Having work done on your home is understandably stressful, even if it is something you’ve been looking forward to and you have been enjoying the process of designing and planning for your remodel. Here are a few pointers towards making the process as stress-free as possible, for both you and your contractor.
- Get your personal stuff out of the way – store as much as possible elsewhere away from the work site.
- Be prepared for dust and debris. If you have never seen the drywall or plaster in your living room hit with a sledge hammer, you may find it surprisingly distressing. Consider using a dust mask, drape the furniture, have a temporary dust wall. Your contractor should be able to advise you what makes sense or is advisable and should be prepared to help protect your possessions and the areas of your home that will not be involved in the project.
- Establish and cordon off the work zone. Give contractors a separate entrance if possible.
- Discuss bathroom access. The crew will need daytime access to a restroom. Options include sharing your bathroom, asking the contractor to provide temporary facilities of their own, or at the least pointing out the coffee shop around the corner.
- Establish work hours. Tell the contractor the earliest time you would like work to commence in the morning, and the latest you would like work to continue oin the evening. But be as flexible as you can. Sometimes the contractor just can’t walk away in the middle of some phase of the project, like cleaning grout off of tile.
- Consider staying with a friend for the particularly tough portions of a remodeling project, such as when the water is off for a day or two.
- Eat as healthy as possible – which is not easy when your kitchen is torn apart
- Be part of the process, BUT not in the way. Be available to the contractor to answer questions or make decisions.
- Be appreciative and respectful of all workers. If you have a concern about how work is progressing, please make every effort to speak with the lead on the job site, and not the workers. If you have a safety concern, it is certainly permissible to ask the workers to stop work, and immediately call the
- Take care of your pets and keep them out of the way.