Living On Site During A Home Renovation

Home renovations can be exciting, but they’re often very disruptive to daily life while they’re happening; particularly if more than one room is being renovated at once. There’s both good and bad points to staying in your home during a renovation period, and for many it’s a necessity due to budget. But how best to cope with the disturbances and still get on with your normal routines? Read on for Refresh Renovations top tips!

Prioritise Storage

Chances are, you’re renovating your home to extend living space and so you need more storage already. But when you’re working on that renovation, all of the items from that room will need to be relocated elsewhere – and if you don’t plan for it to be moved to a specific storage facility, it will infringe upon the smaller space you’re temporarily left with.
Ensure that you box everything up securely and then consider moving it to a garage, a shed, a friend’s house or a storage facility.

Stay Up To Date

No matter how much anyone tries, it’s undeniable that a home renovation will impact on the lives of those living within it – even if that is just for a few weeks. Keeping an open channel of communication with those managing your renovation will help you stay on top of the latest developments and how long is left on the job; as well as understand when noisier or more disruptive works may be taking place.
If you have young children, or if you work from home, this can help you plan to take trips out or work from elsewhere during particular disturbances.

Keep Checking The Weather Forecast

Any outside jobs or renovation work that will leave part of your home exposed to the elements should be carefully planned in by your renovation firm in order to avoid inclement weather interfering with progress.
However, it’s always worth homeowners keeping an eye on the weather forecast too – as this can be a good indication of likely delays or issues. It’s also worth knowing when it’ll be warm and sunny, as you may be able to spend more time outside if things are loud, dusty or full of workers indoors.

If You WFH, Investigate Other Options

Employers will, for the most part, expect to you have a working setup that allows you to continue with your role seamlessly throughout a home renovation; after all, it’s not really their problem or priority. 
If you do work from home or may have the requirement to, it’s worth considering a home office setup as far removed from the renovation works as possible. This may mean relocating a desk, filing cabinet and laptop to a room at the other end of the house, or investing in a garden office for a working space elsewhere. Keeping such rooms free of clutter and other items can also help you take ten minutes to relax if it ever feels like everything’s very busy throughout the rest of the home.

Have A Back Up Plan

Of course, there’s no real way of telling just what the impact on your daily life will be until the renovation is underway – only, by then, if you haven’t planned an alternative and you do find you’re disproportionately stressed by it all, you’ll have nowhere to turn.
Arrange with friends or family to have a get-out plan if necessary, so if you do find the disruption is too much you can stay elsewhere short-term without having to fork out for an expensive hotel or Airbnb.

Don’t Discount A Bathroom

Even if you’re having a new bathroom fitted, it’s critical that a household spends as little time as possible without one. After all, running water is a basic safety right for those in homes and you’ll always need somewhere to wash and to go to the toilet.
If you have alternative facilities in the home, switch to use those, but if not, keep the old bathroom functional for as long as possible and have the new ready to go as soon as possible. While a local gym or leisure centre may fill in for showers short-term, not having a toilet in the house can be extremely difficult and have disastrous health consequences. If the WC will be compromised for more than a day or so, it’s worth considering the hire of a portaloo solution.

Stay Warm

Even if your renovation doesn’t involve the removal of an external wall, door or window, it may need increased ventilation or just result in temporary insulation loss.
While renovations taking place in the summer may not have quite the same impact to a home’s heat as those in the winter, it’s worth wrapping up in more clothes than you would usually and ensuring that you have access to plenty of extra blankets, duvets and, if suitable, portable heating units.

Keep Pets Safe

While your goldfish or hamster may not be effected by a home renovation, a cat or dog is more likely to be. 
If you have contractors working in your home or if you have a pet that you can’t guarantee will stay in one place at a time, it’s worth investigating into pet care options to house them temporarily as you’re renovating. This is purely for safety reasons but can also help provide homeowners with peace of mind; and the pet can be reintroduced to the home in all its new glory as soon as the job is done.
Here at Refresh Renovations, we understand that lots of homeowners simply can’t afford to book into a hotel long-term while their house is being worked on. We work with a myriad of homeowners through renovations of all shapes and sizes and can help advise you on how best to proceed with remaining in your property while we’re giving it a spruce up. Get in touch to learn more!
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