Things to Do Before Starting a Home Renovation
Before starting a home renovation with a licensed contractor, it’s important that you prepare yourself and your home for the project. Home renovations are a big deal, so you should know what you’re getting yourself into, especially if you’ve never renovated before.
Prepare to Be Flexible
We as a contractor do all we can to make the construction process as easy as possible on you, respecting your privacy and minimizing disruptions. However, a home renovation can still be a big inconvenience.
Be ready to adjust your schedule and routines as needed. Work will typically start at 8:00 in the morning or earlier, so if your alarm doesn’t go off until 8:15, you’ll have to get out of bed a bit earlier on days that contractors are in your house.
If you have minors or pets who are typically home during the day, you might want to consider daycare for them while work on your home is being done. This will keep them safe from any construction hazards and prevents disruptions to our workers. For example, we’d hate to have your dog slip out the door and run off while our crews are coming into the house or leaving.
If daycare is not an option, please make sure you or another guardian who is over 18 can be home with your kids and pets while contractors are in the house. Our crews are not allowed to be on site with an unaccompanied minor. They are to notify the project manager and leave the project immediately if no one over 18 is home.
Know Your Project’s Schedule
Get a tentative idea of your project’s schedule from your project manager. In today’s day and age, most contractors, including us here at Kiser Construction, use software that allows clients to see the schedule of their project and pictures of the progress. Make sure to utilize this so you’re always in-the-know!
If you have plans to travel while the project is going, let your project manager know as soon as possible. They can adjust their schedule accordingly if you do not want workers in your home while you’re gone.
Determine a Spot for the Dumpster
If there will be a dumpster on site for the duration of the renovation, let your project manager know where you’d like it placed, whether it be in the driveway, yard, or on the side of the house. You’ll obviously want to choose a spot that won’t cause any inconvenience for you or the contractors using it.
Protect Your Belongings
A good contractor will do all they can to protect your home by laying down floor protection, setting up containment barriers, and taking other protective measures. But before this, you can help us out by moving any belongings that you can out of the construction zone before we begin work. Our crews can move out the larger items, such as furniture or appliances.
Determine if you will need outside storage or if your belongings can simply go into another room of your home for the time being.
Store away and secure all decor, valuables, and precious belongings to keep them safe during the renovation. You’ll have contractors coming and going, often carrying tools, equipment, and materials. You’d hate to have anyone accidentally bump into something and cause damage. Plus, keeping contractors’ pathways clutter-free helps them to keep moving efficiently, in turn, keeping your project moving efficiently.
If you’re having cabinets, vanities, or shelving removed, make sure to thoroughly empty these before work begins.
If you’re getting a new roof, siding, or windows, it’s always a good idea to take picture frames and decor off the walls. The installers will be pounding against your home, so these items could fall and break.
Expect the Unexpected
Project delays happen for various reasons from various sources. Some of these delays are out of anyone’s control, such as a certain product you ordered being out of stock. However, your project manager will do everything they can to keep the project moving despite any bumps in the road.
Stock Up on Furnace Filters
We recommend you regularly change your furnace filters throughout the duration of a project. A lot of dust is going to be generated during the renovation.
Make Room in the Garage
If you have a garage or storage shed, you should make some room in it for material deliveries and storage.
Take Photos
As a contractor, we take photos of a space before work begins. You should too!
This allows us and you to not only to compare the before and after of the project, but it’s also a precautionary measure. If any damage is discovered during the renovation, we’ll want to determine whether that damage was pre-existing or occurred during the construction process.
Give the Neighbors a Heads Up
Construction can be noisy and disruptive not only to your household, but to your next door neighbors too. If you get along with your neighbors and want to keep it that way, it’s a good idea to give them a heads up that there will be a little extra commotion at your house for a while.
Make Your Selections
When picking out the design details, such as paint colors, tile, and fixtures, let your project manager know your selections as soon as possible.
We sometimes run into project delays due to selections not being made early on. The faster we can get your selections ordered, the faster your project will move!
Good Luck!
Whether you’ve hired Kiser Construction or another contractor for your home renovation, we wish you the best of luck! We hope the project goes as smoothly as possible and that you love the finished result!
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