How to Prepare Your Home for Renovations
Preparing your home for renovations can be an exciting but stressful time. It can often seem overwhelming once you begin thinking of all the things you need to accomplish before the renovations begin. Fortunately, the renovation process seems much more manageable when you prepare ahead of time and take on once simple task at a time. Today, we have broken down into easy steps exactly how to prepare your home for renovations.
Do Your Own Research
It is always best to go into a renovation project with a solid plan, realistic expectations, and the confidence to not let anyone take advantage of you. While the contractors and professionals you work with are here to help you, you will want to do a fair amount of research on your own beforehand.
Read as much as you can about the renovation project you are about to tackle. This will help you better communicate with contractors throughout the process. Things you will want to consider researching are average prices, realistic timeline expectations, the steps involved in the project, and the prep you can do to the space ahead of time to make things run as smoothly as possible.
Start Collecting and Organizing Digital Records
There is a lot to keep track of during the renovation process: contracts, audits, receipts, plans, and more! It is important to keep a record of these things and not lose them as you go.
Having one dedicated digital space for all of your records will save you a lot of time and headache throughout the planning and completion of your renovation projects. Doing this digitally is helpful for two reasons. One, it cuts down on hard-copy paperwork you will need to keep track of. Two, digital files can be easily shared. This means that you can allow access to plans, calendars, and anything else that's important for outside parties, such as contractors.
Audit Your Own Belongings
The best person to trust while taking inventory of the belongings in your home is yourself. Go through your home and audit the items, including items in the space to be renovated as well as items in the rest of the home. Doing this is helpful for a few reasons.
First, taking inventory allows you to begin thinking about what you need readily accessible and what can be stored away until renovations are complete. Second, having a list of the items in the home will help protect you in the event of theft or damage. During renovations, contractors and other workers will be spending a decent amount of time in and around your home, so it is best to feel protected.
Store Your Belongings in Portable Storage Containers
You will need a safe place to store your belongings so that they don't get in the way of renovations. Portable storage containers are a great solution to this problem. They can be left in your driveway during renovations, allowing you to store your belongings, including large furniture items, nearby while completely clearing out the space to be renovated.
Kid and Pet-Proof the Area to be Renovated
If you have pets or children, you will want to consider them while preparing your home for your renovation project. As contractors work in an area, it can become very unsafe for your little ones and animals. Additionally, you want to allow you contractors to work uninterrupted and without distraction.
Consider finding a friend or family member who can watch your pets throughout the duration of your renovations. If this is impossible, try to secure an area of the home to keep your pet that is out of the way. Talk at-length with children in the home about the dangers and risks of going into the renovation site, and make sure that they have clear areas where they know they are able to be freely.
We hope that these tips for how to prepare your home for renovations left you feeling confident in your ability to tackle the process head-on. As overwhelming as a renovation project may seem at first, taking the time to prepare beforehand and knowing what to expect can make it simple and easy to manage.
