So looks like you’ve planned out the details of your next home remodeling project. Kudos but wait, If your planning hasn’t considered preparing yourself and your home before starting then you’re in trouble, my friend. It’s nice to have a plan laid out about every task, but being mentally and physically prepared will help you implement those ideas with more efficiency and peace of mind.
We’re not questioning your smartness, it’s just major home remodeling projects i.e. remodeling a bathroom, constructing something additional, or new interior design can extend far beyond the skill set of most homeowners. If you have gone through this phase already then you’ll know the feeling. It’s far greater relief to find a contractor and tell him your vision about what to do next.
The contractor will magically take care of it while you can keep yourself to just supervision. You can escape from physical labor but different kinds of work will require your attention. Like preparing yourself, handling the contractor, and protecting your home from the extra mess.
Sounds mentally exhausting right? Don’t worry, we’ve prepared this guide to ease your home’s transition into a stunning living place. You’ll feel proud of your efforts even after years to come.
What Is The Best Season To Home Remodeling in Chicago?
Yes, it’s true. Some seasons are better for specific kinds of home remodeling in Chicago than others. It is better to follow these seasons to get maximum efficiency and avoid a big mess. For Example:
• Spring: Best for exterior projects like window replacement or exterior painting.
• Summer: Best for roofing, siding, deck, and all those outdoor projects.
• Winter: Best for interior renovation like interior designing, flooring, or painting.
• Fall: Best for chimney repair, exterior painting, home winterizing projects.
Honestly, interior projects can be done at any time of year because they’re usually independent of the weather. Do roofing projects in the middle of summer where the stretch of dry weather is available. For painting and decking, late spring or early fall will be the best duration of the year because of their temperate atmosphere.
It’s better to plan for these seasons before, because your construction project may get extended into other not so suitable seasons. Contractors and tradesmen cannot shut down the projects just because of inclement weather. In an ideal world, they may do it but not in this real capital-driven world.
That’s why professional contractors establish workarounds in such a way that they can complete maximum activities within relatively suitable seasons.
Should You Stay At Site Or Go?
The idea of taking a once upon time tour in the midst of home remodeling may look awesome, but don’t do that. Unless you have a close friend or relative who is willing to perform your supervision duties in your absence. Still, there is a lot at stake. It’s better to take a hard pill and be a trooper on the front-line.
Remodeling projects require a lot of problem-solving and immediate decision making strengths. Being a homeowner, you will be in a better place to take those instant decisions to give your renovation personalized touch.
You don’t want to mess with the idea of contractors doing multiple visits to repaint the feature wall just because you were relaxing on Florida Beach.
You want to be there at every step to make that smooth transition between your home to an amazing living place renovated with a personal touch. Plus, there is nothing like the feeling of touching and seeing the real-life remodeling of your beloved home.
Talk To Your Personal & Community Relations:
Talk to your children and the better half. You don’t want to forget the beloved relations in the excitement of starting a new project. Some children react differently to ongoing construction.
Some get excited by seeing all the heavy machinery or craftsmanship going on in their surroundings while others tend to be emotional about tearing down old walls and ripping apart the backyard, especially elementary children. Convey to them the positive eventual outcome of all this mess.
Develop an understanding with your beloved ones i.e. your wife, parents, etc. If the new remodeling project is going to put a strain on your relationship then it’s better to communicate the ideas and eventual desired outcomes before.
Remodeling projects can become length. They involve a lot of mess, cast outflows, bargaining, delayed activities, and diminished privacy. So keep the communication lines open with your beloved ones to sort out everything without being passive-aggressive. Plus, giving each other a tap on the back whenever needed.
If you’re living in an attached community then there are going to be a lot of people affected by your home remodeling project. It would probably be a good idea to talk to your neighbors about your upcoming plans and sort out the boundaries not only physical but moral as well. Consider this talk as more like a goodwill gesture. You may be legally obliged to ask the permission of your neighbors depending on your residency area. Especially, if your project touches the property line i.e. fence, etc.
If you’re living in a condominium, your remodeling project may need to get approved by concerned authorities even if it is an interior remodeling. If you have shared walls then it is almost certain you will require approval. Even if not, you should convey the message about your plans as a goodwill gesture.
Prepare Your Home for Remodeling
Okay, now you’ve prepared yourself. Now, it’s time to prepare your home for the upcoming project to avoid the big mess. Question is, how much of this preparation do you want to do yourself? Some homeowners believe they have hired the workers, now, they don’t have to lift the finger. Others jump in to help workers here and there during the project. What kind of homeowner will you be during a renovation? It’s your place to decide.
In general, it is not wise to do nothing prior to your project. You should do some prep work yourself like clearing out rooms, etc. Like normal stuff, you can always hire workers to do the preparations like moving heavy stuff here and there. Or you can also make prior arrangements with your contractor and adjust this pre-work cost in the decided budget.
Keep in mind, contractors hate it when homeowners keep moving things around especially in the midst of work. If you’ve agreed upon not doing any work and leaving all the stuff to contractors even preparations then its best to not interfere with their proceedings.
One thing you can still do is to prepare an action plan like:
• You will not let workers use your guest bathroom or powder room.
• The kitchen and dining areas should be off-limit to workers.
• Use the spare room to store large appliances to keep them off the work zone.
• You’ll only provide cuppa or soft drinks as refreshments to workers while on the job.
Other than this action plan, these three things you must do before starting to prepare your house for renovation.
1. Cover up fragile and precious items: chinaware, artwork, photos, electronics, and every other item that can get broken. You should move them out of the work zone and put them somewhere safe.
2. If you’re capable then move the large items as well like sofas, cabinets, or large rugs, etc. They can easily get dusty or maybe ruined after some time. Clear the workroom from large items. Otherwise, these items may have to face drastic and abusive interactions with the workforce while carrying out labor jobs. As we discussed earlier, you can discuss with the contractor and pay him a nominal fee to move the large items. If it’s not possible to do it yourself.
3. Keep monetary items safe from theft. It’s very easy to misplace your monetary value items i.e. jewelry, cash, precious metals or even prescription drugs. It’s better to move them from home and put them into a security locker box. If you’ve some safe space in your home then keep it there but make sure, only you or that person you confide the information can get access to them.
You cannot control movement during a renovation project. A lot of personnel are going in and out of the house. So it is always better to take extra security measures to avoid blame games eventually turning into an unpleasant, even costly experience. Usually, what happens is, your child can misplace things which can turn into a really disastrous moment.
Establishing Zones & Limits
Even though it’s hard to stop someone from invading certain areas of your house without being rude. That’s why it’s essential to set boundaries and limits where workforce labor can move or where they cannot. Having them in your house does not mean they can move anywhere anytime. So as we discussed earlier, decide working zones. Like will the workforce use your bathroom or not. Usually, in large home remodeling projects, contractors order their own portable bathrooms. If you’ve allowed workers to use your bathroom, then remove all the towels and replace them with single or two rolls of paper towels for workers to use.
With these pre-project tips, you can avoid a lot of awkward conversations without being rude.
