Lifestyle: How to Stay Sane During Renovation Work
Builders about to start work on your home? Hold on to your sanity during the dusty weeks ahead with these top 10 tips
Whether it’s a loft extension, a new kitchen or a complete overhaul of the entire property, any work on your house will impact on you and your family. Your home is no longer a private sanctuary, but a building site, and this naturally involves a great deal of dust, mess and intrusion. Then there are the anxieties around managing the project and its budget, and communicating well with the builders…
No wonder most of us see renovation work as something to survive rather than enjoy. A little forethought and management, however, can diminish the impact of a renovation project and help it go smoothly. Here’s how…
No wonder most of us see renovation work as something to survive rather than enjoy. A little forethought and management, however, can diminish the impact of a renovation project and help it go smoothly. Here’s how…
Plan for pets and children
Children are often less perturbed by the chaos of building work than adults, but they do need to be kept safe. Make sure they understand which rooms they can use and keep them away from any dangerous spaces on site. Ensure the builders keep power tools, toxic chemicals and tubs of nails well out of reach or locked away in their van, too.
Pets can be upset by building work, so consider boarding them in kennels or a cattery while it takes place. Dogs may escape if the property is open, with builders walking in and out, and any long fur on cats or dogs can trap dust, irritating your pet’s skin and nose.
Children are often less perturbed by the chaos of building work than adults, but they do need to be kept safe. Make sure they understand which rooms they can use and keep them away from any dangerous spaces on site. Ensure the builders keep power tools, toxic chemicals and tubs of nails well out of reach or locked away in their van, too.
Pets can be upset by building work, so consider boarding them in kennels or a cattery while it takes place. Dogs may escape if the property is open, with builders walking in and out, and any long fur on cats or dogs can trap dust, irritating your pet’s skin and nose.
Figure out where to work
If you typically work from a home office, you may need to make other arrangements while the builders are in. Even if your office is not out of bounds during the work, the noise, dust and disruption could make it an unpleasant, unprofessional place to be.
Could you rent some desk space for a month or two, work at a friend’s house, use the local library or decamp to a shed or caravan in the garden? Be prepared to clear shelves of files and books, too, storing them where you have easy access to them and where they are safe from dust.
If you typically work from a home office, you may need to make other arrangements while the builders are in. Even if your office is not out of bounds during the work, the noise, dust and disruption could make it an unpleasant, unprofessional place to be.
Could you rent some desk space for a month or two, work at a friend’s house, use the local library or decamp to a shed or caravan in the garden? Be prepared to clear shelves of files and books, too, storing them where you have easy access to them and where they are safe from dust.
Cook ahead
Simple, daily activities, such as cooking a meal, become difficult during a renovation, but spending huge amounts of money on takeaways and ready meals can become stressful, too, as well as impacting on your health. So before the work starts, spend some time cooking lots of simple, one-pot dishes that you can freeze and easily reheat.
Remember the benefits of going out now and then, too. When you crave a night off-site and away from dust, take advantage of a nearby pub or restaurant.
Read expert advice on what to consider before starting a kitchen renovation
Simple, daily activities, such as cooking a meal, become difficult during a renovation, but spending huge amounts of money on takeaways and ready meals can become stressful, too, as well as impacting on your health. So before the work starts, spend some time cooking lots of simple, one-pot dishes that you can freeze and easily reheat.
Remember the benefits of going out now and then, too. When you crave a night off-site and away from dust, take advantage of a nearby pub or restaurant.
Read expert advice on what to consider before starting a kitchen renovation
Find builders you can trust
Do your homework and find a team of builders in whom you can put your faith. Personal recommendations and trade review websites – and Houzz’s own Find a Pro section, of course – should help you find someone you can feel confident about employing. Building work is stressful enough without worrying the team you’ve hired are not up to the job. Then work out a very specific brief for the work, detailing every aspect, and agree a budget and a time frame up front.
Do your homework and find a team of builders in whom you can put your faith. Personal recommendations and trade review websites – and Houzz’s own Find a Pro section, of course – should help you find someone you can feel confident about employing. Building work is stressful enough without worrying the team you’ve hired are not up to the job. Then work out a very specific brief for the work, detailing every aspect, and agree a budget and a time frame up front.
Hold a pre-work meeting
Before the builders arrive and start swinging sledgehammers, hold a meeting to establish some essentials. Ask them to outline the progress of work and when any major utilities may be out of action. Establish which areas of the house are off limits and discuss issues such as bathroom facilities, parking, hours of work and impact on neighbours.
Before the builders arrive and start swinging sledgehammers, hold a meeting to establish some essentials. Ask them to outline the progress of work and when any major utilities may be out of action. Establish which areas of the house are off limits and discuss issues such as bathroom facilities, parking, hours of work and impact on neighbours.
Phone Box Red Retro Telephone
Communicate effectively
Make sure the builders know who to contact if there’s an after-hours issue and you are not on site. Establish who they should speak to for daily decisions, too. If you are unsure or unhappy about any aspect of the build, be clear about who to direct your questions to and don’t be afraid to speak up.
Should you hire a project manager for your renovation?
Make sure the builders know who to contact if there’s an after-hours issue and you are not on site. Establish who they should speak to for daily decisions, too. If you are unsure or unhappy about any aspect of the build, be clear about who to direct your questions to and don’t be afraid to speak up.
Should you hire a project manager for your renovation?
Keep a contingency fund
It’s always a good idea to reserve some money for unforeseen jobs that inevitably crop up during any works. Some seasoned renovators recommend keeping aside as much as a third of the overall budget. However much you allow, you may want to keep quiet about it, to prevent any complacency in your building team.
About to start a property project? Be aware of the hidden costs of a renovation
It’s always a good idea to reserve some money for unforeseen jobs that inevitably crop up during any works. Some seasoned renovators recommend keeping aside as much as a third of the overall budget. However much you allow, you may want to keep quiet about it, to prevent any complacency in your building team.
About to start a property project? Be aware of the hidden costs of a renovation
Know what to expect
However careful and considerate your builders are, there will be dust and disruption. Try to keep on top of dust in the areas where you sleep and cook by keeping doors closed and wiping down each day.
It’s a good idea to declutter the house before works start, too, removing furniture and possessions to storage or a garage. Cover everything else with plastic sheeting and seal shut any rooms not in use with tape.
However careful and considerate your builders are, there will be dust and disruption. Try to keep on top of dust in the areas where you sleep and cook by keeping doors closed and wiping down each day.
It’s a good idea to declutter the house before works start, too, removing furniture and possessions to storage or a garage. Cover everything else with plastic sheeting and seal shut any rooms not in use with tape.
Celebrate the achievements
No matter how thoroughly you plan, there will be aspects of any renovation project that go beyond your control, so try to keep a sense of humour about it all.
Take time to celebrate the achievements as they occur. Admire a new window once it’s been fitted, rather than focusing on the fact that the electrics still haven’t been installed and the floor is not laid. Remind yourself of what you house was like before and how it will look once finished. Keep your eye on the prize and try to stay cheerful!
TELL US…
Do you have any other tips for surviving a renovation project. Please share them in the Comments below.
No matter how thoroughly you plan, there will be aspects of any renovation project that go beyond your control, so try to keep a sense of humour about it all.
Take time to celebrate the achievements as they occur. Admire a new window once it’s been fitted, rather than focusing on the fact that the electrics still haven’t been installed and the floor is not laid. Remind yourself of what you house was like before and how it will look once finished. Keep your eye on the prize and try to stay cheerful!
TELL US…
Do you have any other tips for surviving a renovation project. Please share them in the Comments below.
Ideally, we would all simply move out while any renovation work on our home is taking place, but most of us can’t stretch to renting another home while the builders dismantle ours.
Take friends and relatives up on offers of a night in a clean house and a home-cooked meal, though, and, back on site, make sure you ring-fence some space. It’s best if you can create three simple, easy-to-clean areas amid the chaos, for living, cooking and sleeping. Keep these spaces as neat as possible and make sure the builders know where they area. It’s important to have a dust-free, functional place to escape to.