My husband and I are about to kick off some major renovations on our house, which includes completely tearing down and remodeling both bathrooms and doing some minor work on our kitchen. We'll be living in the house throughout the project, so I'm looking for advice! If you've done something similar, what are the top tips you would give your past self? We're curious about any hacks or strategies to make life a bit easier for us and our cats during this dusty and chaotic time. We're expecting the renovations to last around 3-5 months, and we're collaborating with an architecture firm and general contractors for this work.
3 Answers
Expect dust to invade every corner of your home. Even if you have zippered dust barriers, it will still find a way in. A friend of mine suggested sealing off the work area and using an air purifier with a pre-filter. It helped a lot during their remodel. Also, consider keeping a dedicated clean room for your pets to escape the chaos. And don’t forget about your feet—some stiff slippers can go a long way in those dusty conditions!
Make sure to turn off your heating and cooling systems during the demolition. Those returns are dust magnets and will spread debris throughout the house. Also, brace yourself for dust—it will get everywhere, no matter how prepared you think you are! Adding a week or two to the estimated time is totally normal, especially if you’re working with a general contractor. If you're doing it yourself, triple that timeline!
Good point! Our contractor did use plastic barriers but we still found dust all over the place.
Plan for flexibility! There will be times you need to escape the house, especially if they’re working on your flooring. My husband and I had to temporarily move to the basement during part of our addition. And while renovations can get messy and stressful, don't forget to find moments of fun in it! Maybe cook something comforting together at the end of a long week to celebrate small wins!
Love that! We recently discovered a great recipe that was perfect for cheering us up after a chaotic week of renos.
Great idea about the air purifier! Can never have too many dust traps in a renovation.