As soon as Halloween passes and the calendar ticks over into November, thoughts turn solidly to Christmas, if they haven’t done so already. This means we are making a mental note of what needs to be done in the countdown to the big day and this includes the home improvement jobs we have maybe put off while enjoying the better weather. Unfortunately, the time has come to make a decision; do we carry out our home renovation before Christmas or after it?
Christmas is such an all-consuming event that we compartmentalise our lives around it, and use it as a barrier for things we need to do before it, and things we will definitely do after it. And even though the barrier is merely a few days at the end of the year where we sit around eating and drinking too much and enjoying being with the family, it is an immovable event which rules our lives and somehow prevents the normal course of activities. The problem now is that you have some period detailing and renovation around your home that you wanted to complete this year, but do you now try and do it before Christmas, or leave it until afterwards? Here’s some pros and cons to help you decide.
Pros: Yep, let’s renovate our period home before Christmas:
- You have a period home and that provides a beautiful, traditional setting for a family Christmas. And as such you want it to look its best. Whatever your period renovation project is – new internal doors, new window architrave, new skirting boards – you bought the house as a period property and it therefore makes sense to grasp the nettle, get the renovation done and show off your home at the best time of year, and when you have the most visitors.
- You are approaching the end of the year and your ‘to do’ list has this one thing left on it. Being able to tick this off and complete your list will provide a huge sense of satisfaction, so you can really enjoy your mince pie and Christmas eggnog in peace.
- Christmas can be a really expensive time so getting this expense out of the way now makes absolute sense. It is not something you want dragging out into the New Year when you are paying off the kids’ presents and economising on food and drink expense. So get the job done now and make it even more cost-effective by using authentic and traditional period materials from Period Mouldings.
- If a job is half-finished or some period features are damaged, this could present a safety hazard, which is the last thing you need with lots of family around the home at Christmas. The preparation for Christmas is a time for action, so don’t be lazy and stop putting it off, just get it done.
Cons: No, I’m going to leave my period renovation until after Christmas
- If you haven’t given your period renovation project much thought, don’t be rushed into it. Making the wrong choice of wood, or design period, can be costly and embarrassing, and just gives you another job to amend it in the New Year anyway. So don’t be pressured into getting the job done before Christmas if you haven’t thought about what colours or finish you want, and if you don’t feel ready to do it.
- The countdown to Christmas can be hectic and stressful enough as it is, so do you really need another job to do now, when the long, plentiful and probably non-alcoholic weekends of January are looking blank in your social diary?
- A great thing about Christmas is that families get together and the house becomes a playground for a few days. Is there a risk that you can install new skirtings, architrave or rails and paint or varnish them, and then they get damaged? It might be better to enjoy a less stressful Christmas period worrying about this and just do the job in the New Year.
Whichever way you choose to go, make sure you browse our product range at Period Mouldings, for authentic period features which are handmade using traditional techniques and materials. And whether you choose to renovate your period home before Christmas or afterwards, you can do so safe in the knowledge that you have used the best and most cost-effective materials.
