The contractors have gone home and your renovation is done and dusted – or is it? Your job isn’t over just yet…

After a renovation is complete, there’s a number of things you need to do before life can go on as usual. You need to recycle or dispose of any waste (especially if you went the DIY renovation route), get organised, settle back in and update your insurance.

1. Recycle or dispose of any problem waste
Whether big or small, all renovations result in some kind of waste, but this will be particularly pertinent if you went the DIY route. Even if your renovation was years ago, chances are you still have some half-filled tins of paint that have never been used.

Start by looking into where your nearest is located. At the Community Recycling Centre you can drop off old paint, gas bottles, oils, batteries, fluoro lights and smoke detectors. Dropping them off here means that they will be recycled or safely disposed.

If you have been landscaping the backyard or refurbishing the deck you may have garden chemicals, sealers or lacquers leftover – you can take these to a Chemical CleanOut event.

Both services are free to use and ensure these materials don’t enter our environment through incorrect disposal.

2. Rid yourself of clutter
If you’ve done a renovation where you’ve had to place items in storage, it’s likely you’ll need to reorganise them into your new space, whether that’s a new kitchen, bedroom, bathroom or laundry.

Before you unpack after a renovation, think about the things you’ve missed [while they’ve been in storage]. That way, when you do unpack you might realise the things you haven’t missed and consider if you really need them. Consider what you can donate if there are good quality items you no longer need.

3. Re-organise your cupboards
Before you unpack make a plan of where you’d like things to go.

Make a list of what you have, starting with the general items and moving on to specifics. For instance, if you’ve renovated a kitchen, start with cups and plates and then move down to the Kitchen-Aid, coffee machine or special dining plates.

Then write that on a post-it note, stick it on the cupboard or shelf and shuffle around accordingly. This can help you avoid realising you don’t have enough space for things while you’re unpacking.

After you have your plan, try and unpack one cupboard at a time.

4. Update your insurance
After you renovate, you will need to update your building insurance to reflect that.

This also extends to your contents insurance if you decided to upgrade your white goods, TV or any other insurable item that you want – or no longer need – to be covered.

SOURCE - realestate.com.au