Renovating is always a chore, we now know all about it. And it can sometimes be very difficult without help with the renovation. Yet you can do quite a bit together, provided you have the right tools at home. In our last renovation we did get some help from the contractor and from a friend of ours, but we actually did most of it ourselves. Thanks to all the resources in the form of good tools that we have rented, or simply purchased.
Table of Contents
Of course, a good hammer and drill and the like are indispensable, but if you are really going to renovate in the form of demolition and then rebuild again, you also need other tools. Let me go through with you what we have benefited a lot from.
A kango is indispensable for good demolition work. We also did quite a bit with the hammer and chisel, especially when it came to some more subtle demolition work, but the rough work really had to be done with a Kango. We rented this one for a weekend. The weekend in which we had actually planned to demolish the walls and the chimney of the fireplace. You can often already rent such a Kango at the local hardware store.
We already had a large wheelbarrow aimed at moving soil, garden waste or towing bales of hay for the pigs and goats. But disposing of demolition waste with this is not such a success. A large iron wheelbarrow is much better for hauling rock and concrete debris. Fortunately, Frank saw one on the marketplace, for only € 10.00. He immediately went to get it, of course. Ideal and indispensable as help with renovation.
To get over the sill of the sliding door with all those debris, we used a threshold aid. Buying a threshold aid is only a small effort and it protects the things you want to keep. For example, you can contact Monozorg. With the wheelbarrow over the sill was not really an option. The sill of the sliding door is made of wood and the first few times we dragged over it with a fully loaded iron wheelbarrow with bricks (without a threshold) we were unsuccessful. Ultimately, the threshold aid can continue to serve as useful when we are working with the wheelbarrow in the garden or when the lawnmower has to go into the garage.
Initially we rented the construction vacuum cleaner. It doesn't cost that much in itself, but in the end it turns out that if you've been renovating for a longer period of time like us, you'll need it quite often. If you then start looking, it turns out that a construction vacuum cleaner is not that expensive at all. We quickly bought one from Makita and we still use it. Ideal as help with renovating and cleaning up the mess afterwards. Because using your regular vacuum cleaner for this is really a no-go. You will have demolished your regular vacuum cleaner with all that building dust in no time.
That doesn't happen very quickly with us. We had one friend who helped twice during the remodel. The first time during the demolition weekend and the second time when we went to level the floor. Very nice to have a third pair of hands I must say, especially in that first weekend. The demolition work was really tough and even though Frank and I can (and do) a lot ourselves… strong hands are a welcome addition to help with the renovation! In addition, growing together is always more fun.
Tip:hire an expert beforehand who will review the plans with you and assess whether what you want is feasible. For example, we have a local contractor who has installed two steel beams. He also determined that the demolition work could be carried out if the steel beams were heavy enough. He also stamped the first floor well before we started the demolition work. This way you can consult with an expert and you can still save on your expenses.
