Juggling a renovation project with everyday life can sometimes be difficult enough as it is especially if you are trying to do the work yourself and still have to work full-time as well. However, it can be even harder when you are trying to live in the same space as you are renovating.
What to Do with All Your Stuff
If you are renovating the house that you are living in, you have three options on what you can do with the items and furniture that are occupying the room that you are wanting to work in;
- Sell the furniture and all your items and purchase new ones when you have completed that room’s makeover. You may not get much for your furniture or your items and purchasing new will add to your costs so you will have to enlarge your budget.
- Move the items and your furniture into another area of the house. This can be easily done, however, you may very well get frustrated with the amount of clutter as well as not being able to use that room properly either until your renovation has been completed.
- Hire a storage unit to keep all your items and furniture in. this can be achieved even if you do not have a storage unit facility near where you live. There are some businesses like BlueBox Portland Storage that will bring the storage box in question to you so that you will keep all your furniture and items close to hand but they will not be occupying the space that you need. Also with this option, you can add to the items in your storage container should you need to from other areas of your home.
Change the Layout
If you are looking to change the layout of your home, you must do this first before attempting any other areas of your renovation. This is because it will help you visualize what else will need to be done and it is more than likely that the change of layout will be the largest part of your renovation project and will, therefore, save any damage to be caused in areas that you have already finished.
Kitchen and Bathrooms First
Once you have completed your layout change, you will want to concentrate on your bathrooms and kitchen next. These rooms are likely to be the most expensive rooms to renovate and, not only because you will have to hire professional people and businesses in to complete the work, but because you are going to want to get the right look for your property. Indeed, installing a designer kitchen or bathroom will give your project the wow factor and the last thing you want is to skimp on budget and create a less than pleasing effect in these areas of your home.
Take It Room by Room
It is important that after you have created your layout change, and renovated your kitchen and bathrooms, you take each of the other areas of the house one by one. When you are prioritizing the work think of how the workmen you hire will enter and leave your property and how they are going to get the necessary supplies to the areas of the house that they are working on.
Planning to renovate the room furthest from their point of entry first is the best idea, this way you will not see all the hard work ruined by having workmen traipsing backwards and forward over flooring you have paid a lot for or scraping walls that have not long been plastered and painted.
Work from the Ceiling Down
When working in a room, it is a good idea to work from the ceiling down, and this is so that any finishing touches you have put in will not get ruined by drops of paster or paint.
Patch any areas of the ceiling that requires attention. Get it plastered, then look to any coving, then to plastering the walls, and you can leave attaching the skirting boards until after you have laid your wood flooring if you wish or attach them at this stage making sure that you leave a gap so that your flooring can be hiding slightly underneath.
At this point, you will want to paint your ceiling, coving, and skirting boards (regardless of whether you have attached them or not). Then it is time to either wallpaper or paint your walls, only when you have completed this task should you think about laying your flooring, attaching your skirting boards – if you haven’t already – and making good on the fixing areas so that they do not show.
Now you need to think about the fun stuff that can create the room as you see it in your mind’s eye – the curtains, blinds or other window dressing, your light fittings, and your soft furnishings.
To Conclude
You may very well be better getting in the professionals to help you do your renovation project, but you are still going to have to manage how they go about their job and even more so if you are still living in the house that is being worked on you will have to organize what order they do the professionals complete the work.
Getting the area free from clutter and furniture can be easier said than done especially if you decide to sell the items as this will mean that you will have to wait for them to be collected. Tripping over items and clutter can be frustrating and it can lead to arguments so you may very well find it far better to get the items packed and out of the way.
Getting your structural work completed before you start completing other areas of your home will make sure that any investment that you have made will stay intact and will not get damaged while workmen are attempting to carry out their work.
There is a good way of doing any job so you may need to step back and think of the best ways to go about organizing your rooms and the work that is to take place in them from the start.
