Any remodeling project creates disturbances to your home and family routines. Properly managing the disturbances is an important factor in your overall satisfaction of the project.
I put this article together for you based on my years of experience doing home remodeling and room additions.
Two items that are too often overlooked by potential clients looking for a contractor are:
How is a contractor going to handle waste?
How will the contractor protect your home and family from dust?
Keeping dust to a minimum.
Zipper Door Containment
Room additions are relatively easy to keep contained. Here are just a couple things that I do to ensure the comfort of my customers during their home renovation project.
Proper planning will make sure we don’t disturb the existing house until the last possible minute. When possible I prefer to have the room addition completely finished before even entering the home. Although that is not always possible and is dependent on how the room addition will be attached and area of the opening between the existing home.
If I have to have the wall open between the new and existing room addition I like to install a curtain door. It’s essentially a plastic sheet stapled and sealed around the perimeter of the opening. For access, we install a sealed zipper door in the plastic sheet. When we need to go into the home all we do is open the zipper and use it as a doorway. While working the zipper stays closed, and the area is sealed, minimizing dust.
Portable Air Scrubber
Four season room additions may have heat ducts and cold air returns that are connected to the households main heating system. It’s important that after these are installed, at minimum, the cold air return is covered with some sort of dust protection if not plugged altogether. This will prevent dust being pulled in from the new space into the furnace filter and spread through the rest of the home.
Another dust control method is an air filtration system. I use one that takes air from inside the room, filters it, and forces it out a window or door. In this case, where there is a zipper door this will create a negative pressure inside the room addition and further keep dust from inadvertently traveling into the main home.
Waste storage, removal and cost.
Construction waste is usually a topic that goes under-discussed with clients. With any remodel project there will be waste generated. From demolition waste to new material waste and packaging waste, where do we put is? Traditionally your contractor will order a large roll-off dumpster and store it in your driveway for the duration of the project. While this works well for the contractor, they are large and will take up the parking space of one or two average cars. Dumpsters can also quickly become an eyesore, for you and your neighbors alike. Whenever possible I have been using a smaller trailer for waste removal. The trailer is smaller and will only have to be onsite during the peak waste generating phases. This also adds cost savings to the project as I take the construction waste to the dump myself. This option has been a subtle change in daily operations that clients, and their neighbors, really appreciate.
Open your home, or limit access.
What level of access to your home are you comfortable with?
You will get to know and develop a rapport with the contractor and other personnel that will be on the job site consistently. Homeowners typically become fairly comfortable with giving them unmonitored access to the home. There may also be several specialty contractors, e.g electrical or HVAC, that are at the job site for only a day or two.
Access to the homes bathroom facilities is often where the clients convey their sensitivity to allowing unrestricted construction personnel access. If you think this may be a concern for your family, please make sure and discuss the option to have on-site sanitation service during the project.
These principles can be applied to most any project successfully and will ensure the utmost comfort for your family during your remodel.
Thank you for your time I look forward to hearing from you on your next project.
– Dean