No matter the scale of the home upgrade you wish to take on chances are that. More likely than not, it’s going to be very stressful. Of course, every home upgrade happens for a reason. Be it sprucing up the current design, improving the functionality or simply changing things up a bit. However, a green home upgrade, aside from all of these, has an additional purpose. To make your home less harmful to the environment and bring you one step closer to preserving our only natural habitat.

So, if you’re planning on taking on a green renovation project, you’ll – of course – want to do it in style but without causing additional harm to our environment. Here are some tips that will make this entire project considerably easier and less stressful.

Make a game plan

First and foremost, you’ll need to make a game plan, simply. Because without a clear plan in place it’s very easy to get lost and become overwhelmed with the entire project. So, determine what you wish to upgrade, organize all the work that needs to be done ahead of time. Additionally, make all other necessary preparations. Additionally, research all the green solutions you wish to implement in your home to see what the best options are. Both price-wise and transportation-wise. For example, while bamboo is considered to be very green and eco-friendly. The fact is that it’s mostly grown, harvested and transported from Southeast Asia. Which significantly lowers its eco-friendliness if you count in all the carbon emission during transportation.

Prepare your space for the upgrade

Next, once the scheduled renovation date approaches, about a week before the actual work starts. You should start preparing your home for the project. Depending on the scale of the upgrade – a single room vs. the entire home – you should make some necessary preparations upfront. So, definitely clean your space before the upgrade. Because you’ll have to clean it after the upgrade as well – this way you will be cleaning your home thoroughly twice. But it will be much easier because it won’t be super dirty. Next, if there are any rooms you’re not planning on renovating – close them off completely. Going through your stuff is nobody’s business but yours, and we’re not saying that someone will, but this way, you’ll simply have some extra peace of mind. Finally, talk to the main contractor in charge and determine who will be unlocking and locking your house every day.

Relocate your belongings

First, rent out a storage unit so that you have a place to relocate your belongings during the upgrade without having to worry about their safety. Next, wrap up all of your belongings to keep them safe and pack them in boxes. It would be best to wrap your furniture pieces in multiple layers of bubble wrap to prevent any damage of chipping, but if you want to do this in an eco-friendly manner as well, you can wrap it in old covers and blankets you can later wash and donate to a local animal shelter. Finally, once everything is wrapped up and ready to go, rent a moving vehicle to transport your things.

For example, a reliable Budget truck rental agency has various truck and vans in their offer. So you’ll definitely be able to find something that suits your needs. Transporting goods by yourself will not only reduce the chances of mishandling, but it will also lower your expenses.

Be there

Now, many people make the mistake of hiring contractors to take care of the upgrade. And think that they shouldn’t be present themselves during the entire process. While it is true that the contractors you’ve hired are all trained professionals. Furthermore, you really can’t do much to help them. You should still be present during the remodel to make sure everything’s going according to the plan. If you notice you’re not happy with the way something’s turning out to be. It’s always better to voice your concerns and see if there can be any alterations made in the early stages of the project. Rather than waiting for the entire project to complete and only then finding out that you’re not happy with the outcome.

Make a contingency plan

No matter how well you research and organize everything, chances are that something will potentially go wrong. That’s why you should always have a contingency plan in place. To make sure you’re prepared to take on everything that comes your way. So, definitely have some extra money on the side. Just in case there happen to be some unplanned expenses. And maybe even have phone numbers of backup contractors in case the original ones you initially hired cannot finish the project for one reason or the other. Finally, talk to your neighbors and ask them if they could keep an eye on the works while you’re not there to make sure that you’ll be contacted immediately in case something happens to go sideways.

So yes, a home renovation project is a big deal, and no, there is no magic formula that can make it completely stress-free. However, if you prepare well and organize everything ahead of time, chances are that it won’t be as stressful as everybody thinks it is.

By Chloe Taylor