Home renovations are stressful! How can you survive renovation when renovations can exceed budgets, projected timelines, disrupt your daily routines, and bring you other challenges and surprises. Surviving the process is possible but unforeseen factors can make the whole experience a nightmare if you don’t plan ahead.
How do you ensure your improvement project is a success? With the right strategies, you’ll live comfortably with your family and still keep your renovation project on schedule. Let’s look at six tips that will enable you to survive your home renovation without losing your mind.
Make a Remodeling Budget and Stick With It
If you want to survive renovation, start with “the money.” The finances of a home remodel tend to be large by their very nature, so keeping the budget from ballooning during the project can be stressful and difficult if you don’t have a disciplined approach and firm budget.
Once your plans are finalized with your contractor, make sure your budget is finalized as well. The budget can grow due to construction mistakes, incorrect cost estimates and selections you make as the homeowner. While the first two may be outside of your control, the latter is within your purview.
Selections are the items you choose: tile imported from Italy or subway tile from the local do-it-yourself superstore, Sub-Zero refrigerators or Frigidaire, marble countertops or laminate, etc. Your tastes and choices directly impact a large percentage of the cost of the project.
Set a reasonable budget at the beginning. Make sure you understand all of the selections you will need to make. Keep a close eye on your planned expense versus what you actually select. If your partner or spouse is involved, come to agreement on what is reasonable to spend on each selection. Make choices together based on the budget, not on emotion.
The search for shiny objects like tile and countertops and appliances can be head-spinning, confusing and intoxicating. When you have a budget set before going in to the showrooms, you’ll be able tell the sales rep what your budget is so they don’t even show you items that are outside of your budget. By not looking at the items above your budget, you’ll avoid the negative feelings associated with having to “settle” for lower cost selections.
Proper Storage of Your Items
When renovating your home, you’ll likely be required to remove your furniture, home décor, appliances, and other possessions from your living space and other areas being refreshed. You’ll need a temporary holding area for these things as the project is underway.
If you don’t have a spare bedroom, you can rent either an offsite or onsite storage unit for the entire renovation period. This short term lease will cost you a few bucks but your items will be safe. With the onsite storage, you can leave these portable storage units in your driveway for easy access and retrieval of any item you want to use.
Be Present or Easily Available
Before the renovation project begins, you have a clear picture of how you’d want your house to look after the project is completed. Builders can’t read your mind. Drawings, inspiration boards, and plans are just the starting point.
While you likely can’t be on site during the entire project, making yourself available to answer the contractor’s questions will go a long way to reducing mistakes as well as your blood pressure. If you are watching the work progress, you can spot mistakes or changes that may not be living up to your expectations. By voicing your concerns as soon as you notice a problem, you can prevent major problems later on.
If you can’t find enough time to monitor the project, have somebody in your household oversee the renovation and assist in troubleshooting challenges that may arise. Good communication between you and your builders will help accelerate your project, and at the same time, ensure it meets your expectations.
Plan for Renovation Disruptions
The success of any massive project highly depends on prior planning. Since you’ll probably be making significant changes to your electrical and plumbing systems, you have to figure out how you’ll wash, shower, eat, sleep, heat your home, and much more. It may be challenging to plan for all eventualities, but a comprehensive Schedule of Work will inform you and your builders what needs to be where and when. That way, you can arrange your living space in line with the project’s requirements.
For example, you can move your refrigerator and microwave to a makeshift kitchen. If the water supply is cut for an extended period, you can arrange to shower at a neighbor’s place or your fitness center and order bottled water for drinking.
Will your washing machine and dryer have to be moved? If so, you may not be able to wash clothes for some or all of your remodel. Make plans for how you will handle your clothes washing needs. Locate a laundromat, or get a portable washer and clothes line.
As a precautionary measure, you may want to inform your immediate neighbors of the inconveniences that will result from the renovation, such as noise and your builders’ traffic.
Protect Your Property from Dust
Construction dust is inevitable during a home renovation, particularly in the demolition phase. If your house renovation involves carpentry work, wood floor remodeling, drywall installation, or painting, you’ll find sawdust, paint spray dust, and drywall dust everywhere. Your surfaces will be covered with dust shortly after you wipe them. And the construction dust migrates from one room to another. Nevertheless, you can still manage to contain it and survive renovation!
Appropriately cover or, better yet, remove expensive decorations, fine furniture, electronic equipment, and other valuable items from the remodeling area. You can also use magnetic vent covers in sections of your home that aren’t being revamped to keep the dust out. Sealing the door separating the renovation area and your living space with plastic drop cloths is another practice you should consider.
You’ll also want to make sure your contractor and all workers know which areas of your home are off limits. You need private space where you don’t have to worry workers will be looking around, messing with your stuff and invading your space. Make it clear where they can and can not go.
Have a Candid Conversation with Your Partner
While the renovation is supposed to bring excitement, it can cause disagreements between husbands and wives or partners. According to a survey by Houzz, 12% of married partners considered divorce shortly after commencing house renovation. One-third of the respondents said they had differences over remodeling design and styles for their homes.
If you’re contemplating a major renovation, it’s essential to discuss the choices, styles, and visions the two of you have for the final project. You should have consensus on critical decisions involving cabinetry, paint colors, light fixtures, doors, countertop selections, and flooring. You have to be clear upfront so that you don’t get upset when your partner makes a swift adjustment in your absence.
Additionally, discuss and prepare for the disruption of your lives. One partner may be much more disturbed by the upheaval of your remodeling than the other, causing stress, anger and arguments. This may be especially true if one of you works at home while the other works at an office. The non-stop noise and interruption of construction can make anyone crazy!
Before the project begins, acknowledge that your lives will be upended for several weeks and plan some ways to deal with the difficulties.
Remodeling Survival Bottom Line
A home remodel can overwhelm you if you’re not careful. But with proper planning, it’s possible to survive renovation. Even though it may derail your daily routines, you can minimize the inconveniences and give yourself room to collect your thoughts amid the storm of flying wood chips, drywall dust and noxious odors. The above survival tips can go a long way in ensuring your renovation project is smooth while at the same time ensuring your peace of mind.
Get Started On YOUR Remodeling Project
If you are looking for a home remodeler in Atlanta, we’d love to give you a free estimate. Halcyon Remodeling is located in Alpharetta, GA and services the metro Atlanta area. Check our reviews on Google. Contact us for all your remodeling needs, whether you need a new kitchen, bathroom, basement or whole-house renovation, we’re ready to help make your dreams a reality.