Four Overlooked Aspects of Home Remodeling

You’ve decided to remodel your home. That’s great.  There’s so much to think about that you may overlook four vital aspects of remodeling.  Paying attention to these items should make your remodeling experience better. 

Your Lawn

While your construction and remodeling is aimed at improving your home’s appearance, it can have the opposite effect on your lawn.  Workers will be traipsing back and forth to their trucks. Some trucks may need to drive in the yard. Bobcats and other tracked equipment may make an appearance. 

The results are ruts and bare spots.  Restoring your lawn will take time and money.  And what about bushes or trees ruined by the yard traffic? Then there are your flower gardens, vegetable patches, and other plantings.  How will that fare if the yard is busy with people and equipment moving back and forth? 

To avoid this, make sure your contractor puts in writing what will be done to protect your grass, plantings, and landscaping. You should insist on access mats to allow equipment to roll back and forth without tearing into the sod. 

Your Belongings

Even in the best circumstances, it can be hard to keep your belongings out of the way. You may need to cram the extra furniture into some extra space. The problem is that most of us don’t have extra space. After all, that’s often why we are remodeling!

Furthermore, there’s the potential for dust and debris to settle into the fabric of our cloth furniture, drapes, and clothing. Some things might never come clean.

The solution is to decide what is essential for your everyday living. Then you pack away all that you don’t need.You can rent a storage unit to protect your antiques, expensive furniture and other big items. It’s also a chance to do some serious decluttering, getting rid of items that you don’t need.

Your Security

If exterior walls are coming down, you may have a security problem. That’s why you need to know when this is happening, how long your home will be unsecure, and what can be done about it.  You can talk to your contractor about ways to protect your home’s contents when the walls are down.  

It's also a good idea to discuss it with your home security system. That will probably be off during part, if not all, of the renovation. How can you be safe without a house alarm?  Furthermore, you need to protect your most expensive possessions.  Storing valuables either in a safety deposit box or a storage unit may be a good idea during the open remodeling phase. 

Your Health

There are several issues with construction that can affect your health. The first, as already mentioned, is the dust and debris that can be flying around the air. You should discuss with your contractor how to protect the ventilation system from absorbing the sawdust and other fine particles that come with building projects. 

Another issue is off-gassing. To avoid this, you should start by choosing countertops, paint, and other materials that specifically say they don’t cause off-gassing. This is the process where an item lets off fumes for days or weeks after they are installed in a home.  It’s worth it to spend a bit more and get materials that don’t release unhealthy chemicals into the air.

By thinking ahead, you can have a better remodeling experience that doesn’t ruin your lawn, threaten your health or security, or force you to live in overcrowded conditions.  When you think about it, that’s just as important as the color of the walls or the style of your new kitchen.