In eight weeks or less, I hope to be sitting back in our new soaking tub with delicious bubbles sky high. Today it is the calm before the storm. Demo starts this week. Yikes! But as I sit here typing, I know that our design plan is locked and loaded, everything has been purchased and is on site, and we are 100% officially moved out of our bathroom. And by bathroom, I mean our bathroom, closet, and our bedroom.
If you're dreaming of a new bathroom in your new build or considering taking on a bathroom remodel, know that the minimization of chaos comes from the pre-planning - no ifs, ands, or buts about it.
Have a look at my best advice for preparing for a bathroom remodel while you're still living in your house!
Preparing for a Bathroom Remodel
1. Mentally Prepare
Even though I do this for clients and for a living, I still had to mentally prepare and get my family, especially the hubs, prepared for this renovation. I like order and he likes peace and quiet, and we both know that all hell is about to break loose. Even with the best of planning, with us living here, it's going to be a challenge for the next 6 to 8 weeks or so. We keep reminding each other that when we get overwhelmed with the chaos, that our finished bathroom and closet are going to be amazing. But I highly suggest getting ready early in order to help avoid overwhelm.
Since we're doing our primary bathroom, I'll be focusing my tips on that type of space, but you can also take many of these tips into a kitchen renovation as well.
2. Get Organized and Get Supplies
Stackable plastic storage totes or moving boxes
Bubble wrap, newspaper, craft or tissue paper to wrap fragile items
Packing tape
Label maker or sharpie marker
3. Start Early and Get Packing!
We began plotting our packing 2-3 months before our planned project date so that we could move through areas, taking our time to clean as we went and also taking the time to declutter and organize. As we sort, any items deemed donate or trash are set aside in two different piles, donate or trash. At the end of each packing session, those piles are taken out of our house, either to the trash bin or to the back of one of our cars to be taken to the local charity shop we like to give donate to. I personally have found that things are easier to let go of if you immediately get them out of your house. Make the decision and stick to it is our personal mantra for decluttering, especially if you haven't touched it in more than a year. Chances are you really don't need it.
For items we rarely use but want to keep, or things that are out of season like clothing and shoes, we pack those separately. For this move, I saved all the larger cardboard boxes that our plumbing fixtures arrived in. Those now host the plastic labeled shoe containers and other items already in smaller boxes and containers. Larger stackable containers now house out of season jeans, pants, athletic wear. Fragile items like keepsakes from my kids and my parents are wrapped and gently stacked inside hard shell plastic storage bins. While these types of bins are not inexpensive and may seem like a waste of money months before your project begins, once construction begins and everything is neatly stored and safely put away, you'll be glad you spent the money.
Remember to label your boxes, either with a sharpie marker or a label maker. I highly suggest labeling on two different places, one being the top, and the other along the side. If packing multiple rooms, you could even go so far as to use different colored packing tape or colored note cards or labels, one color per room. When stacking your items in the designated storage spot, remember to place the label where you can see it rather than facing the wall. You'll thank me when you're not having to move ten boxes to get to it to remind yourself what's in it.
For everyday items, such as cosmetics and favorite clothing, these will be packed last. Some of you might remember that we originally planned this renovation for three years ago and as I sit here typing, we are experiencing the same arctic weather. So far so good and the power remains on, thankfully, and we are scheduled to begin our demo at the end of the week. For this updated renovation plan, we strategically planned the start date to coincide after the holidays and once our kids went back to college since we are taking over two of their rooms as our own for the next couple of months. One bedroom is set up as a closet of sorts, with foldable packing bins filled with everyday items like socks, undies, and pajamas.
What about framed photos and art?
I highly suggest that you take photos of your room and all the walls for future reference before demo day, especially for those of you who want to hang photos or artwork in the same place as before. Since construction can cause walls to vibrate and dust will surely ensue, I also suggest you take everything down, dust the frame as needed, and move items to safer ground. For fragile items, consider wrapping in bubble wrap or some sort of cushion. We used large towels to buffer between pieces and stacked them on their sides in a protected area of our kids bedroom. Since we painted our primary bedroom a few months ago, I'm choosing to leave our hanging hardware where it is as is, but if your plan involves painting your walls, grab the hanging equipment and place it in a Ziploc container bag. Make sure you mark the bag as to which piece it goes to or attach it to the piece as you see fit.
What else am I forgetting?
Besides artwork, I'm planning to take down the window treatments in our bedroom since workers will be in and out walking past with debris and what not. Since these are relatively new, I'll take them down and store them in another room but it would be a great time for you to take yours down and have them professionally cleaned. Depending on your project timeline, your favorite cleaner may also be willing to hold after cleaning but triple check beforehand. We're moving small electronics like alarm clocks and reading lamps into our temporary bedroom. Larger electronics like wall mounted televisions should be unplugged and covered or removed and stored since dust particles travel far and wide.
Wish us luck - I'm excited for the end result, but we have to make it through these next few months. Stay tuned next week as we break down the costs involved with this bathroom remodel too!
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