If anyone has been through home renovations or are in the middle of them, know that this can be a testing time and can be pretty stressful. Although we love the results, it doesn’t mean that we enjoy the process of covering our homes in dust and having to change our daily routines completely. Thankfully, there are a few things you can do to make the process easier on everyone.
Plan ahead
Depending on which room is being renovated, you might have to make other plans to go about your daily routine for a few weeks. If you’re having a kitchen renovation from a kitchen company, then it’s probably a good idea to get a hot plate and keep it along with your microwave and toaster in another room for the duration of the renovation, along with a miniature fridge. That means that you can at least have some semblance of dinner! You could also treat yourself to takeout and restaurant meals. If your bathroom is being renovated, then make plans to shower elsewhere – maybe at your gym. If your parents live close by, you could wash there – or you could go old fashioned and have sponge baths and wash your hair in the sink for a few days.
Warn Your Neighbours
Even if you don’t know your neighbours particularly well, you should probably warn them there’s going to be a bit of upheaval and noise from your house for a while. Make sure that the builders don’t start too early in the morning and that they don’t work at weekends. Being on good terms with your neighbours will make everything a whole lot easier – they’ll be much more likely to cut you some slack if the renovation goes over time.
Keep Communicating
Make sure that you keep communicating with your builders about what exactly is going on and how long they expect it to take. The most frustrating thing about renovations is having them stretch on much longer than you expected, so it’s a good idea to make your expectations clear and to ensure that you’re fully informed if they’re going to go over time. Likewise, make sure they tell you if the cost is going to be any different from what they initially told you. Make sure you work with a reputable firm.
We haven’t even started our plans for the extension yet. We have started jobs like laying new floors and plastering walls and even these goods can cause upheaval at home. I think the key is to plan ahead and try and be as organised as possible so things can run a little smoother. As for the dust and dirt that’s just something you need to spend hours cleaning when it’s all finished.
For images, I’ve added the Graanmarkt 13, this has always been my source of inspiration when renovating our house which I will show in more depth soon.
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