Covid-19 has been a challenging time for all of us. We are all experiencing terror, panic, and emotions we have rarely felt collectively as a global community at the same time. All of us are trying to make sense of what’s happening around us. To add to the woes, the majority of states in the country are in lockdown, and we don’t know how long the lockdown will continue. It’s hard to believe that while the country is trying to revive from the unexpected jolt of Covid-19, there are some profitable home remodeling tasks one can undertake.
But it’s true! While one can make calculated stock investments at this time too, this applies, especially to the Home Improvement Industry.
While the lockdown has impacted many remodeling projects — the truth is, you can actually benefit from the focused attention of your contractors right now.
I understand that you and your family are just trying to get through each day right now. And it’s totally understandable if you are not up for making decisions about anything else at the moment. It’s fine. But if there’s a chance, you think you can take benefit from this situation, what’s the harm?
It all depends on the particular stage of remodeling you were at before Covid struck. I know it’s a hard decision, and no one’s rushing you — we are merely pointing out both pros and cons of remodeling right now so that you can make the right call.
We understand the dilemma. That’s why we have framed a few guidelines, especially to smoothen the road ahead for you. These may help you to find out if it actually makes sense to give substance to your decision right now.
1. If You are still Planning
Pros
1. More Organized Planning
Consider the time you have on hand if you are yet to start your home remodel. I mean, you have a world of options you can consider. And with all the free time you have, you don’t have to leave anything to fate anymore!
You can ask your friends for tips, exhaust the home design magazines tips, and look for home remodeling designs on the internet. You can even plan a trip down the home improvement showrooms to plan ahead. If you’d rather be home — you can request your remodeling company to give you a virtual consultation too.
2. Discounts and Discounts
We can’t emphasize enough about this.
Take, for instance, the discounts that are being offered by the remodeling companies. Why would anyone want to pay more for the same stuff later on? I mean, look at the sheer number of things you need, just to remodel a single room in the house! The overall cost can be massive.
It’s a smarter move to make the purchases now (even if you remodel later) to save on all the costs. Who doesn’t like a steal, right?
Cons
At the end of the day, it’s all about money. In other words, how do you plan to finance your remodeling project? If you’re planning to finance the task by borrowing money via a personal loan, home equity loan, or even a credit card, think again.
What if the already sinking economy has an impact on your job? How will you pay back the loan in that case? Alternatively, if you have enough savings to see you through the upcoming times, it makes sense to do this now as it will be much cheaper at the moment.
2. If You are Already Renovating
Pros
If you’re already renovating, things are bound to be even more comfortable for you.
By now, you will have cleared the big hurdle of all the needed permits and plans. In other words, you’re in the “just started” stage of your renovation, which is the easiest to handle.
You’ve already given the blueprints to an expert contractor. And it’s up to him and his team to do the labor now. In all probability, you have already purchased every material needed for the job too. Basically, every step is definite after this, and all you have to do is to watch while it happens. This is, without a doubt, a more natural phase than the planning stage.
Cons
You might face a few setbacks with the Covid-19 situation at hand.
If you do go short of a product, there’s no guaranteeing if you’re going to get it. The particular state from which you’re procuring the product may suddenly go in quarantine, which may delay your project.
One way out of this mess is to let your contractor order all the needed equipment immediately to avoid delays later on.
3. If You are midway Through the remodel
Pros
This is the third stage of your remodeling project and the easiest one to tackle thus far.
You are already halfway and there’s no reason to look back now. Remodeling companies are listed as essential services in the USA, and can continue to work on your home remodeling project with added precautions. In fact, this is the time when your contractor will go out of the way to complete your project. He will make sure that the workers intensify their efforts to speed up the task too. Since there might be cancellations, his efforts will be more focused on your project, and you can even negotiate a lower pricing during this time.
In any case, you are already there. So what’s the point of starting to consider and reconsider at this point? You only need to look in one direction — and that’s ahead.
Cons
You may have to spend a little extra on saving your home from the infection. Depending on the kind of house you have, you may have to dole out extra cash for protection.
Besides, since at this point your contractor will be trying to finish the job as early as possible, you may have to pay for the fee sooner. If there are any illnesses or injuries among the crew, that may further delay the tasks.
There’s an easy way around it, though. Just check with your remodeling company if they give sanitizing tools to their crews and cover the cost of things like barriers, dust-fan etc. If they do, you don’t have to worry about a thing.
What does it Ultimately Depend on?
In the end, it all depends on the precautions that your remodeling company takes to combat the issue.
If you plan to visit the showroom, you need to do your homework before stepping in. Find out if all the frequently used items are being sanitized regularly. This comprises the commonly used phones, work stations, doorknobs, light switches, computers, all bathroom fixtures, and the likes. Other than this, ensure that the office personnel is expected to wash their hands regularly while they are within the premises. They are also to use disinfectants when meeting clients.
At the job site, you need to ascertain if every needed precaution is firmly in its place. Plastic must be used to separate the job site from your home. The crew is expected to wash their hands after entering the worksite, exiting the site and after using the bathroom. Disinfectants must be used in public workplaces as well in the non-shared bathrooms twice a day.
Find out if the remodeling company can provide its workers with Port-a-Jon for sites where there are no extra bathrooms available. Finally, ensure that a sanitization station is parked outside each client’s home for the workers to use.
Conclusion
Agreed that the present situation is not in our hands and it may take us pretty long to get over the damage caused. But as far as redoing your house is concerned, there is a lot you can do as per the exact stage of the renovation your house is in. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t go on with your original remodeling plan if all necessary precautions are being taken.
The final decision is ultimately all yours. Whether you want to make the best use of this time or wait for the worst to be over. Choose wisely!