Remodeling is disruptive whether it’s happening at your house or an adjacent one. At least when it’s at your house, you’ll eventually get the benefit out of the dust, noise, and disruption. Your neighbors, no matter how understanding, are at some point likely to be irritated at the changes taking place. In order to maintain the best in neighborly relations, here are some tips we find helpful.

Notify them upfront. At McAdams Remodeling & Design, we typically send letters to your neighbors (after talking with you first) and provide our contact information so that if our team does something that is disruptive to them, we can try and address it as early as possible.

Notify your insurance company. While we are licensed and bonded, there are often lots of other people poking around when construction is in process. It’s always good to check in with your insurance company to make sure your coverage is sufficient and that there’s nothing else you need to do.

Understand allowable working hours. In Kirkland for instance, development activity and heavy equipment may be operated between the hours of 7 am and 8 pm, Monday through Friday and from 9 am to 6 pm on Saturdays. Sundays and certain holidays are a work-free day. Your contractor should know and abide by those hours and if they’re not, you should say something to ensure they are.

Stay in touch. If you know that certain efforts will impact your neighbors, it’s always a good idea to notify your neighbors in advance. Water being turned off, deliveries that will block the street, etc. are usually limited to a specific day and time, so you can notify others in advance of any schedule impacts.

Bring a peace offering. Far from necessary, this is just a suggestion for being a thoughtful neighbor. A plant, bar of chocolate or bottle of wine is a nice gesture if you know that those living around you could be impacted.

Invite them over afterwards to see the results. While this doesn’t help during the process, it is a nice way to show them what the effort was all about. It can provide a great opportunity to bond with those you’re living in proximity to.