Childproofing Your Remodel

Categories: Uncategorized

Home Safe Home
Safety is a major concern among homeowners with children. For some, it means keeping kids safe and sound at home with alarm systems and fences. They are also building sport courts, entertainment rooms and more to provide a one-stop shop for child’s play, under the parent’s supervision. Another concern of homeowners is ensuring their children are not harmed during the actual remodeling process. The following tips can help:

•     Keep children and pets away from construction areas.
•     Choose a company that will keep all tools and materials picked up and in designated places.
•     Make sure your remodelers use floor protection and dust barriers before and during construction.
•     Set designated working hours for your remodelers, so you can coordinate their schedule with your children’s schedule.

Kitchen Design
•     Unless you are installing an induction cooktop (a cooktop that doesn’t become hot when cooking), it is best to place the cooktop in a location other than an island or near the breakfast bar where kids sit and could be easily burned.
•     Select easy-to-clean flooring for the kitchen to reduce your stress with common kitchen messes.
•     Choose a cabinet finish that is natural or stained wood. Painted cabinetry tends to show fingerprints and smudges.

Bathroom Trends
• Wood or tile wainscoting is recommended, as it wears well against toys and water splashing.
• Consider installing a handheld shower spout, for ease with bathing a child and washing their hair.

Kids Projects
If you’re looking for something fun and educational for kids to do outside of the house while you are remodeling, check out The Home Depot stores near you. Most offer Kids Workshops that allow children to create the likes of toolboxes, fire trucks, mail organizers, window birdhouses or frames for artwork. In addition to a project kit, each child walks away with their very own kid-sized signature orange apron.

Did You Know?
Three simple tips to reducing the allergens and chemicals your kids breathe in and around your home:
➤   Use paint with low- or no-VOCs (volatile organic compounds)
➤   Clean with non-toxic, environmentally safe, biodegradable products
➤   Use non-toxic gardening techniques that limit pesticides
—U.S. Green Building Council

Play Rooms
Often, a family’s basement or loft/attic is the children’s play area. Here are some design recommendations for these spaces:
➤ For younger children, play areas consist of toys and storage. For these types of spaces, install soft, warm flooring to create a safer and more comfortable environment. Also, consider built-in cabinets to make the toy storage an attractive part of the area.
➤ For older children and teenagers, play areas are often about entertainment. For these types of spaces, consider soundproof materials for the floor, walls and ceiling, to lessen the disruption of the rest of the house.