Anytime you are having any work done to your house, on the inside or outside, it requires planning and preparation. When considering exterior home remodeling, you want to plan for it in the spring and summer months. There are things to consider before the work begins and while the work is in progress. You want to make it easy for the contractors to do their jobs effectively in an effort to reduce the time and money spent on the home remodel. Consider these preparation tips before you start any remodeling work on your house.
Schedule in Advance
Spring and summer are busy times for contractors. If you plan ahead, you can avoid delays in scheduling. If you have not gotten on their schedule several months in advance of when you want the work to start, you may have difficulty scheduling your project. If you wait too long to plan, you may have to wait another year to do the project. You do not want to squeeze your project in for any contractor. Exterior renovations are expensive, and you want them done correctly. You can expect to spend over $10,000 on home renovations.
Prepare the Site
You would be surprised at how the smallest steps make the most considerable impact on a contractor. If you simply clear the path for your contractors, it can save time and frustration. Before the project begins, you want to clear out your driveway. Move your cars and any other items that typically sit in your driveway. Next, you should move your patio furniture and grill. If you do not want to move them, then you should at least cover them. It would be best if you kept in mind that scaffolding may block access to your garage. Acknowledge that this renovation may cause temporary annoyances but will be beneficial in the long run. For exterior projects, new roofing recovers as much as 107% of the cost you pay, which makes the minor frustration you face worth it.
Do Not Overlook the Inside
Even though the work is on the exterior of your home, the interior could be impacted. You want to think about taking pictures and mirrors off the wall when you are having roofing work done. You want to remove items that are in the areas where the workers are located that could be damaged. If you are having windows replaced, workers need access to the inside of your house, too. You also want to ensure there isn’t anything in the way preventing them from getting to the windows.
Tell Your Neighbors
It is a good idea to display some courtesy by telling your neighbors about the home improvement work. It would be best if you let them know there could be a lot of noise, large vehicles, or dumpsters at your house. While it may annoy them, at least they will be aware that the work is happening. You may want to alert them as to the type of work that is happening. This way, they can prepare themselves. If you are having landscaping work done, there may be some minor impact to their landscaping if they are next door to you. In the U.S., there is an estimated 67% of all landscaping projects involve single-family homes.
There are just a few ways to prepare yourself for exterior work happening on your home. If you have pets and children, you want to make plans for them, so they are not in the way or completely disturbed by the work happening. It would be best if you also considered who you want to allow access to the inside of your home while the work is being done. Planning out all of these things will allow your project to move along much more smoothly.
