Living Through a Renovation: Survival Tips for Homeowners

What you’ll find in this guide to living comfortably through your renovation:

To help you feel prepared, informed, and in control throughout your renovation, this article covers:

• What to expect during common remodeling projects—including kitchens, bathrooms, additions, and window replacements.
• How long disruptions typically last and how to adjust your daily routines around them.
• Ways to stay comfortable and safe by managing dust, noise, pets, and foot traffic in your home.
• Tips for preparing your space before the work begins, from decluttering to protecting valuables.
• How to communicate clearly with your renovation experts so you stay confident and informed at every step.
• Organization strategies for tracking timelines, milestones, and decisions throughout the project.
• Mindset tips for surviving the mess and giving yourself grace during the most chaotic days.
• Where Great Day can make remodeling easier, including one-day bathroom upgrades designed to reduce downtime and keep your home functional.

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Making the decision to remodel your home is a big one. Whether it’s a bathroom remodel or adding on an entire addition, remodeling can take a toll on you. You can survive a remodel by preparing ahead of time and knowing what you’re getting into. At Great Day, we can walk you through any process!

What to Expect During a Major Home Renovation 

Kitchen Remodel 

A kitchen remodel can be the most disruptive. The kitchen is the center of action in a home. What do you lose? Most of the time, the ability to cook, clean dishes, and sometimes even access to food.  

Logistically, the kitchen is often located at the center of the home as well. This means close proximity to the dust, debris, and noise.  

How can you prepare for the kitchen remodel? Plan a ‘kitchenette’ to use while the main kitchen is out of service. Relocate the microwave, toaster oven, bring in a mini-fridge, and even a hot plate. You can use the dining room or perhaps part of the garage. Use paper plates and plastic silverware to cut down on dishes, and consider take-out or even eating out.  

Use plastic barriers that zip to keep the dust and debris from settling in other parts of the home. Also, have a conversation with your contractor about agreed-upon times that the construction will end to give you peace and quiet at the end of the day.  

Bathroom Remodel 

This disruption can range from a mild inconvenience to an extremely challenging one depending on how many bathrooms you have and the extent of the remodel. The loss of a shower, toilet, and sink is a major inconvenience. In addition, if the contractor finds mold or moisture problems, additional construction may extend the life of the project.  

If you are remodeling your only bathroom, consider making arrangements at a neighbor’s for showering and leaving the toilet accessible until the very last possible moment. When the toilet must come out, you may need to consider time spent outside the home until a new toilet is installed.  

But here’s the good news: you don’t have to take on a full-scale demolition for a great bathroom transformation. Great Day offers bathroom improvements that can be completed in as little as one day—so you don’t have to live without one of the most essential rooms in your home. Homeowners can enjoy a refreshed, functional, beautiful bathroom without the long-term disruption traditional remodeling typically brings. It’s part of our commitment to designing the renovation process around you—your schedule, your comfort, and your home.

Whole-House or Addition Remodel 

This can be the biggest upheaval to a homeowner. A whole-house or addition can be several weeks to months in duration. Oftentimes, a contractor can work on the bulk of an addition outside the home until the end when the addition is joined to the house. At that point in the project, you’ll be faced with dust and debris, noise, and a gaping hole in your home.  

It’s a good idea to remove all electronics that are in close proximity to the construction zone, and anything else of value as the dust can be pervasive even with the plastic barriers. Have HEPA filters installed to prevent the dust from traveling throughout the rest of the home.  

If a project is scheduled to last 3-4 months or more, consideration should be made to move out. Fatigue sets in quickly when it comes to remodeling. Staying away from the project gives you a fresh perspective which is important when it comes to making design decisions.  

Window Replacement 

A window replacement is less likely to be disruptive as some of the other remodels. However, it’s still important to be ready for it.  

A window replacement can be done quickly if it’s a single window. However, most homeowners opt to replace all the windows at once to keep them on the same schedule. When this is the case, an entire home replacement can be several days to a week.  

The good news is that you can function in the rooms that are not being worked on and rotate as the installers move through your home. 

At Great Day, we offer these remodels and many more. Call us or check out our website to see projects from our happy homeowners.   

Preparing Your Space: Before the Work Begins 

Decluttering & Clearing Work Zones 

Decluttering and clearing the work zone is one of the most important steps you’ll take before a remodel begins. Once you’ve selected the room to be remodeled, purge, purge, purge.  

Use this opportunity to donate what you no longer use, throw away what no longer works, and keep what you still need. Pack the belongings you need and start to clear the work zone.  

Remove everything: furniture, artwork, curtains, rugs—don’t leave anything! Take everything off the walls, including shelving. Consider an off-site storage unit if space is an issue.  

Next, make an inventory of all the valuables before packing them away.  

Communicating Clearly with Your Contractor 

Right from the start, establish a clear and consistent line of communication with your contractor. You will want to discuss: 

• budget 
• timeline 
• when does the contractor update you 
• when will you make design decisions 
• how and when you want to communicate 

Staying Comfortable & Safe During the Remodel 

Managing Dust, Noise, & Pets 

Dust 

• Protect yourself and your family by installing heavy-duty plastic barriers around the construction zone.  
• Seal the HVAC registers and return systems with painters tape. Make sure you don’t run the systems.  
• Run HEPA Air scrubbers—buy an air filtration unit for the work zone.  
• Insist on outside cuts–ask your contractor to do all the cutting outside.  
• Daily clean up—Make sure the crew wet wipes and vacuums every day before they leave.  

Noise 

• Schedule—find out from the contractor when the loudest construction will be done and plan to be away or in a different part of the house.  
• Create a quiet zone—choose an area furthest from the construction and add curtains, rugs, blankets to soften the noise.  
• Consider noise canceling gear for your ears.  

Pets 

• Designate a “pet zone”—an area that is securely blocked off and has access to a doggy or cat door if there is one or secured from the construction.  
• Stick to their feeding and walking schedule.  
• Make sure the crew knows about the pets and where they are.  
• If the noise causes too much anxiety, consider temporary relocation.  

Organization & Sanity Tips for the Remodel Timeline 

Daily Routine 

Sticking to a daily routine as best you can will go a long way to helping you keep your sanity. Do you go to the gym every morning? Keep that up. Are you in charge of afternoon carpool? Make that commitment stick. You’ll feel like yourself when you stick to the daily activities you enjoyed before the remodel.  

If you have a family at home, keeping a daily routine will extend to them as well. Mealtimes can still be kept even if they look a little different. Eat dinner at the same time –it may just be in a different place.  

Tracking Milestones & Project Updates 

Before the remodel begins, create a binder to keep the milestones, updates, receipts, notes—everything related to the remodel. Create a timeline section, a budget section, an update section, a milestone section, a contracts section, one for permits/codes. 

Take pictures every step of the way. You’ll enjoy seeing the progress after!  

Choose designs and features (like new windows, sinks, etc) before demolition begins. If there is a delay in delivery, the contractor has time to receive the product before it’s time for installation.  

Giving Yourself Grace During the Mess 

This is often one of the hardest parts of a remodel. You’re used to your home looking a certain way, smelling a certain way, feeling a certain way. Accept the fact that for the duration of this project, your home will not be clean—at least to your standards. The cleaning will be constant. However, the payoff will be worth it! 

Final Thoughts: Surviving the Chaos—And Loving the Result 

Remodeling is tough. No doubt about it. When you get to the end, and you see the transformation in your home, you’ll wonder why you didn’t do it sooner. At Great Day, we are here to listen to your frustrations, answer your questions, guide you to the best contractor for your project, and produce a result you’ll love forever. Call Great Day today for a free quote! 

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Great Day has answers and solutions to many more questions about your home remodeling projects!