Family First: 7 Key Elements to Consider When Creating a Family-Friendly Home Renovation Plan

Renovating your existing home or building a new one takes careful thought and planning and can be especially challenging for kids. 

As an interior designer who spent more than 7 years working with children, I understand the extra level of complexity that the kiddos can add to a renovation. 

Whilst many of us remember to think about our kid's needs for the renovation outcome (our new space); between keeping up with their hectic run-about schedule and managing the daily ins and outs of a renovation, they often become the afterthought in the renovation management process. 

My goal today is to help you create a renovation plan that puts family first, avoiding the often stressful process of fitting in the needs of your family amid major changes.

I want to make it clear that this blog is not about the ‘interior design’ of a children's space (I’ll save that for another time!), but rather focuses on how to organise, manage, plan and empower your kids during the renovation process. 

Here we’ll dive into creative involvement, food contingencies, safety, fun, sleep and play, and all the important things that make a kid's world keep spinning.

By following the tips below, you’re taking responsibility for your kid's well-being and ensuring a successful and happy renovation project, one that the entire family will enjoy.

1. Involve Kids in the Process 

Encourage your children to participate in the creative process.

There are two great reasons to get your kids involved. 

Firstly, it gives them some autonomy over the spaces that they will be living in every single day. Your home is more than just yours, it’s where your kids will spend most of their childhood, open Christmas presents, make lasting friendships, and grow. 

Secondly, it helps your kids digest and understand the renovation, what is happening around them and why their surroundings are being torn apart. 

Involving your children in the design process should allow them to express themselves and their thoughts. Kids have great ideas too, some of which may even get you thinking or resolve a tough problem. Here are some ways to get them involved:

• Set them a challenge to draw their dream bedroom or dream house
• Get them involved in looking at floorplans and let them ask questions and make suggestions
• Ask them their opinion on colour and furniture selections (e.g. which one looks comfier? Which colour makes you feel happier? etc)
• Read them a children's book on building, renovation or homes
• Give them magazines to create collages (and for the older ones they could use Pinterest)

It is important that your children are involved so that they feel excited about their newly designed space.

2. Safety First 

Family-friendly renovations must prioritise safety. Where talking about preventing injuries, keeping them out of the way from tools and tradies, and potentially harmful materials. 

By getting kids involved in the process you’re taking the first step to creating awareness and alertness to their surroundings.

Here are a few things to consider:

• PlayDates: Preplanning when the kids may need to be out of the house (I’m thinking to play dates with friends and sleepovers with Ganny & Gramps)
• Safety Gates: Installing temporary child safety gates to keep them out of working areas. This can be a great measure even with older kids, as it's a visual and physical barrier reminding them ‘don’t go there’.
• Moving Out: In some cases, it may be best for your family and children to move out during the renovation process. You’ll want to know and plan for this ahead of time because this can add a huge expense to your renovation.

Remember that kids are often curious, so it's a good idea to take them through the home to look at the renovation process while tools are put away and you’re providing undivided attention. This helps nurture your kid's natural curiosity and prevent any potential danger from sneaking around when you don't want them there.

3. Sleeping Arrangements

If you’re renovating beyond shared living spaces (bedrooms etc) you may need to shuffle around sleeping areas for yourself and your little ones.

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There are a few things you will want to do to help your kiddos prepare for this:

• Talk: explain what is happening, where they will be sleeping and for how long. You may even want to paint the temporary move as an ‘adventure at home’. 
• Comfort: their temporary sleeping area should offer as much comfort as possible. Place extra pillows and blankets nearby for quick access if they need them, and don’t forget their night light and bedtime teddy!
• Familiarity: Incorporate some of the items from their room into their temporary space. The mind will feel more at ease and restful. We want your children to relax and get a good night's sleep.
• Noise: New and unfamiliar noises can be scary, and even a small move a couple of rooms down the hall can introduce unfamiliarity. If possible, choose a space the is cosier, and has a door separating from the rest of the house. Some kids also do well with white noise or fan running to drown out the little creaks
• Routine: Keep them in their regular bedtime and waking times, and do your best to maintain their morning and evening routines. 

Sleep is a vital part of behavioural regulation, growth and concentration (to name a few), take the time to consider where each of you will be sleeping, what you will need, and how you can keep in a healthy bedtime routine.

4. Temporary Design for Comfort and Joy

When you renovation is in full swing, your kids will need a space to hang out, play and keep busy. Best option is to create a play zone and consider including:

• A comfy place for them to sit or lie around, 
• Access to their primary collection of toys
• A table to draw or do other activities at (if they are that way inclined). 

You know your kids best, watch them for a couple of weeks beforehand and make a mental note of what you’ll need to add to their space. Oh! And don’t forget to ask them too. 

As a bonus, I recommend that if you are working or using another room yourself, this does not require the kids to go through the active renovation space to find you. 

5. Technology-Ready

Not everyone will agree with me here, but if you empower your kids with access to technology, then now is an awesome time for just that.

Technology is an amazing tool if used correctly, here are some fun ideas:

• Pick a guided online program that nurtures one of their interests (e.g. a draw with my program) and challenge them to finish it before the renovation period is over
• Budget for a new PS5 game (or equivalent) and get strategic. Do they keep asking you for a dog? Pick a game that requires them to look after a pet for the duration
• Buy a cheap camera (or nowadays even an old phone) and challenge them to create a movie, or to document their ‘adventure at home’. Even very young kids can engage in these sorts of activities

As you can see, with a little bit of creative thinking, you can not only keep your kids busy and out of the tradie's way, but you can nurture and empower new skills, experiences and creativity. 

6. Keep it Organised 

We touched on this earlier but keep toys, crafts, and other essentials organised and easily accessible for your children. This will help them stay motivated, learning and engaging in creativity even when their usual spaces are inaccessible.

I’m not a big fan of the ‘pack up every evening’ house rules, it crushes kids' abilities to work on larger projects and learn to maintain long-term focus and motivation (which we know is lacking in our world right now!). 

Instead, empower your kiddos and create a zone where all playing & toys will remain during the renovation. Either use a large mat to help them identify the boundaries or you can whip out the masking tape and use it to outline a space. Both are great, simple options.

7. Food Management

Well, haven’t we all had a hungry kid on our hands? Not something you want to run into with an empty kitchen! If you are planning a kitchen renovation you'll need to also have a contingency plan for food, water, snacks, lunches and dinners. This is particularly important if you’ve got allergies or deities in the family.

Kitchens may be out of order for several weeks during a renovation, and during that time, the sinks and taps may not be functional either. Although ordering food from Uber Eats and consuming bottled water is certainly convenient, the expense can add up quickly. 

To save money, it may be wise to do a massive meal prep beforehand and, if possible, keep a smaller freezer and microwave on hand. Alternatively, you might consider calling in some favours and eating at friends and family's houses from time to time.

Final Thoughts

Nothing is more important than setting your family up for a safe and successful renovation project. At the end of the day, you want them to be excited and enthusiastic about their new home just as much as you are!

So at the end of the day, there's a lot that goes into creating an exciting, welcomed renovation experience for your kids, and starting with a strong contingency plan for all the different stages will help keep their bellies full, minds creative and bodies safe.