HOW TO REDUCE STRESS
DURING HOUSE RENOVATIONS
by Clifford Ferreira
The excitement and anticipation of a soon to be bigger or
improved home can quickly be tempered when the works actually
start. When the home is invaded by contractors, piles of material,
rubble, increased noise levels and dust, the entire family can become
stressed.The extent of the alterations or renovations will determine
the impact. If the whole house is being renovated, then the sensible
thing would be to move out until the majority of the works are
done. If the works are localised and the family continues to live in
the house, then the following may be useful in reducing the stress.
Planning is imperative. Everyone in the house should know what
the contractors programme is going to be and the sequence of
events, in order to have a clear picture of what is to come. Without
planning, it may feel like the process is dragging on for ever when
in fact the time taken for the work is reasonable. Additionally, it is
important to ensure that once a realistic programme is received
from the contractor, it is adhered to. Discussing the various activities
with family members based on the builder’s programme in advance
will make everyone feel included, and will prepare them mentally
for the disruption and discomfort to come.
8
Q1
2016
Examples of planning
If the works to be done are in the second bathroom, then the
entire family will be using the principal bathroom - a bathroom
roster will need to be prepared and may mean waking up earlier
in the mornings to allow sufficient bathroom time for everyone. If
bedrooms are being renovated, there may have to be sharing in
some rooms until the works are completed. Putting out-of-season
clothes into storage to make cupboard space available for the
person coming in to share will have to be considered.
If the kitchen area is under renovation, planning is more challenging
as the kitchen forms a central hub in most homes. However, plans
can still be put in place to use outdoor fire or patio braai areas
as temporary kitchens for preparing principal meals. Eating out or
ordering takeaways can fill in for times when it is not possible to
use temporary outdoor/patio kitchen areas. Living areas such as
the lounge, TV room and dining rooms should prove less difficult
to deal with as they are interchangeable. If the family has use of a
granny flat or a caravan these, would make life easier for temporary
cooking and/or accommodation.
Working with the contractor to minimise the impact is important.
Have the contractor close off the areas of the house being worked
on either with temporary board or at least with dust sheets secured
from the ceilings to the floors. If the contractor’s team is given a
dedicated entrance and they are limited to specific areas of the
house it will make occupants’ lives easier and limit the spread of
dust, materials & rubble.
The contractor should be given a dedicated secure area outside
the house to keep lower value large tools and material so they
don’t end up being spread all over the property. He should also
be instructed to properly clean areas being worked on at the end
of each day. Regular meetings with the principal contractor to
monitor the progress and see if there are other ways to minimise
the impact of the works are advisable. Discuss and agree on the
most appropriate timing if it is necessary for the contractor to
do plumbing or electrical works that may affect supply to other
parts of the house. Schedule times when children are at school and
adults are at work or out of the house. Discuss ways of making the
contractor’s job as streamline as possible.The easier the contractor’s
job is, the sooner he will complete the work.
Probably the single most important factor though is to keep
everyone focused on how their lives will be improved once the
works are completed and to remember the current discomfort is
only temporary.