20 Tips for Remodeling Your House When You Have Kids - Yahoo Lifestyle

Make sure to prepare well in advance for remodeling your house when you have children involved. For example, it is often a good idea to pick the summer or spring to start such a project as their school routine will be less disturbed. Consider moving temporarily to a friend's house, family or hotel, if your project is large. If not, make sure you have child-friendly alternatives to not having rooms accessible, such as buying disposable dishes if you won't have access to the kitchen while it is being worked on. Make sure to box anything such as toys which might get damaged or covered in dust. Also work with child friendly materials and keep in mind potential toxins that might be released while you work.

Key Takeaways:

If you're doing a kitchen remodel, store some home-cooked meals in the freezer first and setup a mini kitchen elsewhere with some basic appliances.
Let your children have fun by coloring on or (in the case of older kids) hammering the walls that are going to be knocked down.
Talk to contractors ahead of time about safety issues like lead paint, ventilation and sealing off dusty work areas.

“Just like childbirth, you’ll almost forget how painful it was once you see that shiny new countertop.”