April 01, 2013

Prepare Yourself and Your Home For Construction

By: rbonnevie / Projects

RENOVATION & REMODELING TIPS

So you want to build an addition to your home or renovate an existing room, but It isn’t a small project and being prepared is crucial to you. Remodeling and adding to your home takes up a lot of time, financial resources and mental energy but will add value, space, functionality and pleasure to your home. So you have decided you want to make it happen… We recommend working with a contractor that has the abilities of Design & Build… a contractor who has the capability to design the project and build it can be beneficial to ensuring your visions are brought to reality. This is also a plus because you’re working with the same person throughout the entire job. Once you find the right contractor and work out a design you’re ready to schedule the project to start. So now how do you prepare for the process of home renovation?  Everyone is different, here at BCI we walk you through the process and give you some helpful hints and a schedule. This helps you prepare for the work to be done in your home over the course of the construction project.

 

“Before everything else, getting ready is the secret of success” –Henry Ford

 

Your home is about to be torn apart and a cast of people are about to invade your home and personal space. You and your families lives are about to be disrupted and dis-shuffled for a lengthy amount of time. You may not think about how important your bathroom and kitchen spaces are until they are dismantled.  Depending on the scope of your project there will be some variables on what you can do to prepare and reduce the extent in which your daily lives will be disrupted. From preparing the yard to the inside of your home mental preparation is the most important. Don’t let the overwhelming waves of anxiousness from all that is about to happen scare you away from the value of the investment renovating can bring to your home. “Remodeling can be the best and most inexpensive way to create the home you want and it can be a lot less expensive than moving” (homeadvisor.com)*, Once you have all the stress ironed out you can really enjoy the process and have fun with it all.

 

If you are building an addition onto your home were the yard is involved there are a few steps you could take to help the contractor and yourself to prepare. Remove anything mobile from the yard including toys, water hoses, grills, and outdoor furniture. You may want to consider removing or relocating plants, shrubs and trees that could be were the addition is going or in the path of the contractors. This can save plants that you would still want to keep and help the people working have a clear area for production.

 

Now for the inside of your home to become construction ready, your way of life is about to be interrupted so the more prepared you are the smoother the process will be for you. Many unpredictable things can happen during construction. You should move all valuable works of art out of the path of the contractors and off walls surrounding the work area or areas. Giving them the ability to work freely can not only speed the work production up but it will also give you piece of mind that nothing will be accidentally damaged.  Plastic (3mil) sheeting can be a dusting life saver. Many areas of remodeling involve processes and materials that can create a lot of dust and debris. A conscientious contractor like BCI will close off the room or rooms that are being worked on with some plastic (3mil) sheeting that will reduce the amount of dust that is spread. There will be construction workers in and out throughout the course of the project and they usually do not take their shoes off between trips outside to the stock pile or work truck. To help reduce the amount of dirt and save your carpets and floors BCI puts down on a daily basis drop cloths or a material called “Rhino Board”, which is a thick cardboard walkway to help reduce the wear and tear on the existing floors.

 

Finally depending on your household and if you have small children or pets you may want to make certain arrangement for them ahead of time depending on your renovation project. There are times throughout the construction process that you may be without a fully functional bathroom for a short time or kitchen amenities. Getting with friends and family ahead of time to stay at their homes while these parts of the project take place will help both contractor and you the homeowner. Setting aside or budgeting for lodging for a night or two can make for some family time if you don’t want to ask your friends or other family members. This may not be necessary but there are some construction procedures that can create fumes or other elements that can be harmful or irritating to children or animals, such as staining of hard wood floors.

 

Being mentally prepared to have your home renovated is the best step you can take to having the most stress-free renovation. Remodeling takes time and there are factors that can stall production like holidays, bad weather, sickness or injuries that can happen during the construction period and this could delay the process. Do not worry about these things they happen and are normal, in fact it happens with almost every large remodeling project. Not to say someone will get hurt, but there are almost always unforeseen areas in the construction industry an experienced contractor with a good reputation will know how to handle them, so try and stay calm. Remember, if you have a contract (and you should) with a reputable contractor like BCI the work will get finished as it was planned for. Prepare mentally for your home to be a under construction for a while, this is unavoidable. Just think of how wonderful it will look when the work is all finished and you have your beautiful home back and can enjoy the new space or spaces.

 

With all there is to consider when it comes to renovating your home it can all become overwhelming very quickly but by being prepared it can help make it all go smoother and relieve the anxiety that can come with it. Don’t let the stress of it scare you from improving your home, get prepared and get the home you really want. There are many resources out there to help you prepare for your home renovation. Here are some links below to get you started.

 

Some other sources you may like to look into for information on getting renovation ready:

We service town’s in Southern NH and Norther MA including (but not limited to): Amesbury MA, Newbury MA, Newburyport MA, Hampton NH, North Hampton NH, Exeter NH, Stratham NH, Portsmouth NH, and many many more.