Children and Pet Safety During a Home Renovation

Your family is expanding, your children are growing, perhaps you’ve gotten a new dog or two. Whatever the reason, you have decided that the size and space of your home isn’t cutting it anymore, and it’s time to renovate. 

A home renovation is an exciting life change, but it’s also a stressful one, and creates a lot of roadblocks in your day to day life for the foreseeable future. And with your little ones and beloved pets in the mix, that’s even more to consider. Will they adjust to altered routines? Where will they play? How can you make sure they stay safe? 

We acknowledge that renovating your home with children and pets is a big stressor on top of an already tumultuous life change. Though relocating during a renovation answers a lot of those questions, it isn’t an option that everyone has- especially living in largely rural New Hampshire. Our goal during your home renovation is to meet you where you are and do everything in our power to make sure you are in control, that your needs are met. For this reason, we have compiled together a few points on how you can best make sure your family and pets are safe and sound during your home renovation.

1. Repurpose rooms

Repurposing rooms to serve multiple functions will be a lifesaver during your home renovation. If cooking in your kitchen is out of the picture for the next few weeks, designating a corner of your living room for your coffee maker and microwave will help to maintain some normalcy of your morning breakfast routine. The same goes for your kids and pets. Repurposing rooms for their times for playing, snacking, and sleeping will help them to maintain their normal schedules and ease their stress about the routine change, as well as keep them out of rooms that are off-limits. Which brings us to our second point:

2. Thoroughly block-off unsafe rooms

Even after talking with your kids about the construction areas in your home, it’s important to ensure that they aren’t able to access them. Kids and pets are curious, and even when our team is gone for the day and all the tools are away, risks like incomplete structures remain. To ensure the safety of your loved ones, either mark rooms or have us mark rooms that are off limits, or completely obscure the pathway to them. It doesn’t have to be a hefty, elaborate barrier; just enough to deter your children or pets from trying to get by it. 

3. Get outside!

Get outside as much as possible for some family time! This will keep your little ones occupied and give your pets the exercise they need, as well as give everyone a break from the noise and mess that inevitably comes with any renovation. If there are days when getting out is tricky due to weather, make an effort to open any windows or doors for even an hour to ensure that everyone is getting fresh air. Spending an excessive amount of time in one room that’s been repurposed for several uses can get stuffy, and keeping air circulating is an essential during construction! Take advantage of nice days when you have them and take your pets to the park, have picnics outside with your kids, and let everyone get tired out from playing so they sleep soundly!

4. Ask us about temporary accommodations!

If you’re especially concerned about how your family will make do without access to your kitchen, bathroom, or whatever room it is you’re renovating, let us know! We have experience renovating a variety of rooms into temporary accommodations for families who have endured this process just like you. You can also ask us about how to best store your belongings and temporary on-site spaces so that your home renovation goes as smoothly as possible.

Communicating and taking initiatives to accommodate a home renovation as best as you can will save everyone a lot of worry, and make the goal of achieving your dream home that much easier! Our team at Cedar Mill Group wants to work with you to meet you where you are, and give you the reins in both designing and achieving your new remodel. Contact us here if you have a renovation you would like to start talking about.