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Living through a home renovation can be stressful, especially if you plan to stay in your house while the work is being done. Follow our tips to help keep you and your family, contractor and neighbors happy.
Let everyone know.
Your neighbors may not appreciate having a dumpster parked in front of our house for months or having their quiet street turned into rush hour with construction traffic. Let them know in advance what is going to happen with your home renovation and what they can expect. As long as you are considerate, chances are they will be very supportive and excited for you, as well as eager to see the final product.
Work with your contractor.
You need to keep a very open line of communication with your contractor. Every day, check in with the site supervisor to see how things are progressing with the renovation. They will be more likely to stay on track if they know you are in constant contact with them. Also, if you notice a problem, discuss it immediately. Do not wait. The sooner you point out the problem, the easier it can be to correct.
Have a timeline.
Be sure your contractor provides you with a timeline for your renovation. It is best to have this broken into stages, that way you can better know what to expect. It also allows you to make sure your project can be completed on time.
Plan ahead and stick to your choices.
You will be confronted with a lot of decisions during your renovation. As best you can, anticipate them and plan ahead. Allow yourself enough time to examine all of your choices and make the selections that you prefer. This prevents you from having to scramble to make your choices at the last minute and perhaps then making a choice in haste that you may regret. Even more important, once your decisions are made, don’t change them. This just adds time and money to your project.
Think of your family.
If you have a family, a home renovation can be particularly hard on them, especially young children. Change is particularly hard for children, so see what you can do to make it easier on them. If you are staying in the house during the renovation, your kids may not be able to play everywhere that they are used to playing. Instead, take them to the park, swimming pool, or library. Plan fun excursions to make the process easier on them. Also, you can create a sense of excitement and anticipation in your kids that can make the renovation more fun for them.
Get out of there, if possible.
If this is a major renovation, try to move out. It can be extremely uncomfortable, if not impossible, to live with that kind of work going on for months. Find an apartment that allows a short-term lease, but is close to your home.
Step 5: Working with your contractor.
Next step: Getting your occupancy permit.