Wasted. 6 Basic Waste Management Supplies Needed During Renovations.

Wasted. That’s where we are right now. And how I wish it was in Margaritaville. But alas, we are wasted, beat down, and tired…in our basement. From this DIY renovation project.

But, we’re making progress, right? Considering this is how this space looked just a few weeks back…

We’ve got the termites eradicated, the mice exterminated, the moisture issue alleviated, the wood paneling eliminated. And we are completely inebriated. Yup. Wasted. Know why? Haven’t been hitting the liquor cabinet (much). But we have been dealing with a lost of waste.

Any time you have a demolition project or remodeling project on your hands, waste happens. And you gotta have a waste management plan for how you’ll deal with all the trash and debris you generate. We are big upcyclers and we try to salvage and re-use what we can. But you can’t save everything. Especially in situations where building materials have been compromised by pests, moisture, etc.

There are a few basic supplies that we use for waste management/clean up during a remodel…

6 Basic Waste Management Supplies Needed During a Renovation Project:

contractor bags (we swear by Husky brand)
respirator/eye protection
wet/dry shop vac (at least 6 gallon capacity) with (HEPA filter???)
bagster (dumpster in a bag)
hand truck

1.) dumpster in a bag

Whenever we have an upcoming remodel, we buy the Bagster. You can buy them on Amazon, or at Home Depot. It’s a dumpster in a bag. Costs about $30 up front. This dumpster bag can hold 3 cubic yards of construction debris. That’s about enough space to demo one room, of course that’s totally dependent on the size of the space, and exactly what you’re tossing. Then, after you fill this thing as much as humanly possible, you simply schedule a pick up online. The cost associated with this disposal technique is really assumed when the bagster pickup is scheduled. The cost is dependent on your area, but here’s a screenshot for the price in my zip code. All you have to do to get an estimate is punch in your zip.

2.) contractor bags

These are not your standard trash bag, folks. These things will handle nails, screws, glass, you name it. DO NOT PASS GO on a renovation project without a box of these handy. We’ve never used anything but Husky brand, so I can’t speak of others, really.

3 and 4 .) safety gear

Drywall and plaster dust is nasty, nasty stuff. DO NOT start demolishing WITHOUT a respirator and eye protection. Just don’t. Having worked in hospitals much of my career, and seeing what people with lung issues have to endure, I want to take care of mine. And I want YOU to take care of yours, too. A good respirator, and safety glasses are CHEAP to buy, but invaluable during a demolition project and any time you’re dealing with construction waste.

Plus, they look downright sexy, no?

5.) wet/dry large capacity shop vacuum

This is an indispensable tool, period. It is used more than most tools we own. And for the amount of use this thing gets, the cost is peanuts. I would not recommend purchasing anything smaller than a 6 gallon capacity. It just won’t be as easy to use in heavier duty DIY home projects. These tools can handle water, as well. Which, sadly, may come in handy for you, as it did for us this past year when our water heater blew. It sucked up water quicker and MUCH easier than using EVERY TOWEL we had in the house. YES, even my good, white towels (cringe). Just remember to intermittently clean your filter. This is a purchase I’d recommend every home owner to make. Or ask Santa. I’m sure you’ve been good this year, right? Ours is pictured above, in the image of the WRECK room, I mean “rec” room. That thing is probably in most pics we have of construction/demolition projects we’ve done around here.

A shop vac is to renovation what Robin is to Batman.

6.) a handtruck or dolly

Let me put my physical therapist hat back on for just one second. Renovation work can be back breaking. Don’t let it get the best of you. You’ve got to use good body mechanics, and tools that HELP you with heavy loads. Buying a good quality hand truck/dolly is SUCH a help during these projects. I would recommend one that has AT LEAST a 400 lb capacity if you’re hauling construction debris, or bringing in the new drywall, etc. And we bump these suckers up and down stairs all the time. It’s so much easier on the body than heave-hoeing everything by hand. Your back will thank you, trust me on this.

Before we leave you til next week’s basement progress report…here are some shots of the basement bathroom going in. Luckily, that’s another part of the basement that we completed a while back.

The shot above is the hallway in the basement at the bottom of the stairs. It used to look like this:

By reducing the square footage of the bathroom, we were able to widen this hall, and open the stairwell, which visually made the space feel so much bigger. Before, it felt like a mouse maze…and after seeing how many mice were down there, in reality, it kind of WAS a mouse maze. Ick.

Above is the bathroom getting framed in, and you can see the shower pan has gone in, and we built the knee wall.

And the kids contributed some art work to the framing 🙂 Makes me happy. And here is how the basement bath turned out. We call it Napoleon’s throne room.