If you’re planning on ripping out your kitchen or completely reworking your living room, it can cause disruption. People traipsing in and out of the house all day, lack of access to certain facilities and the general mess created by any renovation can all conspire to make your life a nightmare.
It turns out, though, that there are a variety of strategies you can implement to reduce the impact on your space and continue to live in your home, retaining some sense of harmony.
We’re not saying that you can totally do away with all the hassle that comes with a significant renovation project. But it’s always worth taking small steps to help grease the wheels.
Let’s take a look at how some of the pros survive a major renovation project.
Pros Use Sheeting In Walkways
During any renovation project, people are continually going to and fro, carrying bits and pieces from one room to another. The pros always use protective sheeting in walkways to preserve the flooring during the fit out. The people walking on the floor will likely be wearing shoes and working in dusty and dirty conditions. Rather than solve one problem and create another, take steps to protect your flooring before work begins. Put down sheets, secure them in place, and protect them from the worst that renovators can throw at them.
Pros Use Self-Storage
Rather than trying to squeeze all of the items from the room to be renovated in the shed or garage, try using self-storage. Not only are companies like Pink Self Storage affordable, but they’re also a lot more secure than any solution you could come up with at home. Self-storage allows you to store a large number of items, all at low cost, including bulky things, like kitchen tables, bathroom cabinets, and beds.
Pros Add 30 Percent To The Budget
Renovation projects rarely come in under budget. It’s not uncommon for projects to run 20 or even 30 more over.
Going over budget is a major hassle. It’s unlikely that you have the finances to fall back on, should you exceed your initial plan. A 30 percent overrun on a £30,000 project is £9,000 - not the sort of money you want to have to fork out at a moment’s notice.
The pros always plan for cost overruns. It’s so common in renovation and building projects that it’s become a necessity. Unforeseen issues crop up all the time, thwarting your plans. The last thing you want is a half-complete kitchen or bathroom on your hands while you try to drum up funds to pay for it.
Pros Shop Around For Contractors
Sometimes the most visible contractors aren’t the best. You need people you can rely on to get the job done and be honest with you about snags. You don’t want to wait to close to the end of a project to discover that things haven’t been done correctly and that everything needs ripping out again. You can find trusted traders on comparison and review websites.
Pros Move Out, If Possible
Professionals treat any renovation project like a job. Their homes temporarily become places of work where they apply their professional acumen to ensure that things are done right. If possible, they move out while the renovation work is ongoing. This not only helps to cut down on stress but also helps them to view their homes as a place of work.
Pros Stay Away From The Site During The Day
It can be tempting for homeowners to stay at home for the entire duration of the renovation. But this can be distracting for homeowners and contractors alike. It’s a much better strategy to regularly check up on progress and choose contractors you can rely on in the first place.
Many people try to renovate during the holidays. Often, it’s possible to go away for two weeks and then come back, and the job is done, with minimal disruption to everyday life.
Surviving a major renovation project isn’t easy, but so long as you keep your eyes on the prize, it can be worth it. All the effort that you put in now will reap dividends in the future. You’ll be able to enjoy your fabulous new kitchen, bathroom, loft conversion or extension, adding value to your home and improving your quality of life.
Pros Send Kids Out Of The House
Finally, putting the kids somewhere other than your house can help enormously to reduce stress and help contractors get on with their work. Children can get in the way and create disruption.