Best Pet-Friendly Home Remodeling Features
Pet-friendly home remodeling features can help keep your furry friends safe during and after a renovation project. Here are a few ways our team accommodates your four-legged family members during your home remodel.
Adopting a pet can turn your world completely upside down. As pet parents are well aware of, pets are not unlike children. They can change your life for the better, but they also have their needs. And if you are thinking about home remodeling in San Diego, you should make sure you respect those needs and plan the project the same as you would if you were remodeling to cater to a child’s needs.
However, unlike with children, you don’t have to plan an entire room addition for your pet. Your bed is just enough for them. But adding a few key features when planning the remodeling will make sure your pets are safe and happy. Here are some ideas you could incorporate into your home remodeling project that are sure to make your furry friends thankful.
Safety Features
Curiosity is one trait most animals share. Cats, in particular, will not rest until they’ve explored every corner of your home, no matter how dangerous or inaccessible it might be. The most dangerous area for your pets is the kitchen. Cats frequently get injured by jumping on hot stoves, while dogs tend to contract bacterial infections while sniffing through the thrash.
To make sure they are safe, even when you’re not around, you should consider several safety features for your kitchen. For example, induction burners could help if your cat has a habit of hopping onto the counters. These burners won’t heat up unless you put a special pot on top and they also cool down much faster.
If you want to prevent your dog from munching on the thrash, consider concealing the trash bin inside a cabinet. The corner cabinets are a great place to hide away the trash bins, but placing them under the sink can work as well. This feature will prevent your pets from picking through trash and save you some space and improve the look of your kitchen.
Electric cords all over your home also spell hazard. Dogs, cats and smaller animals are not immune to chewing on these dangerous “toys”. To prevent them from getting hurt, consider shielding the cables throughout your home. Cable management will not only save your pets’ lives but remove the unnecessary clutter of cables around your appliances.
If you want to keep your pets away from a room, the kitchen, for example, you could also consider adding gated entries. These can be matched with your cabinetry for a seamless look. Plus, they are just as effective in keeping children out of dangerous areas as well.
Keeping pets safe during a home remodel is important too!
In any home remodeling project, the safety of both homeowners and contractors is of the utmost importance. The same should also be said for our furry friends as well. Making sure our pets have a safe and secure place to stay during construction, as well as protection from noise is very important.
As part of our initial consultation, we always get to know homeowners and their pets so proper accommodations can be made. This might include “safe rooms” for pets, or figuring out an offsite place for them to stay during the remodeling project.
Flooring
If you want your pet-friendly remodeling project to be as thorough as possible, plan it from the floor up. Some flooring options are significantly better than others if you are a pet parent. Whether the floor is stain and scratch resistant or not can make all the difference. Therefore materials like soft wood are not an option. However, linoleum, tiles, and hardwood are great ones. Hardwood might be slightly more expensive, but its durability and easy maintenance will benefit pet parents more than any other material.
The same goes for carpeting options as some fibers may be harmful to your pets. The best way to go is polyester since it’s the most resistant and pet-friendly variant. Also, look into waterproof carpeting, as a single mishap could ruin your carpet otherwise. If you have pets, look for easily washable, compact carpets.
Fun and Useful Features
Since you already remodeling for your pets, why not add some fun and useful features to your home as well. Pets love to hang out in the kitchen, and if you made sure they are safe there, why not add a feeding station or a cabinet bed.
As far as storage is concerned, you should find a spot where you’ll only be keeping their food, labeled and in water-proof containers. If you plan on overhauling your bathroom as well, add an additional showerhead at knee-height to make giving pets a bath much easier.
Pet-Friendly Home Remodeling in San Diego
Murray Lampert is a reputable design-build contractor serving all of San Diego County. If you have any pet-friendly remodeling ideas we would be glad to turn them into reality. Contact us at (619/) 285-9222 for a free estimate on your remodeling project.