A construction project can be stressful at the best of times, but if you are going through a home renovation while you are still living in the house can be twice as hard. With the outside people, the noise, the duct, and the constant activity can be nerve-racking to people who want privacy and peace and quiet. If you’ve got nowhere else to go until the construction is completed, we will tell of some tips and tricks that you can use to ride the storm until everything is finished.
Ask the Right Questions
If you are to make your life easier during such a construction, you need to talk with your design or build contractor and get as much information about the project as you can from him. Have this conversation as early as possible, before the project event starts. The main points that you should enquire from him include:
What are the Project Start and End Dates? What are the major milestones of the Project? Will there be a Project Management dashboard that you can use to keep updated about the project progress? How will I be able to request changes? How Will I be able to communicate with you while the project is ongoing? What is your work schedule? Which days and which hours does your crew work? How much should I be concerned about noise and dust while the construction is going on? Will you be sealing off the rooms that the construction is going on in order to limit the spread of dust and debris? Are there any special safety practices that we should follow as a family during this time?
If you have gotten a competent and experienced contractor they will slowly explain the process from start to finish and answer the questions that you may have without any hesitation.
How to Protect Your Home during Construction
Before the contractors move in, pack and remove all items that can be damaged from the construction zone. This includes all personal items as well as valuables and curios, such as vases or paintings. Make sure to remove paintings or other delicate objects from the adjoining rooms as well; sometimes some of the vibrations coming from the construction zone can cause objects in other rooms to topple as well. Remove all valuables such as important documents in a safe location away from the carnage.
If you don’t like your house to be cluttered by the removed objects, especially when construction tools and materials can tend to clutter your house anyway during this period, you can get a portable storage unit to store them. This might help you achieve some sense of order amidst the chaos in this time.
You can also talk with your contractor beforehand as to how they will act to ensure the protection of your house as well. You can ask about: Which path and which entrances the workers will use, both to enter the construction zone and to bring in construction material? What sort of steps will they take to protect the inside and outside of your house from dust and debris? How will you protect the gutters, AC units & Flooring? What location will they use to dump the construction waste and what will you do to protect children & scavengers from getting to it? How will they secure their tools and equipment at your house? Will they repair any damage done to your garden because of the extra activity? How will any unexpected damage done to the house be compensated?
Identifying Hazards & Limiting Dangers
Have a conversation with all family members about the dangers and hazards involved with the remodeling before the project starts. Designate which areas of the house and yard are off-limits during the construction and communicate this to everyone clearly.
Keep a calendar that is accessible by everyone which marks out the entire duration of the construction. Explain the breadth of the process to them and convey how things around the house will change and shift during the different phases of the project.
Take a look at the work schedule provided by your contractor and plan out the activities that otherwise might be affected by the workers being at your house. If you have a child make sure you utilize baby gates and other elements to restrict its movement to dangerous areas. If you have a dog in your house, the loud noises and vibrations caused by the construction might stress it out. If your pet is extra sensitive you can ask your vet for a sedative to calm it down and try and house them in an area of the house which is the furthest away from the chaos. Provide plenty of water to them and check up with them at regular intervals.
Create Plans for Crucial Areas of House under Construction
If your home renovations include areas of the house that you would need to use on regular basis such as the bathroom or the kitchen, then you will need to create plans on how to get by until the construction is over.
If your bathroom is being renovated make a plan so that all the family members will have times to use the bathroom during the construction period. Allocate times on when family members will be able to use the bathroom during breaks in the renovation: Before the work starts for the day, after the work has ended for the day and when the workers might be taking their lunch break etc.
If your kitchen is being remodeled then you have a tougher challenge on your hands. Because it is very hard to use a kitchen even during breaks in the construction process because you will never have a clean enough environment to cook.
The best thing to do if your kitchen is being remade is to shift your cooking to another suitable place around the house, temporarily, at least until the work involving dust and debris is over. This can be the garage or the laundry area of whatever place that you will be able to cook. Try and shift as much of your kitchen cabinet contents and the main appliances that you will need for cooking to this makeshift area. Come up with a schedule on how to cook while balancing out the construction work and other household work. Try and work out a way to make the cooking process easier such as getting a meal plan that delivers food & recipes ready to cook.
Plan out Relaxation methods While Taking Advantage of Outdoor Living Areas
If you have outdoor living areas in your house or rooms that open up to your garden and nature, use them as much as possible while the construction is going on. It will make your mind more relaxed while all that chaos is happening in another area of your house. If you have a garden, spend as much time in it as possible with your family members and pets. Cook outdoors if you can.
If things really get bad plan some family outings or go out for the night. Go to the park or go to the movies. Leave behind the stresses of the construction and spend some quality time with your family. This will help you get through the stress and anxiety of a home renovation without having to lose your mind.
The best way to have a stress-free home renovation is to hire a professional and experienced home renovation firm like Renovation Plus. We will ensure that you get through the construction project with the minimum trouble and hassle and end up with the better and brighter house you have always dreamed of.
