What You Need to Know About Renovating Your Home with Kids

2

Renovating alone can be stressful enough. However, when you have children in the mix, stress levels can grow exponentially.

And when it comes to remodeling decisions, you have to think about size, colors, functionality and much more. That’s why it’s important to remember that this is only a short-term struggle. You can have your kids’ interests in mind by being strategic with renovations—while keeping the family happy during the process.

Here is a list of top ideas to consider when renovating.

What To Consider When Designing a Kid-friendly Home

When it’s time to remodel your home, be sure to incorporate these kid-friendly space ideas.

1. Give Your Space Personality

This part is where you can indulge in the Disney vibes to create a unique space. An indoor hammock or a galaxy of swirling stars on the ceiling is fun for everyone. 

Kids love secret hideout areas and private nooks. If you have a large basement, consider sectioning it off with a secret door concealed as a bookcase. The kids can pull out a special book to reveal a hidden room behind it.

An unused part of a child’s room makes a great space for creating a comfortable reading nook. It’s also ideal to have a shared walk-in closet—making it suitable for the children to play hide and seek.

2. Create Shared Family Spaces

When creating a family space, consider dedicating certain areas to kids and adults. You can divide the room between an office and a play area for the kids’ entertainment. 

You can also add a sectional sofa and a large TV screen for family movie nights in the living room. When decorating shared family spaces, keep the kids’ décor at bay. This helps make the room more adaptable for when the children get older. 

For instance, you can choose a carpet with a grey undertone for a neutral feel. Then stick with bold colors and patterns when decorating the kids’ rooms.

3. Add Built-ins

Built-ins are excellent for space-saving but also become permanent. However, you can make them simple enough to evolve alongside your kids.

For example, a built-in desk should be large enough so the kids can use it as a coloring station. Once they’re older, it can turn into a workstation when they need to use it to finish homework. 

Built-in bookshelves and cabinets are great for serving kids of all ages. Plus, you can easily change the paint color for a new look when they transition from toddler to teenager.

What You Should Before Renovating Begins

Make home renovating the least chaotic as possible for your sake of sanity. Having a sense of routine will help maintain happiness while keeping your family safe and healthy.

4. Planning

Planning the timing of your renovations will be a saving grace. While renovating during the summer months is more attractive, try to schedule it outside of vacation time. If you plan your renovation while the kids are in school, you’ll have more room for dust and noise to get in the way.

Yet, after-school activities and dinners at the grandparents’ place can help create a safe environment when the kids are away. Plus, your children will have much time to unwind, especially when extra work needs finishing.

5. Prep Meals

When plans for a kitchen remodel are in the works, you won’t have much room to cook family meals. Assuming you won’t lose your kitchen appliances for food storage, plan family meals ahead of time. You can also ask a close family member or friend to come over and watch the kids while you start batch cooking.

Consider making vegetable stir-fries, grilled chicken and fish. All are healthy meals and suitable for freezing.

You’ll also want to buy Tupperware for simple storage in the freezer. In addition, it’s a good idea to store non-perishable foods in large containers. This way, your food will remain free of dust and other harmful contaminants during remodeling.

6. Organize Everything

Expect a lot of dust and debris during your home renovation. When you’re unorganized, the dust can get everywhere–-including in your children’s toys, baby’s bottles, bedding and on yourself. 

Therefore, it’s crucial to invest in storage bins and covers for your furniture. This way, you won’t have to do extra work for yourself when cleaning. 

What to Do During the Renovation

When the renovation is ready to start, ensure the process runs smoothly by taking these quick actions:

7. Safety First

Home remodeling involves sharp tools and heavy equipment. Plus, there’s also the added risk of things falling over. Contractors are focused on installations and painting while they may not be aware of a small child behind them.

To keep your younger children safe, block off access to dangerous areas. Your children may be too young to understand verbal instructions. Therefore, it’s best to keep them in a safe place.

8. Keep a Routine

When your house is in disarray, you can always maintain a sense of order with routine. This could mean having breakfast at the same time each day. Because starting the day with normalcy keeps your family in check.

You should also create designated spaces for older children to have privacy. And if your kids are younger, they’ll need space, too, for playtime. You can also make it fun by camping in the living room for a few weeks. 

As long as you have consistency, all will be fine.

9. Incorporate Family Time

Home is the place where it should make children feel secure. Young children, in particular, will need extra cuddles and physical contact to reassure them through uncertainty. You can also maintain a sense of normalcy by creating one-on-one time with older kids.

Part of this is especially important for you and your partner. Home renovation can become a strain on the relationship. So, spending extra time together can reestablish that connection.

Remind each other why the project started in the first place—and talk about the things you’ll have to look forward to together.

Make Home Renovation Easy

There’s no doubt about the fact that home renovations are notably stressful. Yet, if you use the helpful tips listed above, you can keep the chaos in order.

Place some thought and careful planning before the renovation process begins. Home remodeling may not be an easy task, but you can simplify the process through preparation.

About Author

LaDonna Dennis

LaDonna Dennis is the founder and creator of Mom Blog Society. She wears many hats. She is a Homemaker*Blogger*Crafter*Reader*Pinner*Friend*Animal Lover* Former writer of Frost Illustrated and, Cancer...SURVIVOR! LaDonna is happily married to the love of her life, the mother of 3 grown children and "Grams" to 3 grandchildren. She adores animals and has four furbabies: Makia ( a German Shepherd, whose mission in life is to be her attached to her hip) and Hachie, (an OCD Alaskan Malamute, and Akia (An Alaskan Malamute) who is just sweet as can be. And Sassy, a four-month-old German Shepherd who has quickly stolen her heart and become the most precious fur baby of all times. Aside from the humans in her life, LaDonna's fur babies are her world.

0 0 votes
Article Rating
2 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Joseph Parsons
Joseph Parsons
2 years ago

My wife and I are planning to turn the attic into a children’s room. How safe is it and how much will it cost?

Kelley Wheeler
Kelley Wheeler
2 years ago

Hello. The price will depend on the design of your loft and its size. Assuming this is possible, you will also need enough space to create the desired structures. In general, it is better to ask for help, where I received a click here for accurate prices, and they helped me to convert the attic. I think they can help the willows, so check with him about that. Good luck to you.