When you thought about remodeling your home you probably had ideas of doing it during the summer months with its higher temperatures and longer days. However, this is not the only time of year when you can choose to have work done on your home, and winter is just as viable an option if you go about it in the right way.
Obviously, having contractors set up in your backyard is not going to be an option, as inclement weather and power tools rarely mix well. That said, it can be the perfect time for completing indoor projects at a more budget-friendly price, as contractors and materials tend to be less in demand as the nights draw in. If you wish to embark on a winter remodel, there are some important areas you need to look at to ensure that everything goes smoothly.
#1 Plan Thoroughly
It doesn’t matter what time of year you have your work done; you still need a plan in place. The difference is that having a remodel done in the winter means you have to plan slightly differently. The weather tends to be more unpredictable, so you need to build more flexibility into your schedule to allow for this. You also need to define an area where contractors can work to do things like cut timber or tiles to size. There is no getting around the fact that winter is a time when there will be breaks for various holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas, and these can also disrupt delivery schedules and contractor availability.
Setting A Budget
Of course, a vital part of your plan needs to be your budget, and you need to ensure that you are realistic when you put this together. This will involve researching the work you want done and getting some ballpark figures, especially if you are planning to remodel one of the more expensive areas of your home, like your kitchen or bathroom. You need to build in a contingency for the problems that will inevitably occur or reveal themselves as you remove the current fixtures and fittings.
#2 Hire Experienced Contractors
Even when it is not a legal requirement, you need to make sure you get the professionals involved. Winter can have its own unique challenges, and you need to opt for tradesmen who have tackled tasks like the ones you had for them in the winter before. This is where research and discussions are vitally important because, with so many potential disruptions, you need to have a good rapport with the people who are doing the work for you. This can mean that smaller problems do not escalate into larger ones, and the bigger issues can be dealt with amicably. If you don’t know where to start, you could look for recommendations from family and friends or look to a website like Angie’s List as a starting point.
#3 Have A Back-Up
Having work done in the winter can have a very different effect on your well-being than in the summer, especially if it means the heating or hot water will be turned off for a long period. Sitting wearing your coats in your kitchen or lounge does not appeal, so you need to think about what you can do during these times. Finding alternative accommodation for a couple of weeks is less likely to be expensive in winter, but you will need to find somewhere quite close to where you live. If this is not an option, you can always rely on neighbors for the more basic necessities, and joining a gym can be a way to ensure you can shower every day, even if you have no intention of exercising.
#4 Remember to Relax
Regardless of how well you might have planned everything out, there are still bound to be stresses involved. So you don’t buckle under the additional stress, you need to find different ways to relax. Solutions like meditation might not be an option if you have a home full of contractors making noise, and relaxing with popcorn and a movie might be impossible without electricity.
One option could be to play online games on your phone, and among the most popular of these are online casino games. You can pick them up and put them down when you want to, which can be important if you have contractors asking you questions every 5 minutes. There are plenty of different games available on sites like https://www.jackpotjill.info/en/casino-games/, giving you many options to find something exciting and entertaining to help you chill out.
#5 Check Out New Tech
The one thing a slower-paced remodel in the winter months will allow you to do is explore new tech to put in your home. You might already have a fair number of smart gadgets around the place, but this will provide you with the ideal opportunity to connect them all up and add a few more. The obvious one to start with in the winter months is the heating, so you can look at more efficient ways to control the temperature in your home. This is vitally important with the continuing rise in utility bills, and savings here can even pay for some finishing touches that might not have been in the original budget.
#6 Don’t Forget the Finishing Touches
You might have a specific date to have your winter remodel finished, as it could be part of a family celebration. Even if that is not the case, you will still want to have the finishing touches that set the tone for anybody looking at the work for the first time. This might mean shopping for some new furniture to make the most of a newly created space or an entire set of new towels to fit the color scheme of your new bathroom. Little extras like this can be a well-deserved indulgence after weeks or months of disruption and a reward for a job well done.
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