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Those who have children and have renovated with them on site, will know how much of a learning experience it can be, not only for them but also for you as parents ! Kids love the experience. There is so much for them to explore, watch, people to talk to, things to learn, it’s like a huge playground. They love it. They are in their element. Well, all this depends on the child of course…sometimes they love it for an hour or so then spend the next several hours asking to go home !
Those of you who read my previous article will know all about the excuses that people come up with to avoid taking action. Unfortunately children is one of the biggest ones. I encourage everyone who had used their kids as an excuse not to tackle a renovation to think again. Don’t let it stop you. It is so good for you and for your children. But do it in the right way. The safe way. Set some ground rules and some boundaries and you and they will have a ball.
Oh and as an aside, those of you who have used being pregnant as an excuse, forget that too ! Providing you are healthy, there is absolutely no reason why you can’t renovate a property. My wife was 34 weeks pregnant with our 3rd child when we took off to Port Pirie to complete a renovation. It was expensive though…we had to hire a spa suite (I think it might be the only spa in Pirie !) to ease her aching joints at the end of the day. Actually I’m stopping on this particular subject before I dig a big hole for myself.
We have recently renovated 2 properties with 3 kids, aged 5, 3 and 2. One of them we were living in at the time and one was on the other side of town. For the property on the other side of town, we were on site with the kids every day for 5 weeks (in the middle of Winter !) and for the other renovation, well were living there at the time so they were effectively there all the time ! This one took approximately 10 weeks.
Setting some ground rules is probably the first thing to do. Make some areas ‘No Go’ zones and others ‘Safe’ zones. The safe zones can be used for extended periods if your child needs to sleep, watch a DVD (laptops are great for sticking on a DVD if they just need to chill out for while) or play with some toys. Safe zones can be anywhere. Our last safe zone was the shed in the backyard. We lucked it with that renovation as the shed was FULL of kids toys, most of which we threw in the skip, but the remainder were played with! We had a mattress, toys, books, paper, textas, pencils etc. Most meals were also eaten in this area. ‘No Go’ zones are important for your child’s safety. The problem we had was that our two youngest children were too young to understand where they can and cannot go. It was therefore our responsibility to keep them out of these areas while work was being done, so effectively one of us became a babysitter, completing safer tasks where it was safe for kids like tidying up the gardens or driving around sourcing materials.
Another method we use to keep them safe is to get them to help you. Get them to follow you around and give you a hand. They can hold things, help you carry things, mix things, pass you tools, you can pass them tools, they can dig holes (little ones – and often in the wrong spot), sweep (usually the piles that you’ve already done), carry wood (small bits!). The list is endless. The important thing is to keep them busy and attentive with what you are doing. Some times are easier than others but if you are patient, it’s a really valuable experience. My 2 year old daughter keeps the older two away from the power tools, telling them to stay away because they are noisy. My 3 year old son knows lots of different types of tools and what they are used for. He knows what happens next in the process and often tells me what to do. “Hurry up and get that door on”, “Why haven’t you put the ceiling back yet ?”, “Where has the painter man gone ?”. I swear he will have his builders license before his 5th birthday !
My youngest daughter a couple of months ago sat and watched my wife tiling for about 3 hours. Asking sooooo many questions, it was great (well, maybe not so great after 3 hours). A couple of weeks later I must confess I left some tile glue out under the carport and found the youngest two doing some mixing and tiling on the carport floor. What a mess ! But they were having a go and having fun and learning…..It was nothing a shower couldn’t fix !
The most important thing is to be flexible and work things out as you go. If something is not working, do it another way. Take it in turns being the adult keeping an eye on the kids, but give them some freedom to have a go. Have patience, try not to yell TOO loud when they draw on the kitchen wall days after it has been freshly painted. When they do, because they will do, just show them how to clean it off. That keeps them busy for a while longer !
To be honest, there actually is not much more to say about renovating with kids. It’s not that hard. You work it out as you go. They learn a lot by simply being on site. Everyone has fun and simply has a great time. I have enclosed a few photos of the type of fun the kids get up to, playing in the mud (the yellow line in the photo is actually a string line for a picket fence, just so you know I wasn’t playing in the mud as well !), throwing rocks at each other before they get spread on the driveway, concreting. The list goes on !
Have a go, you will have a ball.
Tim Ellis
Property Investor
The information provided in the Talking Property podcast is general in nature and should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional advice. Always consult with a professional advisor before making any investment decisions.
