Your work doesn’t stop once the renovation is over, but you aren’t too far away from enjoying your awesome new living quarters. Renovating your home leaves some important new tasks to be negotiated before the process is completely over. The sooner you knock out the last items on the checklist, the sooner you can entertain your friends and family in your new and improved space.
1. Make Sure All Your Bills Are Paid
Renovations are expensive. The last thing you want to do is fall behind on your bills. Make sure everyone who worked on your home is paid, from the plumbers to the painters to the interior decorators that helped make the creative and technical decisions. Don’t make people chase your for invoices. Managing your outstanding bills will keep you from encountering financial trouble in the wake of your renovation, particularly if it was expensive.
2. Have the Old Equipment Hauled Away
When the new comes in, the old needs to go out. Plan to properly dispose of items leftover from the remodel. You likely don’t have the space to store everything you no longer need. Donate furniture and appliances that can live out the rest of their lives in another home. Properly dispose of what’s left. Some if it can be recycled, and other things can be partially recycled. It may take you a while to separate the components if you can’t find a local facility that can do it for you.
3. Give Your Home a Deep Cleaning
Even if everything is shiny and new, your house is likely still dirty. When all the old equipment has been hauled out, dirt and dust will run rampant. Construction kicks up a lot of particles that will find their way to high shelves or the tops of your furniture. Workers going in and out have likely tracked dirt in places you’d least expect. When you’re done having people come in and out, give your whole house a deep clean.
4. Protect New Surfaces
Your floors and countertops might still need to be sealed. If they’re unfinished, they’re vulnerable to damage. Unless the people who installed your new surfaces specified that they were already sealed, you might need to do it yourself. If you can’t, call them back. Every type of material will need to be resealed at a different rate. Keep a calendar to remind you to redo finishing treatments when the time comes. The surfaces won’t become vulnerable and age prematurely if they’re always protected.
5. Learn Your New Routines
Your cleaning schedule and household chores have probably changed. Don’t let the renovation throw you for a loop. You don’t need to wash the dishes if you just had a dishwasher installed. The monthly shampooing of your carpets won’t be an issue if you’ve taken all the carpet out of your house. Consider how your renovations will simplify or change your current routines and develop new strategies for your family. The household chores will probably take a lot less time
6. Investigate Your Home’s New Value
Renovations increase the value of a home – sometimes overwhelmingly. The value of a property affects a lot of things. If you’ve renovated a home you intend to rent, you might be able to charge more. Some improvements or modifications to your home may affect your homeowner’s insurance. Drastic changes in the value of your property can impact your mortgage in a great way, making you owe much less than the home is worth and setting you up for an impressive payday when it comes time to sell. You won’t know exactly how you’re affected until you have an appraiser come in and take a look.
7. Focus on the Little Touches
A renovation is rarely personal. It improves the overall aesthetic, but it won’t make your house feel like a home. Put the family photos and special relics back where they belong. Invite people over and share the experience once your old house finally feels like your new home.
Maintaining your home is a lifelong process, even long after the renovation is done. Be sure to take care of your home to make the new feeling last for years to come
Melanie Saunders is a blogger and content manager at 1300 Rubbish – experts in the field of rubbish and junk removal. Personally, a huge fan of sustainability and green living.