After living in the same house for many years, the interiors may no longer suit your tastes and preferences, and you may choose to renovate the house. However, renovation is a long and costly process.
While renovating, you will have to hire a contractor and workers, pay for construction equipment, and deal with extra costs that occur during the project. The entire process can cost up to $100,000 to $200,000. Renting out a small place during the renovation can seem like an unnecessary expense. In comparison, living in your own house with remodeling going on may seem challenging, but it is doable. By living in your home during the process, you can keep an eye on things and ensure everything is happening according to your preference. Here are a few tips to help you get through the live-in process smoothly as possible.
1. Keep Children Away
If you have children and are planning to live during the renovation stage, keeping them away is best to prevent unwanted accidents with equipment. You can send your children to stay at their grandparents’, a friend’s, or a relative’s place. If you want to keep your kids close to you, you can consider asking your neighbor for a favor and having them stay there. If your kids are too young to manage on their own, you can install baby gates to keep them away from the construction work. By knowing your children are safe, you will be more at ease and can give proper attention to the work around you.
2. Get a Storage Unit
Your workers will need a lot of space for renovation, and you will need to clear up your furniture and belongings from the house. There is also a chance of your items getting damaged during the process, so it is best to clear everything up. At the same time, you can stuff all your things in a spare room that is not going through remodeling. You can rent a storage unit through a company like Osmon Moving and Storage while you use the spare room to live in. This method will grant you a way to protect your belongings and provide you with plenty of space for living.
3. Have Alternate Cooking Options
A kitchen is one of the most necessary rooms of your house, but with your kitchen going through a renovation, you may be struggling to prepare your meals. You can get by with light processed meals and purchase groceries with a longer shelf life. You can set up some of your appliances in a room like a microwave, air fryer, and portable stove, which you can use to cook processed foods. Try cooking the right food quantities so you have fewer leftovers and can easily store them.
4. Make an Accommodative Bathroom Strategy
If you renovate your bathroom, it will hamper your daily activities, as a bathroom going through construction can not have water running. But to make it possible to live in the house during the remodeling process, you can renovate one toilet at a time, so you always have one to use.
Having fewer usable bathrooms in a house may result in traffic and people getting late. Keep in mind, aside from your family, the workers may also need to use it. So, stay prepared.
You can also take showers at the gym or rent a port-a-potty to reduce the burden on your bathroom, making your live-in renovation experience more comfortable.
5. Take Measures to Handle Dust
When renovating, you will find that dust gets everywhere. This dust is the renovation debris that comes from drywalls and sawdust, and it may ruin your furniture and carpets. So, before starting the remodeling process, you should put away your fragile belongings, and the ones that can not be stored away should be covered with a tarp to prevent dust from accumulating. It will be impossible to constantly clean the dust during the construction process, but you should clean at least once after the day’s work is complete. In this way, you’ll be able to protect your belongings and live in cleaner surroundings.
6. Utilize Outdoor Space
You do not need to stay cooped up inside your house full of noise and odors from all the tools and materials. Instead, you can relax in your outdoor sitting area. You can also grill outside while spending quality time with your family. Some people even consider living in a camper in their outside area if they do not have space inside. By utilizing your outdoor space, you can break from all the construction work and rest easy in the sun.
Endnote
Living in your house while it is going through a renovation can be stressful. While nothing can make the process free of discomfort and exhaustion, the tips mentioned above can help you manage your mental health and daily life. The renovation time will quickly pass, and the money you saved and extra supervision you put in will pay off with the results.