What Do I Need to Know Before Starting My Home Renovation Project?

There are several things to consider when you decide to start a home remodeling project.  How extensively will the remodel impact the lives of those in your home?  If you have small children, or even teenagers, will they be away at school, or will they be at the house?  What will you do with your pets? At GB General Contractors, we do our best to ease the pain of home renovation. We work with you to make sure that the process creates as little as disruption as possible, but only you can determine the best way to handle major changes for you and your family. Depending on the scope of the work, staying at home may require nothing more than minor tweaks to your normal life, but there are times during the process where it makes sense to go stay with friends or family or at a hotel. If it is possible to live elsewhere while the work is ongoing, you will still need to take some precautions and make some preparations before work begins. Whether you’re staying elsewhere or at home, someone needs to be available to answer questions and provide approval on work completed. So, what do you need to know before starting work improving your home? Can I stay in my home? Most of our clients stay in the part of their house not being worked on through the process. However, during 2^nd story additions, it is nice if you have a place to stay the first couple of weeks. This allows us to work as quickly as possible to get the house opened up and dried in with as little inconvenience to you as possible. Whether we’re battling the heat of Houston in August or the cold and rain of February in Texas, taking the roof off of your house is going to expose you to some of the elements, and that can be pretty uncomfortable. We also recommend moving out for a few days when painting is being completed, as the fumes are often difficult to live with. Also, in some cases it might be best to make other plans for your pets. Some pets are extremely bothered by strange noises and smells and new people. If your pet is going to be miserable, a trip to doggie daycare or a stay with a friend might be in order. What else should I consider when deciding whether to stay home during the renovation? How bothered are you by dust, mess and disruption to your schedule? We make every effort to contain the dust and chaos when we’re working on your home. We seal work areas with plastic and tape and zipper doors to reduce dust traveling. But, as you know, it’s impossible to completely contain dust. Some families have members with health problems that might be affected by even moderate amounts of construction dust. Some people just have a really hard time seeing their site being torn apart or having strangers in and out. Having small children at home when there’s hammering can make nap times disastrous and try everyone’s patience. I like camping. I’m staying in my home. Is there anything else I should think about? We’re glad you asked. Here are a few more things to ask yourself.

• What will you need to pack away? Creating a system and labeling things while packing will make it easier to access anything you might unexpectedly need and will also make unpacking so much easier.
• Do you want to complete some decluttering while you’re moving things around?
• What clothes will you need to be able to access and do those need to be moved to another room?
• Are there any antiques or family heirlooms that you want to take extra care to protect or that you feel you need to remove from the home?
• In a kitchen remodel, what will you be doing about meals?
• If you have pets, where will you establish a pet zone?

How can GB General Contractors help make things easier? We’re here to help in any way we can. Perhaps we can move some of your old cabinets and some of your appliances to the garage for you to create a temporary, makeshift kitchen. Preparing and freezing meals ahead of time will allow you to avoid eating out every meal, as those can be reheated in a microwave that has been relocated to a living space or bedroom. If you have more than one bathroom, then a bathroom renovation may be an inconvenience but shouldn’t create too many hardships, but let us know if you have any particular concerns. What will GB General Contractors do to protect my belongings? We take pride in protecting your home as we work. As mentioned earlier, we take precautions to contain the construction dust. Any furniture that is close to work is moved to a corner and covered to protect it from traffic and dust. In a recent 2^nd story addition project, we removed the roof of the living room and put down four layers of protection (plastic, sheets of Masonite board and paper) to protect the wood floors from falling debris and moisture. After the project, the floors were in the same condition as before we started working. By now you’re probably wondering how long your renovation will take. Check back soon for our next blog post where we’ll cover that very issue. Renovating your home is a big decision. Living through the renovation process can be trying. The most important thing to remember is the end goal. When you’re all gathered in that new kitchen or when you’re enjoying your new spa-like bathroom, the short-term inconvenience will be all but forgotten. If you have questions about your next remodeling project or you’re ready to dive in, please give us a call at 281-412-9988, or send us a note through our contact form.]]>