Renovating a home while you’re still living there is a stressful experience. Your entire life is upended, and it can feel as though your home doesn’t belong to you. Still, there are things you can do to make the process easier. Use the information below to renovate your home while you’re living in it.
1- Rent a Roll-Off Dumpster
One of the frustrating things about renovations is that debris can pile up quickly. If you rent a roll-off dumpster, you have a place to put construction debris and more. As you’re prepping rooms for renovation, you’ll probably also find that you have a lot of stuff to throw out. Having a dumpster on the premises makes this much easier.
2- Choose Your Time of Year
Do you have a big, important project coming up at work? Are your kids taking their finals soon? They say timing is everything, and this is also true of renovation projects. Weigh the pros and cons of different times of year and figure out what works best for your family. For example, if you have children, the school year might actually be a good time because they’re out of the house for much of the day. On the other hand, the summer might be better because they aren’t dealing with schoolwork, and you can take a week or so of vacation and escape the renovation entirely.
3- Consider Your Pets’ Needs
If you have dogs, cats, or other pets, their lives will be disrupted as well. At best, they may be stressed out like the rest of you. At worst, a cat or a dog could run out of a door left open by a contractor and get lost. As with everyone else in the family, the solution will in part depend on your pets’ temperaments. You might be able to create a quiet, pet-friendly place in your house where they can hang out. Some pets might do better if friends or family could take care of them during the renovation.
4- Strip Down Routines
Do you know in advance that there will be stretches where you won’t have any easy access to certain areas? Plan ahead to make things easier. For example, you might want to put a microwave and a mini-fridge somewhere accessible and plan on eating takeout for a few days during the kitchen renovation.
5- Have a Plan to Deal With Noise
Coping with the noise of a renovation can be one of the worst parts. You might be able to get used to it or stay out of the house during the worst of it, but if you can’t, there are solutions. Earplugs are one. Noise-canceling headphones might be even better.
Living through a home renovation is not high on anyone’s list of favorite things to do. However, few people can afford to move out entirely while a renovation is going on. In addition to the above points, keep your mind on the fact that there will be an end to it all eventually, and when there is, you’ll be able to enjoy a beautiful home that’s as good as new.
