Home remodeling is no easy task and requires a lot of work. You’ll have to put up with the chaos, noise, and workers for quite some time until your house is done. Don’t forget that your neighbors will, too. The only difference is that they didn’t ask for your house to be remodeled. That’s why it’s always a good idea to be courteous towards your neighbors and keep your construction under as much control as possible. This will ensure healthy neighborhood relationships and save you from dealing with longtime grudges. Here are some tips to help your renovation run smoothly.
1. Check-in with your neighbors
There’s no reason you can’t ask your neighbors for feedback. You may think you’re doing everything you can to not bother them, but sometimes you can still prove to be an inconvenience. That’s why you should occasionally check-in with your neighbors and ask them if everything’s okay. This will also show them that you care about their well-being. When they notice this, they’ll also realize you’re doing your best and will probably be more tolerable of future inconveniences.
There’s no better way of building strong neighborly relationships than by communicating with your neighbors during these loud and chaotic times. Additionally, you can also inform them about your work schedule. That way you’ll ensure they are not surprised about anything new going on in your construction site. It’ll give them enough time to prepare and will surely save you from arguments and complaints.
2. Pay attention to parking
If you live in an area where there’s street parking, pay attention to where the workers park their vehicles. Avoid your neighbors’ parking spots whenever it’s possible. After all, just because you’re remodeling into something new, it doesn’t mean you’re entitled to all the parking spots on the street. That being said, it still doesn’t hurt to ask your neighbors for help.
If you can’t come up with a better solution, ask to borrow their parking spots. Inform them exactly when and for how long you’ll need them, and don’t abuse their kindness. Additionally, you can even help them find a new parking spot while you’re occupying theirs. It’s important to be very considerate and thoughtful in this situation.
3. Set firm working hours and don’t keep them secret
One of the biggest issues with construction is all the loud noise. Nobody likes being woken up early on weekends or having to put up with construction noises when they’re trying to relax in the afternoon. Alas, this is sometimes a necessary evil in order to finish the work on time. To aid this problem, you should set firm working hours that are considerate to your neighbors.
Start around mid-morning, and don’t work late into the night. Your workers can even take a lunch break so your neighbors can have an hour of peace in the afternoon. If possible, avoid working weekends, or at least, Sundays. Also, make sure to let everyone know when the workers will be doing their job. This way there will be no surprises, and therefore, no reasons to complain.
4. Devise a garbage system
Since there’s going to be a lot of trash involved, as is normal for any construction, it’s important to have a disposal system. You shouldn’t let your workers pollute the neighborhood with anything. Instead, devise a plan with their help. They are bound to know more about disposal than you because this isn’t their first remodeling job, do ask them what they usually do with the waste.
If you like their answer, reinforce that idea. If not, don’t be afraid to voice your own ideas and opinions. For example, you could accumulate waste in piles according to the type of material. Once the construction is done, you can easily recycle all that material. This way you’re keeping your neighborhood clean, and that will be appreciated. Nobody likes seeing trash next to their house.
5. Fence in your construction site
Introducing high-quality crowd control barriers onto your construction site is a great safety measurement. Although high-quality temporary fencing price might seem high, let’s face it, things fall, debris fly in unpredictable places, and someone could get hurt. Your neighbors have either children, or pets, or even gardens that they would like to keep safe from the construction.
That’s why you should be responsible and fence in the construction site, regardless of the cost. This way, you’ll ensure your renovation isn’t the cause of someone else’s misery. On top of that, you’ll keep the construction site more private, and will save yourself from unwanted attention. This will also direct that attention away from your whole neighborhood and will give your neighbors one more reason to be thankful for.
6. Offer discounts
If you haven’t managed to run a smooth operation, and there were some hitches in the way involving your neighbors, try convincing the construction workers to give them a discount for future renovations. Even though you may have been inconsiderate, your workers still did an excellent job, and your neighbors will surely recognize that.
No one will say no to a discount, and it’s a better way of apologizing than just saying “sorry”. It shows you care and didn’t mean to cause a ruckus. Everyone will appreciate the gesture. What’s more, you won’t have to worry about mending old relationships since you’ll do that easily with this step.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are certain things you can do to help your neighbors put up with your remodeling, despite what you might have thought. None of these ideas are too hard to pull off in real life, but they’ll save you a lot of trouble in the end. Just put yourself in your neighbors’ shoes and realize how annoying all the construction can be. They’re real people with real feelings, and it’s important not to forget that. We’re confident the operation will run smoothly and your neighbors won’t complain now that you’ve got these useful tips to rely on.
Liam Smith is a young and aspiring Australian blogger with a passion for everything related to home improvement, design and style. He has a B.Sc. in Interior design and is an avid reader.
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