Many of you have done some type of remodeling on a home. But we
wanted to provide the basic tips for those who may be looking at
remodeling for the first time. We always recommend using contractors
that were recommended by others, but ask to see their work. Ask
for referrals and ask if you can see some of the jobs they have
done. You can be picky on the look and professional work they have
done. It is your home or investment.
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Be very, very careful picking
somebody to remodel your home. Do not hire people who drop flyers
off in your mailbox, or who ring your doorbell and tell you
your roof or gutters need fixing.
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For a minor renovation
job, take recommendations for a remodeler from friends and neighbors.
For a major renovation job, anything above $10,000, get recommendations
from the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI)
or the Remodelers Council of the National Association of Home
Builders. Update!
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Ask candidates for your
remodeling job for the last 10 homes they've worked on, a description
of what they did, the dates they started those jobs, the dates
the jobs were completed, and how to contact each owner.
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Ask what kind of insurance
each contractor carries. Protect yourself by hiring people who
have a current certificate of insurance or by making sure you
have enough liability coverage in your homeowner's policy in
case someone who's uninsured is hurt on your property.
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Don't sign a standard builders
supply house contract for a remodeling job. Instead, consider
using a contract from the American Institute of Architects (AIA).
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Get subcontractors to waive
their right to place a lien on your home if they aren't paid
by the contractor.
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Never agree to any contract
that calls for a large payment up front. Devise with the contractor
a reasonable timeline and pay schedule, under which the contractor
is paid as work is completed. In the contract, include penalties
against the contractor for failing to complete the job on time.
Remodeling: Making kids feel at
home
Kids need to be seen and heard, when it comes to remodeling
your home – after all, they live there too. When you're tearing
off the roof over their heads, closing off the family room and
shutting down a bathroom in the home of five kids, you can bet
your children are just as anxious and as excited as you. Kids
will vary in temperament, just like adults. Some can function
just fine amid the chaos of remodeling, while others come apart.
It's important to reassure them that it's a building process and
let them participate on some level.
Secure the Area
Keeping kids out of harms way is still your primary concern. They
are more vulnerable to injury than adults, but they are curious.
You see a pile of scrap. They see a mountain to scale. Other suggestions:
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Keep kids away from the
site, just as you would keep them away from a busy street. During
the most intensive week of renovation, have your children visit
their grandparents, a relative or stay at a friend's house,
if possible. If not, think about moving the entire family to
an inexpensive motel nearby. Make it an adventure.
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Physically block off hazardous
areas. Use a rope, a plywood barricade, whatever it takes to
safely prevent children from wandering into the construction
site. If you can close off the area by simply shutting a door,
great. But do check each evening to make sure it's closed and
locked.
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Pet secure your area as
well with baby gates or other items that will keep your pet
out of the remodeling space. Pets are just as important as kids.
Injury isn't necessarily the only concern.
Hang a tarp over an entrance like a stairway to the second floor.
It will catch a lot of the dust coming down from the construction
area if you are remodeling a second floor or a roof. On a day-to-day
basis, dust is a major concern not only for adults but for kids
and pets too.
Kids At Work
Once the location is secure, help your kids to feel secure.
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Let children make choices.
The design phase is a good time to include your kids, especially
when it involves their room or rooms they spend time in. A child's
unbridled creativity can be put to use when choosing colors,
finish, furnishings and accessories, as well as where their
toys will be placed.
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Make it educational. Davis
suggests taking you children on field trips to other sites in
various stages of construction. This can help them understand
how the work at home will progress.
Let your kids observe by just standing
on the sidewalk, safely out of the way. Watching the crew work,
can be fun and educational, as well as make the children more
comfortable when things start happening in their own home. Teach
your kids to read floor plans. Turn this event into a school project.
And finally, pick professionals who also have and like kids. There's
nothing worse than a grumpy carpenter cursing your children when
he's hammered his thumb.
The truth is that children, really aren't
so very different from adults. It's much easier for kids to buy
into the whole building process if they understand what's going
on, and know how it will end. As for how they will react, they'll
be taking their cue from you. What we all need to remember is
that we are role models for our kids all the time. When remodeling,
we need to cut them some slack, they will do the same in return
for you.
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