Tips for survival during a home remodel

No matter how prepared you feel you are, you still won’t be fully ready for the difficulties that come with a major remodel. The following tips can help you get through it however.

Establish a line of communication with the contractor

Whether you’re making arrangements to live elsewhere during the remodel or you plan to stay in your home, you won’t be around every second of every day to monitor things. Occasionally your general contractor will encounter an issue that needs to be run by you before proceeding. Your contractor will need a direct line to reach you and you likewise will want a way to reach your contractor. For less urgent concerns, you can designate a place in the home for a small notebook where each of you can write notes when face-to-face meetings aren’t possible.

Lay down some ground rules

Since workers will be coming and going for however many days or weeks it takes to finish the project, it’s important to decide on some ground rules before work begins. How will workers enter and exit the home. Is there a back door you will prefer them to use so they don’t interfere with your own comings and goings? Will they need their own key or will someone always be home to let them in at the start of the day? Perhaps you’ll want to set up a temporary combination lock for the duration of the project. Can the workers park in the street in front of your house or must they park further away and walk? Will they have access to a guest bathroom or will they need to rent a porta potty? Are they allowed to smoke, listen to music, use profanity while in your home? You will need to make your wishes clear on all of these matters and come to an agreement with the general contractor in advance?

Ask about cleanup

How much waste will the project create? Will you need to rent a dumpster for the project or will contractors haul it away as needed? How will workers manage the dust? In addition to the general cleanup after completion of the work, will you expect workers to do any daily cleanup before leaving for the day? If so, this will need to be specified in the contract.

Pets, children, and food prep

Finally, you may need to make plans for pets, children, or food preparation as circumstances require. If kids or pets live in the home and can access the work site, dangerous tools will need to be removed from the home at the end of each day. You may need to board your pets somewhere else temporarily. If the kitchen is the work site, you will need to set up an alternative food prep area somewhere else in your home.

As you can see, preparing for a large remodel is no small thing. If you’re reconsidering whether it’s worth the hassle, you might try smaller DIY projects instead to help you be satisfied with your home until you can move into one that better suits your needs. Projects like repainting, upgrading light and sink fixtures, and installing baseboard radiator covers won’t require the help of contractors and the stress that comes with it.

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