When you are facing a remodeling project, you may suddenly feel like your home or office is under assault from many directions. To avoid problems during the construction and immediately after it’s over, you will want to make sure that you have protections in place from the beginning of the process.
Establish Your Rights Up Front
The first protection you’ll need is to establish your rights up front with your contractor. Businesses may have an easier time extracting promises than homeowners, but either way it is your right to make demands. You don’t want to be caught off guard by problems that could have been avoided.
You want to negotiate with your contractor before you sign a contract. That way you can still refuse if they won’t agree to your terms.
Incorporate Additional Storage Space into Your Plans
Your contractor shouldn’t be building an empty room. Storage space should be incorporated in the design in every possible and logical way. Your architect or contractor must not neglect this part of your remodeling effort. It is essential that they plan for closets, shelving, cabinets, and other organizational storage.
Home remodeling should always include plans for how everyday items will be stored. This is essential in bathrooms and kitchens, but it is also vital in bedrooms, living rooms, and business spaces. You can find remodeling hacks that can tell you about ways to maximize space without spending a fortune to do it.
Get Out of the Way
Some contractors want you to move out of your office or home while they are doing renovations. That may be sensible in some cases, but it isn’t possible for many families or companies. Instead, consider how much can be put away in a storage unit and how much can you spend on ralph lauren paint.
Each person in the family could have their bed and a suitcase, for instance. Each worker could have their desk, computer, and chair, but everything else is put up until the renovations are done. This accomplishes three goals at once.
First, it reduces how much stuff will need to be cleaned if the dust gets everywhere. Two, it secures items that might have gotten damaged or even stolen. Three, it reduces the amount of space you need for daily living or working. This helps you stay out of the way of the contractors, and presumably it allows them to get done on time.
Maintain Your Lawn
Before a contractor picks up a hammer, you should know the ways that the construction will affect your lawn. They need to consider your home’s curb appeal before they cause any damage. Do they (or you) need to move garden beds or shrubs that may get destroyed in the construction process?
You definitely should demand that construction mats are laid down. These access mats permit trucks and equipment to move across your lawn without destroying the soil or grass underneath. They are also a good way to protect your driveway from the weight of such things as bulldozers and cement trucks.
Find Out About Off-Gassing
Whether it’s your home or the office you manage, the environmental hazards of new construction can hurt you. New flooring and new countertops are made of materials that are notorious for off-gassing. This can be odorless, and it isn’t good for anyone.
There are essentially two dangers here. First, floors and countertops must be cut before they are placed. This means the process is potentially dangerous to workers and to anyone in the vicinity. Second, there is often a period of time where the floor or countertop is still releasing gas into the air.
To deal with all of this, you’ll want to make sure the area is well-ventilated. Plus, you may want to be gone when these items are cut and placed.
Secure Your HVAC System
It’s a good idea to ask your contractor how to protect your air circulation in general. There’s a lot of dust flying, and you will want to seal off vents that are closest to the construction area. Don’t assume your contractor will tell you the truth about how well they will protect your home or office from dust.
You should get everything in writing, and you should monitor how well the contractors are doing. The messes they make will be cleaned up, but the dust in the air vents cannot be seen and may not be addressed.
Whatever you do, remember your contractor works for you. Every aspect of your renovation should be addressed before the company starts work. Otherwise, you won’t have any legal means to get them to handle any of the issues — from lawn damage to dust — that have been discussed here.
