Here’s to Moms Who Renovate—On Top Of Everything Else!

Plus, one mother-daughter duo who tackled a reno together

Every renovator has (at least) one thing in common: they want to create a comfortable home for their family. For those with children (little or on the way) this is especially true. These Sweeten renovators, who are also all moms (or became them during their renovation process!) took on major projects with contractors to turn their apartments and houses into home, sweet homes for their families.

Sarah was 37 weeks pregnant when she and her husband signed the papers for their two-bedroom Tribeca home. Their daughter was born just a few days after closing, so they began the renovation process as a family of four. Their scope including adding a third bedroom, creating designated play spaces, and updating the kitchen and bathrooms. Needless to say, they had a lot going on all at once! With their Sweeten contractor by their side the project was completed on budget and ended with a refreshed space for the growing family.

Upon returning to New York City, Ting, her husband, and their 6-month-old were set to move back into the apartment the couple had bought prior to parenthood. Before they could settle in, the co-op was due for a renovation to add a nursery, update the kitchen and bathroom, and make other fixes throughout. Ting, an architect, drew up plans that a Sweeten general contractor executed to construct their dream home.

Alissa and her mom, Tatiana, teamed up to take on the renovation of Tatiana’s new apartment in Westchester (she moved to downsize and be closer to her grandchildren). Since Alissa worked in fashion and had a good eye for style, the mother-daughter duo used her industry know-how to pick out and order all the materials themselves.

There’s no deadline like a due date to keep a renovation rolling! Such was the case for Idalee and her husband Danny when they decided to turn their one-bedroom apartment into a two-bedroom. The plan? To create a nursery from a small dining space, plus update the kitchen. The couple opted for a glass-paneled door into the baby’s room to maximize sunlight. They also added a railing around the lowered entryway for safety.

Sam and Sean started their renovation as a family of four, but discovered along the way she was pregnant with their third child. This didn’t change their renovation scope (to open up the living room and kitchen, plus refresh the bathroom) though it did impact some of their design and budget decisions. For example, they opted for Lowe’s stock cabinets for their affordability instead of investing in a more expensive option, knowing that this home wouldn’t be their forever one.

AJ and Ray lived in a 450-square-foot studio before they found a row house practically six times the size. They waited three years to test drive the home but then planned for a renovation while they were expecting a baby. That meant they could guide their decisions based on their upcoming life change, like creating an open floor plan so “if someone is cooking or the baby is playing, the family and guests can congregate on the ground floor and still feel connected even if they are in different rooms,” said Robin, an interior designer and AJ’s sister.

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Sweeten renovators share invaluable lessons they learned during the remodeling process.

Sweeten handpicks the best general contractors to match each project’s location, budget, scope, and style. Follow the blog, Sweeten Stories, for renovation ideas and inspiration and when you’re ready to renovate, start your renovation on Sweeten.