep them safe. You may also want to consider storing furniture in a storage unit to free up some room in your temporary living area. 4. Make Other Spaces Functional Kitchen renovations typically mean that your kitchen is off limits until work is complete. This means you won't be able to use the stove or the refrigerator. If you're renovating the master bathroom, you can count on not being able to use that either. To make it through home renovations, you'll need to choose another space where you can still make things work. Disposable plates and silverware are perfect for getting through a lack of a kitchen. Maybe you'll have to sleep in the guest bedroom for a few weeks and use the smaller bathroom until your project is complete. The key factor is to know what you're losing during renovations and find another way to use that function elsewhere. 5. Inform your Neighbors Renovations aren’t only messy, they’re noisy. No one wants to hear a jackhammer early in the morning or a saw preparing your new kitchen floors. To avoid upset and disgruntled neighbors, be sure to let them know about your upcoming remodel. This way they can prepare for extra vehicles to be parked in the community as well as potential noise disturbances. To cover your bases, you’ll want to be aware of any noise ordinances that apply to your community. If you’re working with a contractor, ensure the company is aware of any noise and/or construction restrictions that they may face. 6. Stay Calm One fact of life is that home renovations rarely go as planned. So while you may have all of your ducks in order, expect one or two of them to fly away. Be prepared for supplies to go missing, items to break, for it to rain on a day you really needed sun, and for things to just go wrong. Though you may plan on having your bathroom back in order in 2 weeks, you may be without it for 2 months. Delays are annoying but more often than not, they're unavoidable. Stay flexible, stay calm, and enjoy the journey! Conclusion Living in your home during renovations can be stressful. Use the tips above to maintain your sanity! Remember, at the end of it all, it will be well worth it. The anxiety of not having your whole home is a moot point once you’re able to enjoy your new upgrades!
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