If you are preparing for a complete home remodeling project, you are probably very excited about the prospect of having the home you want in the place you want it to be. You have surely heard horror stories about renovations as well as wonderful success stories from happy homeowners. Since you certainly want your experience to fall into the latter camp, continue reading to learn how your whole home remodeling experience can be successful and productive.
Maintain Open Lines of Communication with Your Contractor
Your home remodeling company is an entity you chose because you were happy with their work. You vetted them, checked reviews, and ensured their licenses and insurance were up to date. Now that that part is over, you need to move forward as partners with clear expectations and open lines of communication to ensure everything goes as smoothly as possible and any bumps in the road are fully discussed and agreed upon before proceeding.
The first step is to determine who your point of contact will be at the remodeling company. Next, set up a meeting to get to know them. Talk about how you can contact them after hours. This is important in case you are living in your home throughout the remodel, and something like a water pipe bursts. Of course, you should shut off the water, but what next? Do you call a plumber and get reimbursed by the remodeling company, or will your POC take your call and send a plumber right over?
Next, it is important to schedule regular in-person meetings or quick check-ins to discuss the remodeling timeline and determine whether or not everything is on track. Request frequent updates via phone, email, or in-person. These should include walk-throughs, even if you are still living in your home. Just because you are on-site throughout the process does not mean you are current on the logistics and schedule. Many of the workers who are in your home each day are not privy to the scheduling and logistical details, so you need to stay in contact with the POC so everyone is on the same page regarding work completion, problems, supplies, and timelines.
Declutter Before the Remodeling Begins
Before the remodeling project begins, it will be helpful to spend some time going through your belongings. Pack up everything that is private and put it away until the project is complete. Carefully pack away family heirlooms and delicate or easily breakable objects, especially those that are currently in high-traffic areas or in places where there will be a lot of work. Your remodeling company may advise you to pack everything up. It is important to follow their guidelines.
One big advantage of a home remodeling project, beyond getting an updated home, is that you get the opportunity to sort through your belongings and declutter what you no longer want to keep. Not only will this make the remodel easier since there will be fewer items in the home, but you can finally get rid of things that no longer serve you in your current season of life.
Leave Home for a While
Even with the best laid plans and the very best remodeling services taking care of your remodeling project, the process can sometimes become overwhelming. If this happens, it is time to take action and leave your home for a while. Depending on family scheduling, activities, finances, and the myriad of life’s logistics, this might mean you can take a long vacation or a short weekend getaway.
If your remodeling happens to fall around a holiday, long weekend, Spring Break, or any other traditional time off from school or work, you should consider taking a family vacation. Go ahead and use this time as the perfect excuse to take that week-long trip you have always wanted to go on.
This is especially important during the kitchen and bathroom phases of the remodel. If you would rather stay close to home and keep an eye on the renovation, or do not have enough vacation days to leave for a week or two, a staycation is a perfect solution. Make it fun for the kids by booking a hotel with a pool and a fun zone. The adults matter, too, so try to find a hotel with a spa and schedule a massage or two while you are there.
Keep Your Pets Safe from Start to Finish
If you have pets, they are an integral part of your family. However, they do not understand the disruptions and noise caused by a home renovation. If your pets are particularly stressed out by everything going on, consider sending them to your parents’ home, doggy daycare, or a neighbor’s house for the day.
Watch this short video for tips from a veteran home remodeling client and dog parent on how to help your pet through the renovation process.
Practice the Art of Flexibility
Remodeling an existing home is not like building a new one from the ground up. Even when you have found a unicorn of a remodeling company and best-in-class contractors and workers, there will be an inevitable hiccup. Your remodeling company, even with its years of service, does not always know what is behind your home’s walls or under the subfloors until they are opened up. When the inner workings are exposed, there might be a variety of surprises in store for everyone. From bug infestations to asbestos or lead paint, and out-of-code building details to anything and everything else that could possibly happen, you might be in for a few surprises.
This is why you should try to practice the art of flexibility. Of course, when something happens, you should always get clear information, updates, and a new timeline that includes resolutions from your remodeling company, but you also need to take a very deep breath. When these things happen, they are beyond your control. You are within your right to have an emotional response and be upset or frustrated by the setback, but you can reframe the situation and deal with it accordingly. In life, as in home remodeling, things happen, they are fixed, and then you move on.
As you are preparing for a home renovation, it is important for you to do your due diligence and take the necessary steps to prepare for this major undertaking. Get excited and get ready. When it is all over, you will have a beautifully updated home.
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