How to Survive Your Home Renovation!

If you have yet to experience the ups and downs of having a large amount of work done on the home you love, you might be surprised about how disruptive a major renovation can be! Here are a few tips which, in our experience, can make things a lot easier for that short amount of time your home is getting a makeover. 

 

1. Consider going on a holiday

Construction is often dusty and dirty, and living in a construction site with plaster dust on your pillow isn’t likely to make you happy! Compound the dusty pillow with the fact that you can’t even wash your dusty pillow because the water is turned off and you will quickly understand why it is often recommended that you move out for a few days during a major renovation.

 

2. Find an alternative space to use 

If your kitchen is being renovated, it is likely that you won’t be able to use your fridge, stove, kitchen sink or dishwasher, meaning that if you’re living in your house during this process you will need to find another space in your home to do all kitchen tasks. Maybe that means balancing your microwave on your nightstand or washing your dishes in the bathtub – whatever works for you, but you need to have designated zones for cooking and cleaning up or else things can get messy quickly. And obviously, if all of your bathrooms are being renovated you will need to shower at the gym or a friend’s house.

 

3. Get handy with some tape and plastic sheets 

Plaster wall dust, sawdust, insulation…these are all little particles that want to come to rest on your pillow and in your air ducts. Try to section off the construction zones from the non-construction zones, using painter’s tape and plastic sheeting from the hardware store, to keep your living spaces as clean and liveable as possible.

 

4. Work with the best trades that you can afford 

Renovations are expensive and it can be tempting to opt for the builder that didn’t come quite as highly recommended but had a great price. Things may work out fine, or your decision to save some money could turn into a nightmare. The "best" trades aren’t always the most expensive, but they will have the most positive recommendations.

 

5. Plan ahead

It’s a great idea to buy all of your fixtures, appliances and hardware at the beginning of the project, get them delivered to your house, and have them ready and waiting for each trade as they need them. If the electrician arrives to fit your lights and they haven’t arrived, it can cause everyone delays and frustration.

 

6. Know that will be worth it! 

Remember that it will all be worth it when it’s over and you will soon have a stunning, newly renovated home to enjoy for years to come! .