Our Home Is A Disaster Zone But It’s Worth It [SPONSORED]

It's one of the pitfalls of doing your own home renovation while living in your home, but there are ways to make it work.

So, as you may have heard on the air my wife Stacy and I are remodeling our kitchen by ourselves. Amidst the excitement of seeing our new kitchen design from Curtis Lumber, we kind of overlooked the mess our home was about to become and the challenges living through a renovation would present. Not being able to use the area you are working on, the mess, dealing with construction waste - it all presents a challenge, especially if you have children.

But, there are a few ways to get through it. And if you have a family, I think this first tip is the best one: get your family out of the house! For the first week of demo, my wife Stacy and the kids went to stay with family. If you are a parent, you know how difficult it is to do ANYTHING with the little ones running around. Without them here, I was able to focus on getting our project started and got the biggest and dirtiest part of our reno project completed - ripping out some old linoleum and the sub-floor in our family room and foyer. We are remodeling these areas with our kitchen area at once, and it I was able to get the toughest and messiest part of the job done without anyone in the house!  And let's be honest, it was also nice to live like a bachelor for the week. Lots of beers and takeout.

Now that the family is back home with me, we are taking plenty of precautions to keep our home as safe and clean as possible, While they were away I blocked off the work area from living areas with plastic to minimize exposure to dust and blocked off the heating vents and cold air returns for our heating system. Plus, we are vacuuming as often as possible as we work. Also, anything you don't want to get dirty or dusty, box it up and get it out of the way! The less stuff you have around, the easier it is to clean and move around while you work.

Most importantly, if you tackle a renovation project, it may seem like a disaster at first. But keep your eye on the final result. You will see your vision taking shape as you do the work, which will make the final result super rewarding!