The Pandemic Is the Time to Remodel
Things change quickly, and here we are in September 2020, rather stunned that our lives have changed so dramatically since the new year began and the pandemic set in. Perhaps you set aside your plan for a remodel during the chaotic times of adjusting to this new way of life. You may be working at home, distance teaching your kids at home or working out in the world as an essential worker (in which case your home has become your sanctuary). Maybe your adult kids have moved back in, or college kids are home indefinitely. So many changes… As a design build firm in the East Bay (SF Bay area), we are getting flooded with phone calls even during the pandemic, for everything from kitchen and bathroom remodels, to whole home renovations to additions.
Why You Need a Remodel NOW!
Here are the reasons for the calls we are receiving, directly from our clients mouths.
- Vacations postpone or cancelled, so you have extra money in the budget for your home
- Spending so much time at home, you realize the environment isn’t conducive to work, cooking, or living with a larger family
- Your kids are home from college so the space isn’t as functional as it needs to be
- You are working at home, and your kids are distance learning at home, and there isn’t enough private space in which everyone can work
- You eat most meals together at home now, and the walls separating your kitchen from the family or living room is not conducive to the new family life
- You want to remove walls to create a brighter, more open and cheerful space in which to spend time
- You’d like to make your space better for multi-generational living, some possible situations:
- some adults are moving in with grandparents for childcare
- some older adults need assistance/company being lonely during the pandemic.
- The often heard: I am working from home in a closet, or the laundry room, I need a real office!
Family Time Is Even More Important During the Pandemic
Our most frequent request is to create inviting family spaces by removing walls and creating open-plan kitchen and living areas.
Don’t have walls to remove? You may be able to avoid engineering costs.
Work From Home Is the New Normal
- We created a primary bedroom/bathroom addition with a laundry room. This allowed us to remodel the original laundry room into a home office.
- We enclosed loft spaces at the top of stair spaces to create a more private and soundproof office option for those Zoom calls
- For our empty-nest clients, we turned the adult children’s bedrooms into offices for each spouse.
- Turn that unused space in the corner of the kitchen into a full virtual learning spot for the kids
What Would a Remodel Entail During Covid-19?
- Virtually interviewing different design build firms or contractors
- Signing a retainer and committing to a design phase with your designer – generally between the hours of 8:30am and 5:00pm on weekdays
- Attending Zoom meetings and shopping at appliance, plumbing fixture, tile and countertop showrooms with your designer. Masks and social distancing will be practiced.
- Packing up your kitchen/bathroom/family room and designating living spaces for the duration: 10-12 weeks or longer
- Packing up and moving out for a large whole home remodel or large bumpout or addition for 12-16 weeks
- All of this is done with Covid remodeling safety procedures in place
Browse our portfolio to get inspired about your upcoming home remodel.