When you have a busy family life, it feels like there’s barely enough time to eat and sleep, never mind renovate your home. But sometimes it needs to be done out of necessity. And whether you’re extending to create more room or simply updating a tired interior, you want it done as quickly and painlessly as possible. So, here’s some tips to help you speed up those home renovations:

Hire a skip or dumpster

During a renovation, there’s often rubble and old fixtures to remove. So, you could end up with a lot of material that needs removing. And there’s nothing more time-consuming than endless trips to the local dump. Even if you have a van to help you transport it, it takes time to drive back and forth. Plus, there’s the loading and unloading to do.

Save yourself time and effort by hiring a skip or dumpster. This means you can get stripping out old fixtures and fittings quickly without needing to stop. The cost of a skip or dumpster does vary, depending on where you live. For example, a 10-yard version costs between £180 and £400 in the UK and between $200 and $550 in the US. And of course, the size you need affects the price too. But regardless of the cost, when you’ve got a lot of waste to dispose of, it’s going to make life easier and save you heaps of time.

Organize your tools

If you’re intending to do some or all the renovation work yourself, getting your tools organized will save you time. Starting a job and then realizing half-way through that you need a specific tool could be hazardous and annoying, but most of all it’s time-consuming.

So, keep your tools organized in a box with multiple sections and group similar tools together. Clean and sharpen them were necessary, and make sure you have enough spare blades for saws and knives and all the different bit sizes for your drills and drivers. That way they’re easy to find and ready to use.

At the end of the day, put everything back in the right place, so you know where they are when you start again. 

Calculate materials accurately

Many amateur renovators and even professionals have made the mistake of not having enough materials to complete a job. This means having to stop and take a trip to the nearest DIY store. This is not only time-consuming but also risks not being able to get what you need, when you need it. Shelves can be out of stock and deliveries can take time to arrive. And if you’re short of wallpaper or tiles, you may find that different batches vary slightly in color, giving you an imperfect finish.

So, to make sure there are no hold-ups in your home renovation, calculate your materials accurately. And buy extra to allow for breakages and mistakes. If you’re not confident with your working out, use an online materials’ calculator or ask someone to help you. 

Finally, don’t forget about the less obvious supplies you’ll need. Nails and screws are easy to forget, as is paint brush cleaner and decorator’s tape.

Rope in friends and family

Friends and family can be indispensable when you’re renovating your home. Extra hands will always speed things up. Even if they’re not particularly practical. They can be on hand to run errands, watch the kids or help keep you fed while you work. So, never turn down the offer of help.

And if any of your friends or family do have useful skills, don’t be afraid to ask for cheap labor. You can offer to return the favor or bribe them with free food and drinks in exchange for their handywork. But utilizing them could save you time and money. 

Become the project manager

It should now be obvious that keeping track of jobs, materials and budgets is essential to the smooth running of home renovations. Whether you’re tackling the renovations yourself or hiring skilled professionals, it’s helpful to keep a close eye on everything. And that’s why experienced renovators tend to act as project managers. 

So, when you’re renovating your home, become the project manager for it. Keep a dedicated file to track spending and manage the budgets. Make sure you have all your important contact numbers at hand so you can coordinate deliveries, trades and check in on progress. Basically, treat it as a job. It may sound like a lot of work, but it will prevent avoidable hold-ups and speed up your home renovation. And the quicker it’s done, the quicker your family life can get back to normal.