You’ve heard the horror stories of families living in the midst of home renovations.
Their daily routines disrupted by noise, debris, equipment, and contractor foot traffic.
During your remodel should you take up temporary residence at a local hotel, or seek shelter with family and friends, or should you stay at home and tough it out?
If you’re thinking about staying at home, consider these two tips to help see you through.
Relocate the things you need, purge the ones you don’t
When a room in your home is under construction it generally won’t be accessible. So before work begins gather the things you need and store them in other rooms where you’ll be able to get to them while the renovation is in progress. Be sure that the items you and your family use most often can be found easily. Be mindful, too, to relocate anything of special value that could get damaged during the remodel.
When you transfer items, that’s also a good time to purge anything you’ve been meaning to get rid of. In a living room that might mean knick-knacks and tchotchkes you no longer want, shelved books you no longer read, or antiquated electronics that were stored out of sight, and out of mind.
Prepare the kids
If you’ve got small kids they may not fully understand what may happen during a home renovation. Explain to them how things are going to change, and when. They’ll need to understand which spaces will be off-limits and the plan to compensate for those changes. For instance, if your living room is receiving an overhaul, explain to them that the basement will be their new hub for homework and entertainment. If your kitchen is the focus of the remodel, you might explain that the dining room will temporarily be the sole meeting place for meal service.
