https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Mon, 04 May 2026 07:06:12 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-would-you-schedule-medium-sized-home-renovations#post-2692923 Tue, 07 Feb 2017 10:57:12 +0000 T.H.O.U. 2692923@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@JennyPenny: Hahah ok! I was wondering why you were fretting so much because 20 weeks is a long time! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-would-you-schedule-medium-sized-home-renovations#post-2692920 Tue, 07 Feb 2017 10:56:31 +0000 JennyPenny 2692920@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@T.H.O.U.: I'm 30 weeks now ;) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-would-you-schedule-medium-sized-home-renovations#post-2692861 Tue, 07 Feb 2017 10:06:53 +0000 Bluebonnet 2692861@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>There is never really a good time to do a reno (small or large) with kids - especially one where there would be ongoing work.</p> <p>Of all the options listed, I'd say start right now. </p> <p>Once baby gets here, it could be easy or hard (depending on their temperament and how well LO1 reacts to being a sibling). I think it would be actually hardest 6+ months out (when LO2 is more mobile). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-would-you-schedule-medium-sized-home-renovations#post-2692860 Tue, 07 Feb 2017 10:05:41 +0000 T.H.O.U. 2692860@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@JennyPenny: Honestly, even if you were still have them do work up until say 30 weeks, that still gives you 20 weeks to get everything planned, started, and completed which should be plenty of time! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-would-you-schedule-medium-sized-home-renovations#post-2692857 Tue, 07 Feb 2017 10:04:44 +0000 JennyPenny 2692857@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Iced Tea: Yeah, I was unsure if this would be "small" or "medium." We've never hired out work like this before since we're usually very DIY-y.</p> <p>How long does it usually take from starting to look for a contractor, to picking one, getting started, etc? That would be our biggest concern in starting now. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-would-you-schedule-medium-sized-home-renovations#post-2692855 Tue, 07 Feb 2017 10:03:23 +0000 lioneyes 2692855@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DO IT NOW. the contract work will most likely take closer to 4 weeks so get started ASAP and then you will still have a good chunk of nesting time before baby comes. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-would-you-schedule-medium-sized-home-renovations#post-2692854 Tue, 07 Feb 2017 10:02:39 +0000 MrsLonghorn 2692854@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>How exciting!! Definitely start NOW! :happy: We did tons of renovations before DS was born, including completely gutting our kitchen while I was pregnant. It is something we really enjoy doing. We have done ZERO renovations since he was born and he is 2.5 now....it is messy and dangerous (random nails lying out + curious toddler = bad combo). I say start tomorrow and go fast! I would definitely not have wanted contractors in my house during maternity leave, and DH and I were both so braindead it would not have been a good idea for us to do it ourselves then. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-would-you-schedule-medium-sized-home-renovations#post-2692849 Tue, 07 Feb 2017 09:58:56 +0000 ValentineMommy 2692849@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Now!</p> <p>We put in an upstairs laundry room before DS2 and it was AMAZING for the newborn days. It will be worth the hassle of doing it now, I promise. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-would-you-schedule-medium-sized-home-renovations#post-2692841 Tue, 07 Feb 2017 09:54:52 +0000 T.H.O.U. 2692841@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Go for it! </p> <p>We painted our kitchen cabinets (DIY) when I was like 20 weeks and even though it was a long process over like 4 weeks it was totally worth it to have it DONE. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-would-you-schedule-medium-sized-home-renovations#post-2692827 Tue, 07 Feb 2017 09:44:19 +0000 katsupgirl 2692827@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'd get it done now. It was such a relief to have the home improvement stuff off the to do list. Plus I think handling the dust, dirt and inconvenience is easier before everyone is sleep deprived. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-would-you-schedule-medium-sized-home-renovations#post-2692818 Tue, 07 Feb 2017 09:38:34 +0000 Iced Tea 2692818@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would consider this a smallish renovation, and that's the only reason why I would recommend to go ahead and do it. </p> <p>Normally I think having a hard deadline (like the delivery of your baby) is a terrible idea, as reno always involves unforeseen delays. Experiencing a delay when you are approaching a hard deadline is just so stressful. It sounds like you have enough of a time cushion if you start ASAP though. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-would-you-schedule-medium-sized-home-renovations#post-2692807 Tue, 07 Feb 2017 09:23:04 +0000 JennyPenny 2692807@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DH and I are ready to officially plan/schedule some home renovations we've wanted to do for a while. We'll be moving laundry upstairs, turning the old laundry room into a mudroom and also adding a shower to the half bath that's just on the other side of the current laundry room. We plan to hire a pro for the plumbing, electrical, drywall and bath stuff. We would do all the mudroom and laundry room cabinetry ourselves. My (optimistic?) hope is that the contract work would take 2-3 weeks and then the rest would be ongoing work for a decent amount of time. </p> <p>The big question is - when should we get started? Mainly because I'm due with baby #2 in 10 weeks. So I see a few options:</p> <p>1) Get going now! Try and get all the contract work done before baby is born. It'll make for a hectic sprint, but then we could have our maternity/paternity leave time to work on some of the other stuff here and there. Plus, having laundry upstairs with a newborn - awesome!</p> <p>2) Start this summer. I'd be on maternity leave and could be home to oversee things. But the thought of people traipsing through my house and banging etc with a newborn sounds pretty awful. Mostly leaning away from this one.</p> <p>3) Start this fall/winter. Wait till baby is 6 months or so and hopefully is out of newborn craziness. This might be good for DS too to keep changes to a minimum. I can see it being harder trying to get the remaining work done with a baby that's approaching mobility though, so I think this might significantly stretch the timeline</p> <p>4) Wait even longer. I'm not sure if there's ever an "easy" time in parenting 2 littles, so I'm curious when people think this might be. Biggest downside is waiting to have a functional entryway and laundry upstairs.</p> <p>Any home reno veterans (or anyone else) have any thoughts? </p>