A home remodel is such an exciting time. From new floors to new spaces, seeing your vision for your home come to life is the closest thing to being a child at Christmas. The only downside is navigating your home while the work is being done. While this step can’t be skipped, you can make living in your home during a remodel a little easier with a plan.
Map Out the Impacted Areas
How you live in your home during a remodel greatly depends on what is being remodeled. A basement is going to impact your daily life much less than having your kitchen or bathrooms done. The first step is to identify the rooms of your house that will have limited or no access. If you have a few spaces being remodeled, then designate temporary living and play areas and even traffic patterns for your family. What door should they use? What door will the construction crew use? Which bathrooms are off-limits? Taking some time ahead of the start date to organize some of the details can help set everyone’s expectations properly and cut down on chaos.
Pack Like You’re Going on Vacation
It’s not a vacation, but it doesn’t mean that it can’t be a little fun and kind of an adventure. If you have kids, explain exactly what rooms are affected and have them pack up, within reason, any essential items they might want from rooms under renovation. Have clean clothes, towels, and sheets accessible so you don’t have to go hunting for socks every morning. Make a laundry plan and be flexible as remodels can take a bit longer than expected for a variety of reasons. While this may be a little tough on the parents, kids will probably embrace the chance to live unconventionally in the house for a few weeks. You can even have the kids make forts at the foot of mom and dad’s bed and have a staycation campout.
Meal Plan Ahead
Is your kitchen accessible at all? If so, and you can use it without restriction, this part will be easy. If, however, your kitchen is less accessible, come up with a space in the house to prepare quick and easy meals. Use storage containers and designate eating areas while the kitchen is unavailable. Pretend you are living in your college dorm again and plan for easy meals that don’t require a full oven. It’s also wise, even if your kitchen isn’t affected, to budget extra money for eating out. If you can’t use your kitchen, this will take the stress of some meals from your shoulders, but even if you technically can, you might just want out of the house for a few hours as construction can be loud, and dust gets everywhere. A few evenings out of the house might just be good for everyone’s sanity.
A home remodel can be a very exciting time for everyone in the family. With it, though, can come days or weeks of a little bit of chaos and anticipation. Don’t get caught off guard without a living plan for your remodel. Use these steps to map out a temporary living guide for you and your family to relieve the stress during construction.
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