Harriet Schechter
Copley News Service

It was the worst of times, it was the best of times. In other words it was remodel time.

“Having a remodeling deadline finally forced us to confront our clutter demons,” says Tana Fletcher, a Maryland-based writer. When she and her husband decided to transform their basement into a combination workout room and writing studio a few years ago, they dreaded the daunting task of dealing with over two decades’ worth of accumulated “stuff.”

Although the preparation — or excavation — was a painful process, Fletcher claims her only regret is not having scheduled the remodel sooner. “That basement felt like a depressing dungeon for too many years,” she says. “After we got it cleared out and fixed up, it became our favorite part of the house.”

Yes, preparing for a remodel can be an ideal opportunity to lighten your load and “unstuff” your life. Of course, if you have any pack-rat tendencies at all, this can be a major challenge — but it’s nothing compared to living with the actual day-in, day-out chaos of the remodeling process.

Ingredients

Lesa Heebner, a Del Mar, Calif.-based kitchen designer and life coach, believes clear communication is a step toward the successful outcome of any remodel. “But keeping the end result in mind is equally important,” she adds.

Heebner, who has been involved in hundreds of kitchen remodels (including her own), also notes that problems often result from a lack of awareness on the part of the homeowner who is naive about how disruptive a kitchen remodel will be. “When you can’t use your kitchen, your life can get pretty chaotic — unless you’ve prepared yourself,” Heebner says.

To help clients get prepared, she shows them how to apply her seven-step Recipe for Clarity to the remodeling process, which focuses on “ingredients.”

“Ingredients are the material components. In this case, that would mean identifying which appliances and supplies you’ll need to set up and stock a temporary kitchen,“ Heebner explains. “Keep in mind the probable lack of a kitchen sink, which creates the major challenge. Stock up on disposable items to minimize having to wash anything.”

Another type of preparation for this kind of remodel involves clearing out your kitchen — don’t even consider leaving anything in drawers or cabinets, let alone out on counters. Heebner recommends purging anything that either doesn’t work or doesn’t work well. “And check your lids. If you have pots or containers that are missing them, or vice versa, this is a great opportunity to toss.”

Dust you can trust?

Remodeling veteran Paula Jhung, who calls herself “the anti-cleaning guru,” is the author of “How to Avoid Housework” (Fireside Books, $14.95). Jhung’s recollections of her own remodeling experiences revolve around the overall lack of privacy inherent to the process. “You are never alone,“ she recalls ruefully. “It’s no longer your home. You’re living with all these characters who look at you sometimes as if you shouldn’t be there.“

Her advice? “Move out. But not far away — you need to be near enough so you can keep an eye on how things are going. You want to be there early in the morning especially, to answer questions.” If you do plan to rent a home away from home during your remodel, ascertain whether there will be any construction going on, in or near the place. Jhung learned this lesson the hard way: The condo complex she chose as her “escape from remodeling hell” started a noisy renovation project the day after she got settled there.

Jhung is bluntly pragmatic about the inevitability of dust. “Trying to dust during a remodel is like shoveling in a snowstorm,” she says. “Learn to embrace dust, otherwise you’ll go nuts.” If you have dust allergies, obviously you’ll need to make special arrangements.

Also, be aware that remodeling tends to stir up bugs, she says. And since your doors will probably be open a good part of the time, keep a lookout for vermin or rodents, which can become unwanted houseguests.

Jhung suggests having your home professionally cleaned from top to bottom as soon as the remodel is finished. “Don’t try to do it yourself,” she cautions. “For one thing, it will kill your vacuum cleaner.”

Hire professionals who know how to clean every nook and cranny. Your heating/air-system vents should be cleaned professionally too, she advises; there are companies which specialize in doing that.