Helpful Steps To Take Before Renovating Your Home
There are many reasons why you might want to renovate your home. From raising the value of your home to making it ready for post-pandemic life. Whatever reason you might have, remodeling your home requires a lot of hard work, dedication, and planning. It is critical to plan ahead of time for any such project, big or small.
Knowing where exactly to begin and what you should do to prepare your home for renovation is half the battle. While there is no magic formula for a stress-free home renovation, there are a few things you can do to make the whole process go more smoothly.
Plan Out Your Renovation Goals
As with any significant change in your life – you will need to have a clear goal in mind before you start renovating. You must understand what you want to achieve with it and why you are even renovating in the first place. One very easy step you can take is to live in your home before you renovate it (if you don’t already). This way, you will see which areas in your home need the most work and which issues occur while you are there.
Mapping out your home and all the things you wish to fix will help you out in the long run. Make sure to research how you would like your new home to look; factor in things you love, or don’t love about what you find. Figure out which style you would want it to have and what you wish to avoid. You can use social media for inspiration when it comes to interior decorating. And make sure to take before pictures!
Organize your ideas by writing them down. This way, you can prepare your home for renovation in the best way possible.
Keep A Renovation on Time & Budget
The most challenging aspect of any renovation is the budget. Another great reason to live in your home before renovating is that it will make budgeting easier. By tracking down the time you spend in each room, you will see where your priorities lie. You might need to minimize the budget you put into one room so that you can increase it in another room.
However, if you want a dream home, more often than not you will have to spend on it. Just like with anything in life, you get what you pay for. Considering you spend so much time there, you might as well make sure you make it as good as possible. So, you will have a clear idea of how big of a budget you need and what the budget you have set can get you. Also, unanticipated expenses will always occur during the process, and that’s okay! That just means you must account for them in the budget you have set.
Move Personal Items To Safety
If you are planning an extensive renovation that involves a significant amount of your home space, you will probably have to put some things away into storage or even move out while the contractor works on your home. This is especially true if you already have a small space that needs designing. For this reason, you need to declutter as much as possible.
Examine your belongings and decide which ones you wish to keep, which to put somewhere else, and which might be good to donate or get rid of. When it comes to food items that are perishable, try and consume what you have. This way, you will have fewer things to pack.
As for the items you wish to keep in the house and not send to storage, make sure that they are not in the way of your contractor’s work. Put away all the valuable and fragile items you might have in your home. Also, place bulky items like couches, cabinets, and refrigerators in storage for safekeeping if they will be in the way, for example during a kitchen renovation where more space is needed.
This might be the perfect chance for you to look through your closet and declutter, and many of us could benefit from the opportunity!
Let Your Neighbors Know
One very simple tip that is often forgotten is to inform your neighbors about the upcoming renovation. It might seem like something you do not need to do. But if you wish to have a good relationship with your neighbors – it is a must. Some home renovations take days and even months, so it is better to inform them. Make sure to tell them beforehand, and let them know what you will be doing and for how long.
You may also want to apologize in advance for the noise the renovation might make. Some work that needs to be done can be pretty loud. For example, if you are renovating your bathroom, it will involve installing new plumbing or destroying old tiles. Both of these require more time and are very noisy. This is why renovating your bathroom can make a lot of noise. It is always better to be on your neighbors’ good side, so make sure to be polite and develop an understanding.
Ensure Your Temporary Living Space
Checking into a hotel room is a pricier option. However, it can give you peace of mind during your home renovation, and can be treated like a stay-cation!
While staying at your home during a renovation may seem like a good way to save money, it has its difficulties. The renovation may take longer and can even make it cost more.
If you stay, you may not have access to necessary rooms like your bathroom or kitchen. You also might be in the way of your contractor’s work. This way, you would reduce the amount of flexibility they might have if you were gone. If you have a hard time choosing what the best option is – consult with your contractor.
You might want to look into renting somewhere or staying with family or friends. You can also find affordable apartments where you and your family might go. A cheaper way to have a roof over your head during this time is to reach out to a family member or close friend. Staying at someone else’s home might not be an ideal solution, but it can reduce some of the headaches Thus, once you are done with all the previous tasks, the best tip to prepare your home for renovation is to – leave your home if you can!
In Conclusion
Though there are many decisions to make along the way in preparing your home for a renovation, by following these steps both your family and your contractor will get what they need for a beautiful new renovation. Avocet Design Build is readily available to answer any and all questions about this process and will take you step by step through it. With many years of experience in the business of juggling families and their home renovations, we promise to find the perfect-fit solution for you. Contact us to get started on a free consultation today!