The house I live in is being remodeled. How am I supposed to live my life here while this work is going on?
There are strangers in your home and things are a complete mess and you need to know how to make it work for you.
Whether you’re dealing with a remodel or a renovation, you’re still going to have to do some work to prepare to live in your home safely.
Continue reading this article to learn how to live while there’s work going on in your home.
Remodel vs. Renovation
There are differences between a remodel and a renovation.
Many people use these words interchangeably.
While both a remodel and a renovation mean that you’re improving your current home, there are some differences.
Remodeling is when you’re changing the structure of something. Renovating is when you’re restoring something to a good state of repair.
Whether you’re remodeling or renovating, these following tips will help you make your life more liveable even through this process.
1. Determine Your Living Space
If your remodel isn’t going to take over the whole home, you can make it easy on you and the construction crew by designating an area where you’re going to live.
The farther you can make your living area from the place where work is being done, the better.
You might even have the kids move into your room while the work is being done so they can be away from the noise.
2. Make a Plan for Pets and Children
Your children and pets need to have a place to sleep and play.
Before construction gets started, decide how you’re going to make sure they are safe.
If you have small children and pets, some simple baby gates might keep them out of trouble. If your kids are good climbers or extra curious, or your pets can break down the gates, you might have to figure something else out.
Can your children stay over at a friend or family member’s place or maybe the pets can go to the kennel?
Making a plan for pets and children before you get started takes a lot of the stress off.
3. Protect Your Space from Dust
One of the most annoying things you’ll deal with throughout this remodel is dust.
Rooms that don’t have any construction going on should be sealed off so the dust doesn’t make its way into the rooms.
Shut off HVAC so the system doesn’t circulate dust throughout the entire house.
In rooms where work is taking place, use plastic to coverup furniture, walls, and flooring that doesn’t need to be out.
4. Get Unnecessary Items Out
If you have any items you don’t need in the home, get them out.
Besides being in the way, they could get damaged or even stolen. You don’t know all the people working on the crew and it’s best to protect your valuables.
You might rent a storage building or if you have a room that isn’t being worked on or used, you can move all your things into that room and lock it.
5. Put a Lockbox on One Door
Instead of giving out keys to anyone on the crew, put a lockbox on the door.
Only put it on one door so you can always be sure where the crew is going to be entering. If there is more than one entrance, you might get startled when people walk into any area of the home at any given time.
Only having one area to enter and exit the home can also help by cutting down the area that gets messy because the crew is walking around everywhere.
6. Plan Your Project During a Vacation
Are you planning on going on vacation?
Instead of having to live in the house the whole time the work is going on, you could take a little vacation. Go somewhere you’ve always wanted to go and come back to a home that looks like it’s all-new.
If you do decide you want to go on vacation while your home is being worked on, make sure that you keep in touch with your project manager.
They might have some questions they need to be answered to be able to go on with work. If it’s difficult to reach you, this could delay the work being done on your home and cause complications.
Should You Move Out?
Some people decide to do a short-term rental to get out of the house.
If you are trying to save money by staying in the house, that’s understandable. Sometimes you simply can’t stay in the house because there is too much work being done.
You are the only one that can decide whether you can handle living amidst the mess.
Is walking on a platform with stairs or walking over debris too much for you? You might want to duck out of the house until it’s finished.
No? Then save the money and ride out the storm.
Loving the House I Live In
After everything is done, you’ll be saying, “I’m loving the house I live in!”
Now that you know how to live in your house while it’s changing, the process won’t be as difficult as you might have thought.
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