Surviving Major Home Renovations When You Have Young Children

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Let’s face it; there is never a right time to completely remodel your home or take on a huge renovation project. Throw small children into the mix, and your problems are enhanced by multiples. But the simple fact is it is sometimes necessary, and entirely unavoidable, despite the disruption you know it’s going to cause.

Dealing with a major renovation when you have small kids is a big challenge not only to your lifestyle, but also your relationships and your sanity! But there are solutions - and I’m going to go through a few simple ideas with you today.

Move out

OK, it’s stating the obvious, but if you can move out while the work is being done, I strongly advise you grasp the opportunity! You will have a much greater peace of mind, and the builders will be able to do their work far quicker with you and the kids out of the picture. However, avoid moving into a hotel unless you have some serious money to throw around. You can expect your major project to be far longer than you expect - anything up to 20-30% longer, in fact. That all adds up to a significant extra cost. If possible, stay with family or friends that can manage the extra bodies in their home.

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One room at a time

Of course, the reality for most families is that they will need to be in situ when the building work commences. In this case, it’s important to complete the work one room at a time - and ensure that your children are out of harm’s way at all times. Losing a room at a time is manageable for most families, and it will also help the builders keep their working areas safe. There will still be plenty of mess - of course. But it will be much easier to manage the inquisitive nature of your kids when the danger is all in the one place. It’s also worth investing in some baby gates - assuming you have gotten rid of them, of course!

Choose the right building firm

Choosing the right building company is the most important thing you can do before starting your renovation. You should be looking for excellent quality, realistic quotes, and an extensive list of previous happy customers. But when you have young kids on board, it’s also important to find home remodeling contractors that are glad to work with families. If they have plenty of experience of working in homes packed full of children, you can rest assured that they will be able to anticipate your needs. Don’t forget, some of the materials - glues and caulking - can be incredibly dangerous - even to adults. Talk to them about using substitutes or arrange to go out for the day when that work is being done.

Great planning

Children thrive when they have a set routine - and it’s important to keep things as normal as possible. It is vital, then, to come up with a good plan each week - and stick to it. Speak to the contractor and arrange long days out when particularly dangerous work is going on. Have backup ideas in place, too. You can’t rely on the weather, and there will be times when you and the kids will have to hole up at home, whatever is going on with the renovations. With a little luck - and excellent planning - there’s no reason why you can’t survive this stressful period unscathed!