DECATUR, GA – November 05, 2026 – PRESSADVANTAGE –
TCW Homes, a licensed residential contractor, is outlining how households can plan for living in their home during a remodel this holiday season. With Thanksgiving on November 26, 2026, families whose projects are underway need to consider how construction will affect holiday meals and gatherings. Alongside budgeting for remodeling cost overruns, homeowners need a plan for daily life while work continues.
The 2019 Houzz Kitchen Trends Study, conducted in autumn 2018, examined living arrangements among surveyed Houzz users who had completed kitchen renovations. Of that group, 66% stayed home throughout the work. Another 26% lived elsewhere for part of the renovation, while 8% moved out for its entire duration.
Reported stress levels also differed across these groups. Extreme stress was reported by 3% of respondents who stayed home, compared with 8% who lived elsewhere for part of the renovation and 10% who moved out for the entire project. The comparison does not establish that living arrangements caused the differences.
Among respondents who stayed home, 62% set up an alternative indoor cooking station, and 43% arranged a temporary dining area. Some households made both arrangements, so the two groups overlap. Another 22% reported making no special arrangements.
TCW Homes assigns each project a dedicated project manager who serves as the household’s single point of contact. Families can share holiday dates during the pre-construction review and ask which rooms and cooking facilities will be available.
If work has already begun, they can request an updated schedule before confirming their plans. The update should also identify planned holiday work stoppages and changes to crew hours, so families know when construction activity might overlap with guests’ arrival. The discussion should clarify whether meals and gatherings can take place outside construction areas or must be hosted elsewhere.
Families planning to remain in an older home during construction should also discuss potential lead hazards with their contractor. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that about three-quarters of American homes built before 1978 contain some lead-based paint. Renovation that disturbs those painted surfaces can release hazardous lead dust.
Georgia’s Environmental Protection Division (EPD) administers the state’s EPA-authorized Renovation, Repair and Painting program. The program generally applies to paid renovation work that disturbs painted surfaces in homes built before 1978.
Companies performing covered work must hold firm certification and assign a certified renovator to oversee compliance with lead-safe requirements. Other workers carrying out covered renovation activities must receive lead-safe training from a certified renovator.
Some work is exempt from the program’s requirements, including certain minor repairs and work on affected surfaces that an appropriately qualified professional has documented as free of lead-based paint. For projects subject to the requirements, contractors must provide occupants with EPA’s Renovate Right lead hazard pamphlet before renovation begins.
A residential contractor’s license is separate from these lead-safe credentials. Homeowners can consult Georgia EPD’s directory of certified renovation firms and request proof of current certification. Before work starts, the contractor should explain how they will separate construction areas from occupied rooms and how access restrictions may change as the project progresses.
TCW Homes is a licensed residential design-build contractor led by owner and president Todd C. Wilkes. The company handles kitchens, bathrooms, additions, cabinets, and exteriors, and is a member of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry. It serves homeowners across the Atlanta area.
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For more information about TCW Homes, contact the company here:
TCW Homes
Todd C. Wilkes
+17702864034
support@tcwhomes.com
1572 Springbrook Dr, Decatur, GA 30033, United States
