What to Expect From a Home Renovation

If you’ve never remodelled your home before, you’re probably feeling excited for the finished result, a little wary of the project, and perhaps somewhat unaware of what lies ahead. Home renovations spell exciting times for living spaces but also busy, loud and dusty conditions. 
Here’s our Refresh comprehensive guide of what to expect when undertaking a home renovation project – so you can read up, feel prepared and dive into your home adventure ready for action.

Dust

Even with dust sheets laid and care taken, it’s essentially impossible to avoid dust gathering around the property as a result of construction work. Be prepared to mop up and hoover dusty areas often, and keep windows open where possible to avoid the air becoming too heavy. 
If you can, closing off the construction area from the rest of your home using sheets or temporary walls can help stop the spread unnecessarily to other rooms. Air handlers, dust extractors and air filters can also be run to help avoid build-up of dust. Don’t block any ducts or vents without seeking professional advice first and be sure to ask your contractors for how they intend to manage the air contamination risk; if they feel it will be a problem, that is.

Noise

No matter how much you try to contain the noise, there is bound to be some at one point or another during the project period. Keep noise – be it the whine of saws, scratch of sanders or thumping of nail guns, hammering of furniture moves – to daytimes and never too early if you have neighbours nearby.
You may wish to segment your house during renovation works so that you’re able to nap or work in peace away from the incessant noise (or risk thereof). If your contractor thinks there’s likely to be excessive noise, you may wish to find somewhere else to stay – but fear not, this may not be for the whole project duration.

Highs…

With every home renovation there will be breakthroughs and developments you’re pleased to see and excited to celebrate. Embrace the highs and enjoy them; you will definitely have earnt them after all of your hard work and effort!

…and Lows

For every high, unfortunately, there will be a low. For the duration of your home renovation there are likely to be some incidents that give you project fatigue. Fear not, these should be short lived – and it will all be worth it in the end.

Unexpected Events 

OK, so expecting the unexpected is never simple but it needs to be done. At some point, almost every home renovation project finds itself with a delay or issue: be it asbestos, irregular framing, unusual plumbing, sub-standard wiring or something found in the walls. Neither you nor your contractor will enjoy dealing with these problems but you should be prepared. Most experienced contractors will be able to advise you on how best to proceed and will have seen most incidences before. 
To best prepare for the unexpected, you should set aside some budget and some extra time that can be factored into your project plan in case of delay or issue.

Budget Hiccups

Even the most experienced of home renovator may not be able to accurately predict what will happen with the set budget. Ensuring there is some extra money set aside ‘just in case’ can help provide a buffer, and if not spent, can be spent however you like – maybe on some extras for your new look house?
If your project does stay on track budget-wise, it’s still not uncommon to experience some anxiety with the constant stream of money being spent. Unless you often drop big bucks on building works, it’s totally normal to be uncomfortable with the constant signing off cheques and transferring of cash.

Change Orders or Variations

A Change Order or Variation is a document confirming a change of work, with details and amended cost information; be that increased or reduced. They can also be used to resolve allowances – the placeholders put into budgets intended for specific items that can’t be confirmed ahead of time. 
Change Orders can come thick and fast for work you have planned and booked, so be ready to sign them off at all times of the day and throughout the project, sometimes without much prior notice.

Delays

Home renovation projects are almost always delayed at some point, so build in an extension (or two) to your timeline before you invite people round to see the end result.
Weather issues, staffing problems and order delays all happen and facing them head on rather than panicking is the best way to deal with it. The world is not a perfect place, but taking the time to get things done right rather than right on time means that your new living space can be.

Decision Making

You may think that you’ve already decided on everything you need to, but your project plan is really just the beginning. You’re likely to be asked to make decisions almost daily throughout the project period and there will be some that require a snap decision – even if you hadn’t thought about them before.
Hardware will need to be mounted, heights dictated for fixtures, and finishes for fittings. It’s not uncommon to be asked numerous questions every day and often at awkward times. Take a breath, think twice, and make a decision; the responsibility of taking on constant questioning will soon be over!

Outlying Issues

Even once your project has reached completion, there may be one or two small things that haven’t quite been finished up. If a couple of tiles have been broken there may be a small patch without, or if a minor fixture arrives broken it may need replacing. In most cases other people won’t even notice, so don’t point it out and enjoy showing off your new space regardless!

When working with Refresh Renovations we make renovating your home easy, we manage everything from start to finish. Our process has been designed specifically to support you in achieving that dream home renovation on time and within your set budget.

Get in touch!

If you would like to find out how Refresh Renovations can help you with a high quality, efficient home renovation, get in touch today. We will happily provide you with a free no obligations consultation.