Remodeling your home can be an exciting and fun experience for some but a nightmare for others. Don’t worry; it’ll be fine. Just take your time and keep these five preparations before home renovation fresh in your mind and on your list. 

Keep Ideas, Receipts, and Contracts Organized. ​ 

• Idea boards like Pinterest or even just a photo album on your phone of screenshots from Google can help you stay organized and stick to what you originally wanted for your home.
• Keep contracts and receipts safe in a binder and a special place; try backing them up online too!
• Utilize calendars and Excel sheets to keep important things scheduled, like when a contractor comes for an estimate.

Be Ready for the Inconveniences.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

• Dust control is a must! Without it, your home may succumb to dust coverage from floor to ceiling and throughout, even in spaces you aren’t renovating. 
• Best Practice: Close off the room being redone with plastic curtains or by closing the doors.

• Create a safe environment for your children and pets, and keep them away from the construction zone before the renovation starts. This will be less of a hassle later.

• If you are remodeling a bathroom, and it’s your only bathroom with the means to bathe, be ready. Set up times with family or friends to use their bathroom. You could also use a gym if you have a membership! Don’t stress; it’s only temporary.

  Update Security Systems.

• With people & appliances going in and coming out of your home, it creates a lot of commotion in your surrounding area for a bit of time. Robbers search for these behaviors! To manage theft and keep your family and home safe, lock your doors! Secure your doors and windows at night and while you are away. If you don’t have one already, consider installing a home security system before starting the renovation.  

     Keep Track of Your Belongings

• Keep a list of your belongings for insurance purposes. This will help in case of natural disasters or break-ins. ​

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Donate or Storage? ​

• This is a great time to go through your possessions. See if you want to keep items and store them during renovation or if you want to donate them. Doing this also helps you clean up your home; moving things in and out will be easier. ​​​

Make Sure Your Home Is Ready​ 

• The foundation of a home is crucial and needs to be healthy to have a lasting lifespan for the home itself. Nothing is worse than remodeling your home to have your foundation, basement, or crawl space not be sound and destroy your renovations over time with water and mold damage.
• Find a great company with good reviews and pricing. The company you are looking for should also offer free limited lifetime warranties. It would be best if you never had to pay for a warranty for a service already done.