Short term pain for long term gain.
We hear this statement often. People say it to give hope to someone who may be struggling through a temporarily stressful situation that will ultimately turn into a positive situation.
It’s a statement that seems very applicable to a home renovation.
Short term pain = living through a home renovation.
Long term gain = the happiness felt once the renovation is complete and you have the home you desire.
Home improvement has the power to enhance lifestyles. Our research shows the following:
- 84% of people spend more time with their family after completing a renovation
- 89% say their family life has improved and they feel closer to each other
- 42% of people do more entertaining with friends and family
- 54% of children improve their grades and are more active
However, this is all a result of the renovation, so how can someone reduce their stress during a renovation.
Jamie Affleck, Regional Managing Partner with Alair Homes, says there are some simple, but key things homeowners can do to help reduce their stress.
Living on Site During Your Renovation
This is easily the one factor that can contribute to your stress during a renovation. Living in your home during construction can significantly impact your routine. If you’re doing a large renovation that involves your kitchen and/or your bathrooms, you may not be able to cook or bathe in your own home for some time.
The ideal situation is to stay with a friend, rent a temporary home, or stay in a hotel. However, not everyone has the means to do this and the only option is to live at home during the construction.
So what happens then?
Affleck says if you must live at home to work with your contractor to plan to accommodate you living at home during the process.
“There are ways to create construction plans to accommodate the homeowners as best possible,” says Affleck. “We have had families living in their basement with access to their BBQ and a restroom while we totally transformed their main floor. We have helped families get a temporary kitchen, and have set up a family living area in a garage. There are options, you just need to work out a plan with your renovation team.”
Affleck says communication is key with your renovation team and to let them know your absolute “musts” for living in advance.
Expect the Unexpected
While communicating and planning with your contractor or renovation team, you also need to expect the unexpected and ask your team how they plan to handle these situations if and when they arise.
“Being on the same page and managing expectations from the beginning of the project is absolutely critical to reducing stress,” says Affleck. “Having a solid plan in place and knowing what could and will happen and how it will be handled by your contractor will help give some piece of mind from the start.”
Renovation Scheduling
Another key during your renovation planning is to ask for an up-to-date schedule of your project so you know who is going to be in your house, when and for how long.
“We had a client who was used to working from home for 22 years with no interruptions to her daily routine until we started to renovate her main floor,” says Affleck. “She joked with us that it took a week for her to get used to seeing people she didn’t know in her home, and then eventually grew to enjoy having them around. By the end of the renovation, she referred to our team as family and said she was going to miss having us around.”
You need to trust the people you bring into your home, and knowing who will be around and when will give you some added peace of mind.
Sad to See it Go
A renovation likely means you’re changing things that you once loved about your home, and as such there is usually an emotional attachment to the things you’re changing. This is absolutely normal. You may be turning your child’s bedroom into a hobby room, or maybe you’re ripping out the wall where you marked your child’s height. A home should give you reasons to be sentimental, and seeing things go can cause emotional stress.
“This is absolutely normal, and we see it in nearly every renovation project,” says Affleck. “We encourage homeowners to stay focused on the next phase and the end goal to help them get through the emotional distress of the project.”
It truly is important to remember that short term pain equals long term gain, however these simple tips can make the short term pain completely bearable as well.
If you have questions about your home renovation, please call or email us at:
780-705-7672