Preparing your home for an upcoming renovation project can be stressful at times. After all, you’re not just clearing rooms to make way for the construction crew and their equipment. You are also readying yourself and your family for a different routine as a remodeling project can be extremely disruptive. Fortunately, there are ways to minimize how chaotic and intrusive it can be for everyone. Here’s how:
- Pack everything up. Make sure to empty any and all rooms that will be renovated. Doing so will help protect your high-value belongings, keep furniture from getting damaged, and allow the workers to move around freely. You can temporarily store your belongings in your garage or in a rented unit in a storage facility. Since this will involve a lot of heavy lifting, it’s wise to hire professional movers to help you pack all your items in Tampa, Florida. You can get everything done faster and with less hassle too.
- Downsize and organize. In some ways, renovating your home is similar to moving. It can give you an opportunity to look at all your belongings and decide which ones are worth keeping. After all, it’s a lot of work to pack every single thing your family owns. If there are items you’re holding on to that you can pass on, this is the best time to declutter them. Moreover, you also need to organize your belongings based on utility and importance.
Items like clothing, kitchenware, mobile devices, and official documents should be kept in containers that you and your family can readily access as you will still need to use these. Furniture and large home appliances are better off being wrapped and packed away until the end of the renovation process. - Rent storage units ahead of time. If you’ve decided to do self-storage for your furniture and other belongings, make sure to find a storage unit ahead of time. Since these facilities have heavy security and constantly have to monitor other people’s things, it might take a while before you’re allowed to use an available unit. Moreover, if you start looking for a storage unit in advance, you can potentially get a better deal for the same level of protection and storage space too.
- Wrap everything generously. Keep fragile items and appliances safe when packing them away by using bubble wrap, packing peanuts, and blankets to wrap them. Always assume that something might happen to them, so don’t be afraid to make the layers and cushioning thicker than usual. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
- Increase your home security. Having people coming in and out of your home constantly can make it more vulnerable to theft. The culprits might not be the people you hired to renovate your home, but it could be other people who take advantage of the situation. Your current home security system may not be enough to protect your home, and it might be essential that you beef things up in preparation for the renovation.
Consider getting a smartphone-connected electronic lock for your front door that can be opened with a special code. You can share this code with your family and renovation team, so they can access your home then reprogram it when the renovation is done. Another way to increase your home security is to have a lock box or deposit box installed in your home, so your house keys are in a safe place and can only be accessed by a few people. - Keep children and pets away from the area. A construction area is no place for a small child or pet to be in. There are power tools, hazardous chemicals, and exposed electrical wiring everywhere. With the chaos that comes with renovations, a curious child or animal can still wander into the wrong place and get seriously hurt. You can prevent this by installing child safety gates at different entrances in your home. These can help deter toddlers and small dogs.
If you own a large dog or cat, you might want to keep them in a room or have them stay with someone else in the meantime. You can also arrange for your older children to stay at a relative or friend’s house for a play date. - Maintain your privacy. Renovations can be disruptive in more ways than one. Not only will you have to get used to the noises of construction being a regular occurrence, but you’ll have to adjust your schedule too. You may need to shower and go about your morning routine earlier than usual before the renovation crew comes.
Additionally, it can feel awkward going about your day when you know that there are strangers in your home. To avoid any potentially embarrassing encounters, consider getting opaque room dividers so you can keep some semblance of privacy. As always, make sure you do all of these ahead of time so you won’t feel as hassled when the remodeling begins. - Label everything. While you’re packing all your belongings that you plan to store away, make an inventory of everything and make sure you mark each box accordingly. This way, you and the moving crew know which boxes contain fragile items and need to be handled with care. Additionally, labeling everything makes unpacking a lot easier once the renovation wraps up and it’s time to redecorate your home again.
While renovations can be stressful and annoying to deal with, planning ahead can help ease things along. From protecting your loved ones and belongings to maintaining your sanity and privacy, the tips mentioned above will surely help you be as prepared as possible before any major renovation. And remember, this process is temporary and the final result will be worth all the hassle.
