8 Things to Do Before the Renovation Begins
by Laura Gaskill
Prep and plan with this insight in hand to
make your home remodeling project run more smoothly
With workers traipsing in
and out of your living space, dust and dirt everywhere, and entire areas of
your home unusable for the duration, home remodeling projects can be extremely
disruptive to daily life. But a little smart planning ahead of time can make
things run more smoothly. Here are 8 items to tick off your list before the
chaos begins, for a safer and (slightly) less intrusive renovation.
2. Put rolling storage units to work. For the things you do
want to access during the remodel, consider filling up a few storage carts on
casters. This type of cart is lightweight and easy to move, and stores things
in plain view so you can quickly find what you need. You could use one for
towels and linens, kitchen tools and dishes, food, toiletries or anything else
you need but suddenly have nowhere to put.
3. Protect your privacy. Think about what time you usually shower and
get ready for your day — will the workers already be in your home at that time?
If you’d like to be able to walk through the house in your PJs without running
into your contractor, consider putting up a few folding screens or other opaque
room dividers between the work areas and your private zones.
If you’ll be using the guest bath instead of the master bath, move your stuff over now. If you’d like to have your coffee in peace in the morning, consider setting up a coffee-making station in your bedroom. Shift your schedule, move your stuff, do whatever you need to do now, and you will feel less hassled when the work begins.
If you’ll be using the guest bath instead of the master bath, move your stuff over now. If you’d like to have your coffee in peace in the morning, consider setting up a coffee-making station in your bedroom. Shift your schedule, move your stuff, do whatever you need to do now, and you will feel less hassled when the work begins.
4. Get your most important stuff together. Once work begins it can
suddenly seem impossible to find anything. Get your stuff together now and put
it all in one place — somewhere well out of the remodeling zone. If you won’t
be using your regular entryway, set up a temporary command center elsewhere
with room for your cell phones, chargers, keys, mail and other essentials.
5. Keep kids out of work areas. A construction area is
dangerous for children — power tools, hazardous materials, sharp nails and
saws, not to mention exposed electrical work and more. Put up child safety
gates at every entrance surrounding the work area, and make sure everyone on
the remodeling team knows to keep them closed. Kids are curious, so even with
the gates up, keep a closer eye on them than usual to be sure they don’t drift
into the construction zones.
6. Contact friends, family and neighbors who may be able to
help. During a long renovation, there may be times when you need to
lean on others — for a place to spend the night, do a load of laundry, take a
shower or just get a little moral support. Give your close friends, family and
perhaps neighbors too a heads-up that you are starting a remodeling project,
and they will likely be happy to help if you need something down the road.
7. Think about pet safety. Cats and dogs can be
quite frightened by work going on at the house — and work sites can be
dangerous for pets. If your pets are skittish, curious or likely to run away,
consider having them stay with a friend or relative for the duration, or board
them in a kennel. If that is not possible, see if you can rig up a system of
gates to keep them safely away from the work areas.
Comments
Post a Comment