People renovate their homes for many different reasons. It may be that the home needs work to make it structurally sound, they have outgrown the home and need more space, or simply that the house as it is does not maximize its full potential.
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Undertaking home renovation work either yourself or hiring contractors to do the work can be a huge source of stress and upheaval before and during the work. It is important to remember that you need to promote yourself for the work ahead, especially if you are planning to live in the home while the works are being carried out.
Prepare Your House and Yourself
Making sure you understand the works that will be carried out thoroughly and the timescale will help you to prepare your life for the upheaval as much as possible. If you are hiring a project manager, they can walk you through all the plans so you know what you need to to do to prepare yourself and the house.
It may be that you will need to put some of your furniture and possessions into storage to protect them and give the contractors space to do the work without worrying about damaging your belongings, or that you need to be prepared for living without a water supply or heating for a few days. Knowing when this will happen and planning to accommodate these changes will help you to negotiate the work as best as possible with minimal disruption.
Protect your House
If you are only having part of your home renovated e.g. the attic and roof, the roofing company may advise you to protect your lower levels with plastic to reduce damage from dust, debris and any water during the works. For kitchen renovations, using a zip cover that allows you to essentially zip-off parts of the house undergoing construction will allow you to live as normally as possible in the rest of your home away from the work being carried out.
Have a Contingency Plan
Always prepare for the worst possible outcome, this way you can avoid being disappointed or when work goes over the allotted time scale or further issues arise once work starts. Check-in with friends and family beforehand to scope out a place to stay, eat or shower should things go awry during the renovation works. Have easy access food in and an emergency fund to allow you to cover any additional costs for parts and labor along with other out of pocket expenses such as staying overnight at a hotel, eating out or even taking on a gym membership to have somewhere to freshen up and spend time during the day while any work is being completed.
Planning for the worst will enable you to deal with any problems swiftly and avoid unnecessary delays while allowing you to carry on living your day to day life with fewer upsets and distractions.
Kori
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