5 Tips for Surviving a Remodeling With Kids

Renovating your home is a costly and time-consuming task all on its own, now imagine living through a renovation while the kids are running around the house, screaming in confusion, all the while you’re trying to stay on schedule and keep up with your normal routine.

Yeah, it’s not a pretty picture, and everything can fall into disarray rather quickly. There’s no denying that managing your work, parenting, and marriage responsibilities all at the same time can be a challenge, so if you’re thinking of remodeling, you need a strong battle plan.

That’s why today we are going over some key tips to survive the renovation process with kids, manage your time, keep the kids (and your significant other) happy, and conduct an efficient and effective remodel.

Here are the steps to a hassle-free home renovation.

Explain and set expectations

The first advice for surviving remodeling with small children is to address your kid’s curiosity and set expectations with them.

With kids. It`s natural that they`ll want to know everything that`s going on.

Chances are that you’re not going to be able to get much work done with the contractors (or if you’re repainting a room on your own) if the kiddos are constantly asking questions, touching the tools, or reenacting the battle of Thermopylae in the living room.

So, you need to explain to them what the heck is going on. Hopefully, this will help keep them in check.

The key is to keep the explanation as simple and straightforward as possible, so you need to prepare your answer well in advance.

Seeing as how kids love to pose numerous subsequent questions, be sure to prep a whole host of answers – you know them best so just brainstorm for a bit.

Most importantly, you will need to get them to understand that there are some big changes coming up and that space they once knew is going to look a bit different from now on. Talking about this early on will give them time to adjust.

Keep up with your daily routine

Kids love a healthy routine and are not inclined to show feelings of joy and excitement when something changes suddenly.

Sure, come home with pizza one night and you’re a hero, but start changing their daily routine because of the remodel, and they’ll start to get antsy and cranky. This is why it’s important that you try your best to uphold your routine as long as you can, with minimal disruptions.

Now, depending on the scale of the remodel, you might have to make certain adjustments. For example, you’re remodeling the kitchen, so now you’re having breakfast in the living room.

Great, be sure to make it into a fun game, but most importantly, make sure to uphold your routine and have the meal at the same time every morning. This will help you maintain your schedule, and keep everyone happy.

Work with professionals and your kids

Probably the best way to organize a smooth and enjoyable remodel is to work with a professional, so it is crucial to make sure you’re ready for your home renovation by getting in touch with an experienced contractor.

But when you have kids, you quickly learn that it’s best to keep them in the loop as well.

Children love games and they love being creative, so it’s also important to give your kids a task in the project as well.

This should be something they can do easily, something that won’t jeopardize the look and feel of a room, and poses little to no risk. Like repainting a room.

With your help and guidance, your kids can style their rooms with their own artistic approach – have them draw on the walls, mix paints, and contribute to the repaint any way they can.

Watch the video:

Keep the kids safe

Kids are absolutely amazing. One moment they’re displaying above-average intelligence and showcasing truly unique talents, and the other they’re bumping their heads on the table with a glorious display clumsiness. So, as a loving parent, it’s your job to keep them safe at all times.

This is why it’s imperative to kid-proof the entire house during the remodel, and especially the areas that are currently under renovation.

That said, it would be a wise idea to get them out of the house completely during the biggest of projects. There’s no need for them to listen to the drilling and the pounding, instead, drop them off at their grandparents or at daycare.

Take a break from the remodel

Nobody could blame you for wanting to get the renovation over with as quickly as possible. But you have a family now, your kids are young and they lack the mental and emotional capacity to understand your drive and zeal.

They need a break, and so do you. It’s important to take a step back every once in a while, and take a day off from renovating to reconnect with your loved ones, and do the things you love.

Do not underestimate the importance of relationships and belonging.

These little breaks will help you recharge your batteries and continue the project with a newly-found passion.

To renovate your home means to breathe new life into your living environment, and fall in love with your life all over again.

But if you rush in, chances are you’re not going to have such a great time, so use these tips for surviving a remodel with kids and make it fun and enjoyable while keeping everyone happy.

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Lilly Miller

Lilly Miller is a Sydney-based graphic designer and a passionate writer. Loves everything about home decor, art history, family picnics, and baking. Shares home with two loving dogs and a gecko named Rodney. You can find her hanging out on Twitter. “Poetry creates the myth, the prose writer... Read more draws his own portrait."- Jean-Paul Sartre Read less