4 jobs you need to do after a renovation
The contractors have gone home and your renovation is done and dusted – or is it? Your job isn’t over just yet…
After a renovation is complete, there’s a number of things you need to do before life can go on as usual. You need to recycle or dispose of any waste (especially if you went the DIY renovation route), get organised, settle back in and update your insurance.
Decluttering and home organisation expert,has a few ideas to help you manage the post-renovation process.
1. Recycle or dispose of any problem waste
Whether big or small, all renovations result in some kind of waste, but this will be particularly pertinent if you went the DIY route. Even if your renovation was years ago, chances are you still have some half-filled tins of paint that have never been used.
Start by looking into where your nearest is located. At the Community Recycling Centre you can drop off old paint, gas bottles, oils, batteries, fluoro lights and smoke detectors. Dropping them off here means that they will be recycled or safely disposed.
If you have been landscaping the backyard or refurbishing the deck you may have garden chemicals, sealers or lacquers leftover – you can take these to a Chemical CleanOut event.
Georgie recommends noting down your next Chemical CleanOut event and council bulky waste pick ups so you don’t miss out. Make sure to check ahead of time what kind of waste is and isn’t accepted. Also look out for electronic waste collection dates if you have updated your appliances
2. Rid yourself of clutter
If you’ve done a renovation where you’ve had to place items in storage, it’s likely you’ll need to reorganise them into your new space, whether that’s a new kitchen, bedroom, bathroom or laundry.
Georgie believes having things in storage is a good test for understanding what you can and can’t live without.
“Before you unpack after a renovation, think about the things you’ve missed [while they’ve been in storage]. That way, when you do unpack you might realise the things you haven’t missed and consider if you really need them.” Consider what you can donate if there are good quality items you no longer need.
3. Re-organise your cupboards
“Before you unpack make a plan of where you’d like things to go,” Georgie begins. “I do that with post-it notes.”
Georgie encourages you to make a list of what you have, starting with the general items and moving on to specifics. For instance, if you’ve renovated a kitchen, start with cups and plates and then move down to the Kitchen-Aid, coffee machine or special dining plates.
“Then write that on a post-it note, stick it on the cupboard or shelf and shuffle around accordingly. This can help you avoid realising you don’t have enough space for things while you’re unpacking.”
After you have your plan, try and unpack one cupboard at a time.
4. Update your insurance
After you renovate, you will need to update your building insurance to reflect that, Georgie reminds us.
“After renovating you will need to alert your insurer. It’s an organising, paperwork step, but people do forget!” she says.
This also extends to your contents insurance if you decided to upgrade your white goods, TV or any other insurable item that you want – or no longer need – to be covered.
After a renovation is complete, there’s a number of things you need to do before life can go on as usual. You need to recycle or dispose of any waste (especially if you went the DIY renovation route), get organised, settle back in and update your insurance.
Decluttering and home organisation expert,has a few ideas to help you manage the post-renovation process.
1. Recycle or dispose of any problem waste
Whether big or small, all renovations result in some kind of waste, but this will be particularly pertinent if you went the DIY route. Even if your renovation was years ago, chances are you still have some half-filled tins of paint that have never been used.
Start by looking into where your nearest is located. At the Community Recycling Centre you can drop off old paint, gas bottles, oils, batteries, fluoro lights and smoke detectors. Dropping them off here means that they will be recycled or safely disposed.
If you have been landscaping the backyard or refurbishing the deck you may have garden chemicals, sealers or lacquers leftover – you can take these to a Chemical CleanOut event.
Georgie recommends noting down your next Chemical CleanOut event and council bulky waste pick ups so you don’t miss out. Make sure to check ahead of time what kind of waste is and isn’t accepted. Also look out for electronic waste collection dates if you have updated your appliances
2. Rid yourself of clutter
If you’ve done a renovation where you’ve had to place items in storage, it’s likely you’ll need to reorganise them into your new space, whether that’s a new kitchen, bedroom, bathroom or laundry.
Georgie believes having things in storage is a good test for understanding what you can and can’t live without.
“Before you unpack after a renovation, think about the things you’ve missed [while they’ve been in storage]. That way, when you do unpack you might realise the things you haven’t missed and consider if you really need them.” Consider what you can donate if there are good quality items you no longer need.
3. Re-organise your cupboards
“Before you unpack make a plan of where you’d like things to go,” Georgie begins. “I do that with post-it notes.”
Georgie encourages you to make a list of what you have, starting with the general items and moving on to specifics. For instance, if you’ve renovated a kitchen, start with cups and plates and then move down to the Kitchen-Aid, coffee machine or special dining plates.
“Then write that on a post-it note, stick it on the cupboard or shelf and shuffle around accordingly. This can help you avoid realising you don’t have enough space for things while you’re unpacking.”
After you have your plan, try and unpack one cupboard at a time.
4. Update your insurance
After you renovate, you will need to update your building insurance to reflect that, Georgie reminds us.
“After renovating you will need to alert your insurer. It’s an organising, paperwork step, but people do forget!” she says.
This also extends to your contents insurance if you decided to upgrade your white goods, TV or any other insurable item that you want – or no longer need – to be covered.