Remodeling can be a lot of fun for us but isn't always fun for our furry friends. A lot of our clients worry about their pets and how they will cope with the weird noises and disruptions to daily life that go along with a remodeling project.
We respect the homeowners’ wishes for their pets and have several conversations with our clients as to their preferences. If pets need to stay in a pen or closed off in a room, we are more than happy to let them in and out during the day, and our crews regularly feed and water our clients’ pets. But if an owner prefers their pet to roam free, which is OK with us, we are hyper-aware of where they are and how to keep them from harm. It’s a major responsibility that we don’t take lightly.
We have spent decades remodeling with pets in the house and agree on this generalization: Dogs tend stay as far away from vigorous and loud activity while cats like to be right up in the middle of things like a miniature supervisor.
Here are some tips to help make your pet’s remodeling experience better…
Here are some things we’ve noticed over the past 35 years…
Remodeling is about relationships as much as it is about home improvement and your pets are an important part of the relationship. Please be sure to have detailed conversations with any craftsmen that come into your home about the safety of your pets.
For pet friendly remodeling in the Columbus, OH area call 614.437.2013.
We respect the homeowners’ wishes for their pets and have several conversations with our clients as to their preferences. If pets need to stay in a pen or closed off in a room, we are more than happy to let them in and out during the day, and our crews regularly feed and water our clients’ pets. But if an owner prefers their pet to roam free, which is OK with us, we are hyper-aware of where they are and how to keep them from harm. It’s a major responsibility that we don’t take lightly.
We have spent decades remodeling with pets in the house and agree on this generalization: Dogs tend stay as far away from vigorous and loud activity while cats like to be right up in the middle of things like a miniature supervisor.
Here are some tips to help make your pet’s remodeling experience better…
- If your pet can handle it try and introduce him/her to the folks working in your home. We try to staff the same craftsman on our projects from the beginning to the end and that gives your pet a chance to get to know everyone and hopefully develop a decent comfort level.
- Create a pet safe room where there is nothing happening. Put their favorite bed, toys, water bowl, etc in there with them so they feel more comfortable. Some of our clients also say that leaving a television or radio on in the safe room helps drown out some of the construction noise. The more comfortable your pet is the less likely future remodeling projects will be a problem for them.
- Make sure to talk with your contractor about when finishes that might have bad odors or substances that might be irritating will be used so you can plan on keeping your pet away during that time.
- Talk with your contractor about how they will clean the work area at the end of each day. We totally clean the entire work area and make sure all tools are put away too.
Here are some things we’ve noticed over the past 35 years…
- Dogs HATE the sound of nail guns and air hissing through hoses running from air compressors. This is where the safe room and music or television going in the background helps.
- Cats will get into everything and LOVE getting into newly exposed areas of your home like joist spaces, attics, and crawlspaces and it is HARD to get them out. We keep these areas sealed up when cats are present in the home.
- Both cats and dogs LOVE heated floors.
- If you let someone in your home your dog generally assumes that person is safe and wants to immediately be friends. If you choose to not lock up your dog during the remodeling of your home (we are generally OK with that as we love animals) make sure your dog won’t bug the folks working in your home too much…you want us to keep working and get your project done!
Remodeling is about relationships as much as it is about home improvement and your pets are an important part of the relationship. Please be sure to have detailed conversations with any craftsmen that come into your home about the safety of your pets.
For pet friendly remodeling in the Columbus, OH area call 614.437.2013.
Pictured above is our old, diabetic, and wonderful Corgi...Emma.
This article is for general information purposes only. Rick Kelley Builders makes no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability, or availability of any information contained herein.
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