Tips for staying sane during a major remodel

You know it will be worth it when the home remodeling is finished but while you’re going through it, it might seem like a nightmare. There are some downsides of home remodeling not the least of which is living in a construction zone and sharing your home with strangers. Since a major remodel can last for several weeks, it’s important that you give some forethought to keeping your sanity while the project draws on. Here are a few things you should do.

Hire a general contractor

Sure you can save a little money by playing the part of general contractor yourself but unless you’re very tight on money it’s going to be a lot easier for you if you just hire one. The job of the general contractor is to keep all subcontractors on schedule and manage the project from beginning to end so deadlines are met. Not only will the general contractor work to keep things on schedule, he/she will already have a list of subcontractors that are reliable and who will do good work so instead of having to research all sorts of different contractors, you only need to worry about hiring one reliable general contractor and he/she will take it from there.

Start with a schedule

You’ll want to limit the ways that the remodel interferes with your life and that certainly includes your morning routine. If you don’t want workers underfoot as you get ready for the day and get out the door, then you need to make that clear. If you followed the first tip, all you have to do is tell the general contractor and he/she can coordinate the schedules to make sure the work doesn’t interfere with yours

Use an electronic lockbox

Most allow you to program days and times that it can be accessed. An electronic lockbox allows you to give the contractors accessibility to a key to get in and do work without needing someone to be there to let them in.

Designate areas for construction use

There’s no getting around it, workers are going to be taking over part of your home. At the very least, though, you should be able to limit how much of your home is overtaken. At the start, it’s important to designate which areas workers can use and which are off limits. Let the general contractor know where workers can park. If they need to store materials or do sawing and cutting in a place other than where the project is, then designate an area for that. Keep in mind that some materials need to be stored at room temperature so a garage or carport may not work.

Control the work zone

You want to contain the work zone as much as possible to keep dust and debris out of the rest of your home. Talk to the general contractor about how he/she will contain the work zone. Many use plastic zip walls. Try to limit traffic between work zone and non-work zone. If at all possible, have a designated entrance into the home and work site that only workers use and have a bathroom for their use as well.

Source: ARL Now

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