You’ve hired your contractor, finalized your plans, and demolition day is fast approaching. You’re excited, as you should be! You’ve dreamed of this day. You’ve chosen each accessory carefully, and you think you’ve planned for every contingency, but there may be crucial aspects of that dream renovation you’ve overlooked.
Maintaining Realistic Expectations
Conflict can occur at any time, but the likelihood increases exponentially during a renovation. People are creatures of habit, and they tend to like their routines. A renovation to any part of the home can upset that routine and cause feelings of anxiety, leading to conflict. Maintaining realistic expectations and understanding the project’s scope and the role you play in its positive outcome will go a long way toward ensuring satisfactory project completion.
Organization Is Key
What part of the house you’re renovating will determine the type of organization that should occur. Often, the kitchen tends to be the hub of the home. It might be the gathering place for Sunday night dinner, the kid’s after-school hangout and homework place, the dog’s watering hole, your bill pay station, or even laundry central. Having a plan beforehand will help ease the stress during your dream renovation.
- Create a space in a separate part of the home where you can store medications, mail, keys, purses, wallets, and backpacks; and pay bills, manage calendars and schedules, do homework if necessary, and feed the pets if you have them.
- Remove items from the renovation area. Organize, label, and store where they’re accessible but out of the way of you, your family, and your contractor.
- Plan and budget for eating out every night of the renovation, or gather take-out menus from your favorite restaurants and order in, but be aware of nutritional changes to your diet and plan accordingly. Avoid eating inside the renovation area.
- If your renovation disrupts the flow of clean clothing, wash all clothes and linens before you begin, or plan to use the local laundromat or the laundry facilities at a friend or relative’s house.
Thoughtful Planning
When renovating a bathroom, there are other factors to consider. If your house has two bathrooms, it’s pretty straightforward, but if you’re renovating your only bathroom, you can help to minimize the stress with some thoughtful planning.
- As with a kitchen renovation, create a space in a separate part of the house to store hygiene products and get ready for work, school, or other activities.
- If you have children and work outside the home, consider making a vacation request and renovating during the summer months when the kids are out of school.
- Book a hotel during the renovation, or rent an RV and camp out on your property or at a nearby campground.
- If a hotel or RV isn’t in the budget, consider renting a portable job site toilet or purchasing a portable travel toilet designed for outdoor recreational activities.
Renovating is stressful, but with thoughtful planning, patience, and the right contractor, you’ll be enjoying your dream space before you know it.
