Renovating a house can be a stressful time. Negotiating teams of workmen, budgets and timelines, as well as still making time to organise your work and family life, can be a strain especially if you choose to project manage things yourself.
Luckily, there are a few ways that you can make things a little easier on yourself and your family members to relieve some of the strain. Once plans and designs and budgets are all signed off, it’s all about making everyday life as stress-free as it can be, so that your mental health doesn’t suffer.
In this article, we would like to share a few of our ideas that you might not have already considered – so that hopefully your home renovation can run a little smoother this time around…
Get friendly with your neighbours
We all have different relationships with our neighbours, and whether yours are friendly or not, now is the time to make some contact. The last thing you need during your renovation project is an issue relating to a complaining neighbour or someone making things difficult for your builders.
The best plan of attack is to be open and honest with your neighbours from the start. Tell them about your plans, what they entail and how long you expect the work to go on for. Warn them of any particular times that might be especially noisy or when construction teams might need to use up parking spaces down your street. You can drop your neighbours a note with this info or knock on the door to speak to them face-to-face – whatever you feel might work best.
Once you have been clear about your forthcoming renovation plans, it gives your neighbours time to ask any questions and iron out any concerns before the work commences.
Accept help from friends and family
If you are not someone who feels comfortable asking for help, then now might be a time to be a little flexible on your values! There may be times during your renovation where you have no running water, where there is a leak in the floorboards or when your oven is out of service meaning you can’t cook dinner for your family. During these times, you will need to look to your friends and family to help you out.
Don’t be too proud to ask for help or a place to send your kids for the night if things get a little hectic at home. There is no such thing as a perfect renovation and accepting from day one that you are likely to need some assistance will help you to stay flexible and less stressed as it happens.
Use short-term storage
Depending on what renovation work you are carrying out, there may be times when you need to store some of your household items to keep them safe and out of harms way. You might need a place to store your sofas, your rugs and your artwork while your living room is being renovated, or your crockery, fridge and dining table while your kitchen is being replaced. Either way, local short-term storage is a flexible and cost-effective way to keep things out of the way and protected.
Here at McCarthy’s Storage World, we offer short- and long-term storage solutions to those renovating houses in Leeds. Whether you need a storage unit the size of a phone box or a tennis court, you can be sure of the safety of your goods while they are being stored with us.
Take a step back
It’s easy to get caught up in the renovation process – letting it consume your life and take over. However, spending every minute of your time on a building site is not going to be healthy for your physical or mental health.
If you usually work from home, try to find a place to work for a while to give you space out of the house. After all, you are not going to be working productively if you are constantly being reminded of all the building work that needs to be done around you.
Also, plan in a few weekends away or short breaks to ensure you have time to recharge your batteries. Renovations can be exhausting, and you need to ensure you are fit and ready to make all the right decisions as they arise. Your family and children will also be very grateful of the break, and it will be a nice break for you all to forget about cement, tiles and grouting for a short time! Just make sure you make other topics of conversation, so you don’t keep talking about what’s going on back home!
Our team are very experienced in working with people who are renovating their home. We will help to take some of the stress out of your project by offering you a flexible and easy way to store and transport your things until your work is complete.
Talk to one of our team members today to get a quote and start planning.