Renovating your space gives you the perfect opportunity to express your style, living, ideas, and individuality! But while you are at it, don’t forget about the furry friend in your home.
When you have a pet, thinking about turning the entire place pet-friendly is necessary. After all, you don’t want to regret your decision of buying expensive upholstery and see it getting chewed.
Here are seven home renovation tips that you can apply to ensure your pets love their new accommodation as much as you do!
Look for a Contractor Who Is Pet-Friendly
Some people are still intimidated by a friendly 200-pound Mastiff. Before signing any documents, hire a contractor that is comfortable around dogs or cats and does not have any allergies. Whoever you hire should be prepared to establish ground rules, such as setting arrival and departure hours, shutting doors and gates, and ensuring dangerous tools or supplies are not left out. A contractor who is impatient with your pet may cause your dog or cat to become more uneasy.
Find Flooring That’s Paw-friendly
Selecting the right flooring is essential since it is the key element of any household! Especially when you live with pets. You cannot have elegant hardwood flooring unless you want their scratch marks and mud prints visible all over it. However, if you have your eyes and heart set on the aesthetic appeal hardwood flooring brings, you can go for more pet-friendly materials like oak, walnut, or mahogany.
Other options you can explore are laminate floorings. They are low-maintenance and, on top of it, water-resistant. So, if your furry companion isn’t toilet trained yet, cleaning won’t be a hassle for you at all!
Pick Furniture That Fills the Purpose
Not pet-proofing your furniture is the costliest mistake any pet owner can make. Pets leave behind imprints of scratch marks, muddy spots, and a furry cleaning spree for you. While protecting your existing furniture is important, selecting upholstery that fulfils your hunt for pet-friendly furnishings is equally necessary!
The occasional mud prints can be annoying. For this, you can buy sofa cover-ups. If your pet has issues with certain toxic materials, you can explore a range of non-toxic, eco-friendly, and natural materials. If you want to go a bit overboard in the furniture department for your pet or want to keep them away from your couch but don’t want them to feel left out, buy a pet-sized sofa.
Select Your Materials Wisely
Where there are pets, there are a bunch of stains, scratches, and yells to keep the dirty paws off the couch!
When you renovate your home, you would obviously want everything well-kept. Hence, investing in stain and scratch-resistant materials for your furniture makes sense. Leather or synthetic works the best for this purpose. Slipcovers can also do the work of dealing with pet mess. They are easy to wash in the machine, plus they can cover any flaws on your furniture.
Create a Safe Zone
If you’re remodelling your kitchen and your pet usually sleeps inside, create a separate secure, quiet den room, ideally as far away from any noise and interruption as feasible. This may be in a secure pen, a bedroom, or even the restroom. Dogs may prefer an open and covered box or a bed in a corner behind or under a bedroom chair. Cats frequently prefer to go to higher ground or cuddle inside a covered box or carrier.
Be Considerate with Ramps
If you have an ageing pet or a pet with joint issues that won’t allow them to walk correctly, ramps are the perfect addition to your remodelled home. Your furry friend can move freely in the entire house without feeling the anxiety of climbing stairs. Moreover, ramps can avoid injuries if you have curious puppies or kittens exploring the renovated home.
Provide Space to Your Pets
Everyone needs their personal space. Hence, having an area dedicated to your pets is perfect for setting some boundaries. For example, a dog lounger hits two goals – keeps your dog off the couch and gives them extra space to straighten out. In the same manner, if you want to avoid all the begging eyes during mealtime, give them a separate eating area.
All of this benefits dogs who have been in shelters and have undergone traumas. Having a space to call their own will give them comfort and relief.
Fix Up the Backyard
If you have a backyard, it’s always a good idea to fence it up. Usually, small dog owners opt for the wood-slat fences, while large dog owners choose metal fences to keep their pooches from running off.
Having a backyard also comes with a great opportunity to build a doghouse. A water-resistant and durable house is perfect if your dog gets bored. This way, your pup can even soak in a healthy amount of sunshine!
Conclusion
The environment we live in greatly affects our mental health, which makes it even more necessary to plan out home remodelling the way your heart wants to. But for many, cash can cause a huge hindrance.
Hold up if you are falling short on funds and are thinking of ditching your home renovation dreams! A low-interest personal loan can help you by being a quick fix to your financial issues. Whether you need to pay for new furniture items or handle home improvement, maintenance, or security costs, this loan is a perfect solution!
So go ahead and plan a pet-friendly house without worrying about going out of your budget!
Author Bio:
Tanya Singh works as a Content Marketer at LoanTube – a loan comparison marketplace where borrowers can connect with multiple lenders via a convenient and transparent application. She writes about topics related to personal finance and loans helping her readers in making smart decisions when they need to borrow. Yoga brings her inner peace and strength, and travelling brings her joy (besides her work of course).