Home renovations can come with a good amount of stress.

It can be stressful to have your home renovated – even if you’re not doing the work yourself. Between the mess of having furniture moved around, dust from demolition and construction, and the inconvenience of having part of your house ripped apart or power and water turned off, there are plenty of reasons a home renovation can lead to stress.

Here are some tips for how to cope with a home renovation and try to ratchet down the stress level as much as possible.

1. Follow your contractor’s recommendations.

If your contractor recommends leaving the premises during the renovation, they probably have a good reason for doing so. For major renovations, it just may not be feasible to stay on the premises, breathing in dust and trying to keep your takeout clean long enough to eat it. Take the opportunity to get away for a few days, or at least stay with a local family member or the local motel until the contractor says it’s safe to come back. You can check on progress even if you’re not staying on the premises, if you’re local.

Sure, it costs more money to get a rental for a few days or weeks, depending on the scope of the renovation. But some contractors will charge more money if you stay on site, just because it requires them to clean up more frequently or takes more time to work around family members or pets. The net cost of leaving the premises may not actually be as much as you think.

2. Ask questions.

If you think you see the contractor doing something different from what you agreed to, it’s definitely okay to ask questions and get clarification on what is being done. Misunderstandings do happen, and it’s better to get things straightened out before the work is done than after. For spouses in a DIY project, asking questions may provoke a negative reaction, but it’s still more cost-effective to clarify before mistakes are made.

3. Expect problems.

Sometimes, stress is caused by the expectation that everything will go smoothly. When it doesn’t, there is shock and anger, even when such setbacks are completely normal. Most renovations don’t go perfectly, especially when you’re doing the work yourself. Allowing extra time and money to handle whatever problems come up will greatly alleviate your stress and anxiety compared to expecting the going to be smooth and problem-free.

When you make a realistic budget that allows for inevitable mistakes and problems, you may find that it doesn’t cost all that much more to have a professional do the work, which saves you or your spouse a lot of time and aggravation.

4. Anticipate the end result.

When you begin to lose sight of why you ever wanted to do a renovation in the first place, remember what the end result is supposed to look like and hang in there. It will all be over soon, and then you will be able to enjoy your new, improved space.

From window replacement to roof repair, Moonworks can handle many of your home renovation needs. Call us at 1-800-975-6666 to get your free estimate.