Whether you are renovating your home to increase its appeal before putting it on the market, adding space with a home addition or simply upgrading it to better suit your taste, home renovations are often complex tasks. Apart from tapping into great renovation ideas, it is crucial to organize before you start. Doing this helps to prepare the space for contractors. It also keeps your valuables safe and your personal items accessible while construction is underway. Here are a few tips to help you prepare for your renovation.
Effective Planning
Planning is the first point in getting organized before your renovation starts. Take a look at the room. Consider how you are using it now versus how you will use it after the renovation. What items do you want to remove and later put back? What items will no longer serve your purpose? Is your plan to throw those items away, donate them, sell them or relocate them to another room in the house? Having a plan helps you to better understand what needs to be done in the days and weeks ahead.
Declutter
Once you have a plan in place, it’s time to start decluttering. A great way to do this is by organizing the room into three piles – items that will remain in the room, items to temporarily relocate and items you no longer need. Consider carefully any items to be left in the room. If they are valuable, do you want to risk having them broken or lost? If the item is large, will it be in the way of construction if it remains in the space? Your goal here should be to clear out the room as much as possible so that there is nothing inhibiting the work that needs to be done.
Secure Valuables
Those valuables we spoke about earlier are going to need a new home while construction is underway. This might be another room in your home, a locked safe in a closet or a safety deposit box at your bank. Whenever possible, try to make sure that valuables are behind a locked door. Contractors, while trustworthy, often need to leave doors and windows unlocked during construction. Prevent this from creating a potential problems by securing anything of value to you safely away before work starts.
Create a Living Zone
Any renovation is likely to disrupt your living space for a period of time. Plan for this. That might mean moving family mealtimes to the kitchenette in the basement for a few weeks while your kitchen is renovated. If you are remodeling your master bath, plan to shower and brush your teeth in a secondary bathroom while work is underway. If the task at hand is a major home renovation, it might be better to move your family offsite – whether that means bunking up with extended family, borrowing a friend’s spare bedroom or staying in a hotel for a few days until the work is complete.
Home remodeling is complex. Planning and organization make the task easier. Working with the right general contractor is another way to make your renovation easier and more successful. Alair Homes North York provides quality home renovation services to assist with projects of all scopes and sizes. Contact us if we can help.