under normal circumstances, warmer weather and sunny spring days are motivation enough to tackle those renovation projects you've been putting off all winter long.
But this year, it's understandable if more time spent within the four walls of your home—and a lack of reasons to leave them—has you itching to make a few upgrades.
As you contemplate home improvements, consider how your space supports your lifestyle, suggested Sabrina Smelko, a Sea to Sky-based designer, blogger and former host of HGTV's Save My Reno.
"Any way that we can individualize our homes to make them more focused and centred around the things that we want to prioritize, whether it's cooking, spending time with your family—if that means rearranging your living room so that you can all ... be together and chat more—think about how you want to live and the person that you want to be, and then have your home support that lifestyle," she said.
"Putting up things like art and meaningful trinkets on display, I think any way to personalize our homes, especially as we spend more time in them, is just a really nice way to echo the people living in it."
One easy, cost-effective way to transform a room? Paint, said Smelko.
She also suggested hanging decor (opt for mark-free solutions, such as command strips, if you're concerned about putting holes in your wall), swapping out textiles, such as pillowcases, seasonally, or "shopping" through your home to rearrange decor and furniture if you're looking for a DIY-friendly refresh.
While upgrading finishes such as flooring or backsplashes could also make for a doable DIY project, she cautioned that anything structural is better left to the pros.
"If you're wanting to remove walls, now might not be the best time to do that yourself," said Smelko, who is in the midst of her own renovation. She's making the move from Squamish to a cabin in Black Tusk Village.
"It's more of a rebuild than a renovation," she said with a laugh. "We got it back in March and it just had not been touched since it was built in '87, so everything needed to be removed and replaced so we took it down, basically, to the exterior walls and we're just starting to put it back together."
Since construction is deemed an essential service and municipalities continue to grant permits, COVID-19 shouldn't deter homeowners from moving ahead with more labour-intensive renos, like Smelko's.
B.C.'s public health authority has issued a list of requirements for workers to safely deal with the virus, explained Chris Bozman, president of the Canadian Home Builders' Association's Sea to Sky chapter.
"That information's out there, it's being widely practised amongst our members and adhered to. I think if someone is getting anybody in to work on their house, they should make themselves aware of what those additional requirements are right now, but they're pretty manageable," he said.
While spring is a good time to tackle maintenance work, or repairs that may be needed after winter snowstorms, Bozman's main advice to homeowners embarking on any reno project?
"Get permits, do it properly, get the right people in place ... and have your design clearly defined, so that your budget and your design, don't go in totally different directions when you get going on it, whether you're doing it DIY or hiring contractors," he said.
Feel free to reach out to Smelko on Instagram (@sabrinasmelko) with questions, or check out the CHBA Sea to Sky website, where you'll find a list of their members and advice on proper contracts.
