We’ve mentioned this in our previous blog posts, but when it comes to home remodels, it’s not a question of “if” it will affect your home life, it’s a question of “how, and to what extent?” Home remodels, while completely worth it in the end, usually entail that you’ll be dealing with lifestyle compromise in the midst of construction. However, the type of remodel you’re having done, as well as the remodeling company you work with will affect the extent and type of homelife impacts you’ll experience. If you are looking for tips for living during major home remodels, here are a few.
Living During Major Home Remodels: Tips
Living during a home remodel isn’t always the most fun thing. It’s kind of like dieting for a few weeks but with your lifestyle… if that analogy hits home for anyone! If you have a master bedroom remodel being done, there are obvious implications regarding sleep, dressing, morning prep, and a slew of other daily habits that will be affected in the process. Kitchen remodels may call for changes on your part when buying groceries, meal planning, and cooking. But living during a major home remodel – while different – doesn’t need to be difficult. Here are a few of our tips regarding living during major home remodels:
Safety First
No, a remodeling project isn’t necessarily “dangerous”. They keep to their area, you keep to yours, and that’s that… for the most part. While home remodeling projects may not put you a place of imminent danger, there are a few things you want to be cautious and careful about to make sure you and your spouse or family are safe throughout the renovation.
Firstly, dust can be an issue during remodels. Cutting boards and tile means dust particles are going to be around your house. A professional remodeling company, like Stonehearth, will take extra care to put Dust Control practices in place, but you always need to go the extra mile to maintain safety regarding construction dust.
1) Turn Off Your HVAC
At least while construction is happening and an hour or so afterwards. Let the dust settle before you move air around the house. If you’re worried about sleeping areas being to hot, crack a window outside, but do everything you can to keep dust out of your sleeping areas!
2) Air Purifiers
An air purifier probably isn’t going to clean all the air in the house during a remodel, but in can be excellent to place one over any vents or near windows/doors to pull dust particles out of the air that result from the construction.
3) Managing Pets & Children
If you have kids or pets, you don’t want them near the construction area. If construction workers are lugging around beams, heavy packages, or power tools, you want your kids and pets far away! Determine some safe zones in the house that construction workers wouldn’t be in and designate that as a safe area during construction.
Ask About Partner Plans
Stonehearth has a very specific Partner Plan, which is essential for ease of living during a home remodel. A Partner Plan will detail out the specifics regarding what contractors – heating, plumbing, electricians, etc. – will be working on which pieces of the house and when. This is not only important for the remodeling company for sake of organization, but is incredibly important for homeowners to understand, as it will serve as a guide for what to expect and different stages of the remodeling timeline.
If a remodeling company doesn’t have a process laid out for partner plans, you may end up dealing with some difficulties during the construction phase.
Always Wear Shoes
That one should be a given. Wear your shoes around the house – you never know what gets dropped where. Have mats outside of your bedroom where it’s safe to place your shoes; you don’t need wood splinter or ceramic tile fragments sticking to the bottom of your shoes and making their way into your bedroom.
Daily Habits: Showering & Morning Prep
This is entirely dependent on whether or not the remodeling project will affect your morning routing. However, if it will, plan to make other arrangements for your regular morning prep. If your master bedroom or bathroom is being remodeled, shower at a gym or designate an area in your home where are morning prep materials will be kept. That can help you maintain efficiency in the morning and organization during a season where you feel as though you’re lacking both!
Construction
We don’t mean it to sound like a home remodel will be a huge pain. If you understand the implications ahead of time, are prepared for the remodel, and have expectations with your family and the remodeling company set ahead of time, a home remodel shouldn’t be much of a nuisance. But it’s always good to plan ahead and explore some options for lifestyle during a home remodel.
If you’re able, turn of the HVAC in your house while a remodel is happening. The remodeling company should have processes in place regarding dust control, but turning on HVAC is a sure-fire way to bypass those safety protocols. Add some air purifiers in your room near vents, doors, or windows to clean the air in your sleeping space, and define safe zones for your kids and pets before the construction begins. Also, it’s always smart to wear shoes around the house to avoid stepping on any construction debris.
