At Home in Berks Fall 2020 - 14

FEATURES

e
F
s
a
S
t
I
'
!
s
e
Y

to Buy, Sell and Renovate Your
Home During the Pandemic
by Kert and Cathy Sloan, Aluminum Associates

D

uring these unprecedented times there is
much concern for the safety and wellbeing of
homeowners who are planning a renovation
project. Contractors are changing the way they do business
to accommodate the changing times, such as offering
virtual meetings for estimates, to minimalize contact prior
to the renovation. Wearing face coverings when unable
to keep six feet or more apart is another implementation
contractors are making. Suppling employees with hand
sanitizer when unable to wash hands properly. Making sure
employees are not working if they are sick or feeling sick.
These are just a few changes being made by contractors.

things safe and sanitized while on the job. You may want
to consider distancing yourself from the portion of your
home that is being renovated. Request that all verbal
communication be done by phone call to minimize contact.
Make sure to communicate to the contractor if you are
feeling sick and request they hold off on your project
instead of scheduling while you feel sick.

A majority of reputable contractors even before the
pandemic had best safety practices in place for keeping
things clean in the customer's home while doing
renovations. There are also recommendations from the
CDC for contractors to help keep their employees and
customers safe.

There are many homeowners renovating to make
accommodations for a home office, place for children to
do their online classes other than the kitchen table and just
wanting to update the look of a kitchen or bathroom. Many
homeowners are doing outside renovations such as patio
decks, patio roofs, entry doors, windows and some are
closing in their porches to allow for more usable space.

Although the contractor is taking safety precautions, the
homeowner should also be considering safety practices
and safety of the individuals working on or in their home.
Talk to your contractor about how they plan on keeping

14

AT HOME IN BERKs Fall 2020

Now is the big question, do you proceed now with the
project or place it on hold? You may want to ask yourself if
this project can wait and if so, how long are you willing to
extend the time frame of when you would like it completed.

This has caused many contractors who do renovations
to become busy since they were able to return to work
and have a backlog of two months or more. If you are
At Home in Berks Fall 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of At Home in Berks Fall 2020
