How to Prepare Yourself For a Home Renovation

So you’ve decided to finally go ahead with the home renovation plans that you’ve been pondering for a while now. Congratulations! This is an exciting and rewarding process. Before you start, get some ideas from an A+ Construction & Remodeling for your home renovation.

The entire experience can go sour pretty fast because many homeowners get too caught up in the overwhelming logistics that normally comes with prepping their home for a renovation that they often forget to prepare themselves for the remodel.

The key to any successful home renovation project is proper planning. And that even comes down to the exact dimensions you would like your new bath tub to be; if you need more tips on how to measure a bath tub, be sure to check out the tips in this article. This includes preparing yourself as well as your house.

To ensure that your home renovation is as smooth and pain-free as possible, here are our top expert tips that you should keep in mind.

Figure Out How You’ll Pay Off Your Home Renovation Loan

The cost of home renovations tends to run quite high. Depending on the plans and the budget you have in mind, you might need to apply for a loan or a mortgage in order to finance your home improvement project.

After choosing the smartest, most cost-effective borrowing option for your particular situation, you need to have a long-term vision of exactly how you’re going to pay off your loan. This, in turn, depends on the type of financing you choose.

Different types of loans are paid off in different ways, but with any mortgage, whether it’s fixed or adjustable, your monthly payments will depend on the length of the loan, the annual interest rate, and the amount of money you borrow, among other factors. However, paying off a mortgage is about more than just repaying the amount you borrowed back.

When calculating your loan payments, various elements can come into play, including the state’s real estate taxes and your annual homeowner’s insurance. As a homeowner, figuring out a solid amortization schedule is a must as it will help ensure that you get to enjoy your new house while preserving your peace of mind.

Protect Your Valuables and Belongings

You should always remove the items on the shelves and the walls in the rooms adjacent to where the renovation is taking place, even if they’ll be left untouched. During the remodeling process, heavy tools and equipment will be used which are likely to cause vibrations that will spread to the neighboring rooms through the walls, potentially knocking stuff off your walls and shelves.

To avoid damaging your belongings, it’s imperative that you remove any precious or fragile items attached to your walls, including photos, mirrors, china, electronics, and artwork. Moreover, any items of monetary value such as cash and jewelry should be removed from the house or, at the very least, placed in a home safe if you have one. This applies even if your valuables aren’t located in the work area.

Home remodeling and dust go hand in hand, which is why you should always move your furniture to a safe, dust-free zone. This is the ideal solution for you but if you’re incapable, then alternatively, you should cover up your couches, cabinets, and upholstery as well as any knick knacks that can’t be boxed up or moved in tight plastic sheeting.

Additionally, you should also remove your rugs and carpets to eliminate any tripping hazards. This will not only protect your belongings, but it’ll also make the post-renovation clean up much easier.

Decide Where You’re Staying

Home renovation projects are typically loud and dusty regardless of how big or small they are, which is why many homeowners prefer staying with a friend or a family member until the remodeling is complete, especially if the project is a big one.

If your house is undergoing a major renovation, you might want to consider staying at a friend’s house or a hotel or even renting out an apartment for the duration of the remodel. Your temporary living situation would depend on your budget and the length of your renovation project.

If you decide to stay in your house during the remodel, it’s important to establish a makeshift headquarters, where you and your family will be living.

Where will you eat? Can you use your backyard and garage? Where will you sleep? Is there enough room for all your family members? How often will you have access to the bathroom? What about the pets? These are all questions that you need to answer before attempting a home improvement project to avoid any further inconvenience.

Cats and dogs are curious by nature, so if you have a pet, you’ll need to ensure that they have no access to the construction areas for their own safety. It might be in your best interest to make alternative accommodation plans for them outside of the home.

Establishing your personal headquarters also means deciding which areas the contractors and workmen will be using. In case of a major renovation, contractors typically order up or rent portable toilets, Viking Rental offers a good deal, but for smaller-scale projects, there’s usually no bathroom.

In that case, you’ll have to decide whether to allow the workmen to use yours. If you have a guest bathroom, you can dedicate it to the workmen, but be sure to replace your “fancy” towels with a couple of paper-towel rolls for the contractors to use.

Unless you’re feeling especially generous, you’re not obliged to provide dining areas and facilities for the workmen. This means that your kitchen and dining room should be off-limits.

For a smooth renovation, it all comes down to this solid advice: prepare the house and yourself. If, like many of us, you tend to forget things, especially when you have too many balls in the air, then it’s probably a good idea for you to sit down and prepare a checklist for everything that you need to consider before any actual work is done.

The tips above can serve as a good starting point that’ll help you cover all the bases. But remember, home improvement projects differ from one house to another and unexpected obstacles are bound to arise, so, keep a positive attitude and have patience. Once the renovation is done, you’ll have a beautiful new home to come back to and it’ll all be worth the hassle.