Renovating your home is always a big undertaking. When you have a family, especially with young children, it can be even more challenging. Fitting a renovation around your home life definitely isn’t easy. It’s disruptive and can make everyone feel stressed when their usual routines are put off-kilter.
It might only last a couple of weeks, if you’re lucky, but some renovations can go on for a lot longer. Keeping your household running as usual when there are ongoing renovations is tough, but there are steps you can take to help keep everyone on track. Here are some things that might help you.
Plan for the Right Time of Year
When you choose to renovate is an important factor when you’re making plans. Several factors should be taken into consideration here, including the weather, holidays, and other events that might be significant. You don’t really want renovations taking place while the kids are home on school break, unless you’re planning to be out of the house a lot.
Nor do you want them to be happening around the holidays, when you’re probably trying to enjoy some quality family time. It’s a good idea to try and renovate in good weather too. It will help things dry faster and you’ll be able to get outside more.
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Think of the Future
It always makes sense to think about the future when you’re renovating your home. You’re not just renovating for right now but also how you intend to use your home in years to come. And this can matter even more when you’re renovating a home for a growing family.
You might need to think about any family members that could be added to your home in the next few years. Or perhaps you’ll need to think about how your needs will change as your children grow. A home for toddlers can be very different to one that works for a family with teens.
Find the Right Contractors
Your choice of contractors can really matter if you want to fit your home renovations around your family life. You want contractors who are sympathetic and respectful, understanding that this is still your home.
Knowing where to start can be difficult, so it can be handy to use a service like Alpha Living that will help connect you to the right people. When you’re choosing your contractors, you want to know that they’re going to do their best to minimize the amount of disruption and clean up after themselves. Looking at reviews can help you determine whether they’ll do this.
Know When You Need to Move Out
It’s understandable that you want to stay in your home if possible, especially when you have a family. However, there are times when you might need to consider moving out for a while. It could only be a week or so, or a few days, but it can be the best choice for safety, practicality and to help get the renovations completed faster.
Staying with friends or family could be an option or you could book a hotel. On the other hand, there are times when it might be slightly inconvenient to stay at home but it’s less stressful than moving everyone out.
Make Use of Storage
You’re probably going to have to move things around and pack them away while your home is being renovated. Simply moving stuff to a different room can be an option, but it’s not always the best one. When your home is already full to the brim with your family, squeezing extra stuff into any room can be very annoying. Instead, you might want to make use of a storage facility or perhaps ask friends and family if they have any spare storage space. You could even keep some things in your car if you just want to move them out of the way for a while.
Set Down Rules for Safety
Having kids running around while there are renovations going on could be a recipe for disaster. You don’t want any accidents or unfortunate incidents, and your contractors will definitely want your kids to stay out of the way.
That’s why it’s important to lay down some rules so they know what they can and can’t do. These might include staying away from rooms where work is currently taking place, making sure not to touch any tools, or being careful not to damage any newly renovated parts of the house. A few simple rules can keep everyone safe and ensure you all know what to expect.
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Temporarily Relocate Pets
It’s not just children that need to be kept safe during renovations. Pets are also in danger of having something happen if you’re not careful. They can also get in the way, causing inconvenience for people trying to work. Plus, it can be stressful for them if there’s a lot of noise and disruption. In some cases, it’s best to temporarily move your pets elsewhere to keep them safe and happy. This might mean boarding them somewhere or maybe finding a friend or relative who could take them for a while. Keeping them in a certain part of the house could be an option sometimes too.
Stick to Routines as Much as Possible
When your family relies on having a routine, it can be pretty stressful for everyone when that routine is disrupted. Having your home renovated might make it hard to stick to your usual habits. However, you can still try to do so as much as possible.
Ensuring everyone still has the same morning routine or the same bedtime routine helps to maintain a sense of normalcy. The kids might be doing their homework in the bedrooms instead of at the kitchen table, but they’re still getting it done every evening like they usually do.
Consider Doing It in Stages
An extensive renovation is a huge undertaking that might be difficult to manage when you want to fit it around your family life. If you want to try and make it a little less disruptive, it might make sense to do it in stages. You could renovate one room at a time or complete one task at a time so that you have the opportunity to take breaks in between stages.
Even one room or space doesn’t have to be renovated all at once. Obviously, you don’t want to leave anything important half-finished, but there are many things that don’t need to be completed in one go.
Prepare Some Meals
It’s not always easy to cook while your home is being renovated. If your kitchen is being worked on, you might not even have anywhere to cook. Surviving on takeout and eating out isn’t the best idea, either for convenience or your wallet. If you want to make sure you’re still able to feed your family on a healthy diet, consider some meal prepping.
If you have a freezer, you can prepare and freeze meals that can be reheated in a microwave or even using a hotplate if necessary. Stocking up in advance could really save you when you need a convenient way to make dinner.
Engage Your Kids
Home renovations can be stressful for anyone, but particularly for kids. Even if they’re old enough to understand, it doesn’t mean they’re capable of thinking that the disruption is worth it if it makes their home nicer. You could help to make it better for them by getting them involved in the process and keeping them engaged.
You might talk about what changes are taking place and involve them in preparing for the renovations. You can even let them have a say in the design, especially when it’s a space that they will be using often.
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Don’t Rush to Get Back Into Rooms
It can be tempting to try and get back into spaces as soon as they’re finished. You don’t want them to be inaccessible for any longer than necessary. However, it can often be important to air out spaces or let things dry before you can get back inside.
You might need to spend a few days with the windows open until there are no longer any paint fumes, for example. It might be frustrating to have to wait longer, but it’s better not to take any risks if you want to ensure it’s completely safe.
Take a Break
If the renovations are getting everyone down, don’t be afraid to take a break. This could mean stopping the work for a while, but a break can be as long or short as you need it to be. It might just mean getting out of the house for an afternoon to do something fun or get some food.
It could be going away for the weekend so you can escape the half-finished house for a little while. Taking a break gives everyone a chance to have a breather and not think about the renovations for a bit.
It’s not always easy to fit renovations around your family life. But if you plan well and avoid putting too much pressure on everything, you can make it a better experience for everyone.