Maintaining peace and comfort during a major house renovation project

Everyone knows that embarking on a house renovation project is not exactly a walk in the park. But apart from being an expensive and possibly lengthy endeavor, it can also turn into a very stressful and chaotic process, especially if you’ve decided to stay in your home during the renovation. 

So, is it possible to continue living peacefully in your home with all the repairing, remodeling, replacing and other work going on around you? Home renovation experts say it’s very much doable, as long as you are well-organized and employ the right strategies throughout the project. If you want to minimize the inconvenience and keep your house as livable as possible until work is completed, here are a few important aspects to keep in mind.

Starting a home renovation project without having a plan is a recipe for disaster. Planning things as you go is never a good idea as it leaves a lot of room for unexpected events and costly mistakes, so it’s a lot wiser to prep everything in advance. Your home renovation plan should include information on all the individual stages of the work that is going to be carried out on your property, the timeline for each stage, budget, as well as details regarding your living situation during this period.

If you’re planning on hiring a contractor to get the job done, most of these details will be laid out in the contract. But if you want to do most of the work yourself, good planning and self-discipline will ensure everything runs smoothly. This will give you peace of mind by removing the guesswork and the unknown factors from the equation.

Proper planning will help you get a rough idea of what to expect in the weeks or months to come, but it’s simply impossible to foresee every single aspect of the renovation journey. Not everything will go according to plan, no matter how hard you try, and you have to accept that mistakes are also part of the process.  

Adopting the right attitude and setting realistic expectations can help you tackle unpleasant situations and overcome challenges without having a nervous breakdown. This will save you some major disappointments along the way and keep you motivated even when things are less than perfect. And when the situation gets a bit too overwhelming, feel free to take a break to clear your mind.

Major home renovation projects also translate into a lot of mess and clutter, so you’ll have to figure out what you’re going to do with all the rubbish resulting from the renovation work. If you have a lot of items that are still in a decent condition that you want to get rid of, you could consider selling them. Your objects will find a new home and you’ll have one less thing to worry about.

When it comes to waste and rubbish, you’ll have to find someone to remove it from your property. You might be thinking about hiring a skip, but experts at jsremovals.co.uk recommend opting for a removal service instead, as it will save you the trouble of thinking about skip space, the work it takes to load it, upfront payments, permits, licenses, or collection times. 

When working on renovating your home, you’ll need enough room for you or the contractors to move around with ease. You don’t want to have any household items interfering with the work, and, most importantly, you don’t want any of your precious assets to suffer any damages during the process.

That’s why it’s best to get your belongings out of the way and store them in a safe place, where the dust, debris, and other potential renovation hazards can’t affect them. While smaller items can be easily deposited in cardboard boxes and put away in the garage or one of your rooms, when it comes to larger objects, such as furniture or appliances, it’s a lot safer to place them in a storage container.

As we’ve already mentioned, home renovation projects can bring a lot of unexpected surprises, and most of them aren’t going to be pleasant. Whether you’re dealing with delays caused by bad weather, installation issues, or unplanned expenses, you’ll need a plan B to help you get through the rough patch.

If you’re not going to be able to use your kitchen or your bathroom for longer than expected, you might have to stay with family, friends or treat yourself to a few nights at a hotel. Maybe you’ll need someone to take care of your pets or kids while you’re working, so you’ll have to find a babysitter you can rely on. Also, if you go over your budget, an emergency fund can save the day. Bottom line is, you have to plan for the worst-case scenario. 

Living in a house where there’s dust all around, and you’re surrounded by the sound of construction equipment is far from being ideal. There are two ways to deal with this: you can either stress all day about the mess in your house and work relentlessly to keep it in check, or you can learn to appreciate the journey and poke fun of the trouble.

In the end, the result is going to be pretty much the same, only your mental health will be in a different state. The mess isn’t going to disappear just because you stress about it, so you might as well approach home renovation with an optimistic attitude and think about how much better your home is going to look when all the work is completed.

Keep up with the top stories from Reader’s Digest by subscribing to our weekly newsletter.