Having pets can enrich your life in a number of ways including boosting your mental health and wellbeing. Unfortunately, not every home is really set up for pets. But, by making a few small improvements to your home and the layout, you can make the space much more pet friendly, help keep your furry (or scaly or feathery) friend safe and happy as you spend time together.

So how do you go about making your home more pet friendly? A few things to consider right off are the type of pet you have, their indoor/outdoor habits and the size. While these things can be specific to your individual pet, there are some general changes you can make to help with these updates.

Update Your Interiors

If you have an older home, you may want to do a few interior updates to help ensure your pets are safe from harm. Redoing walls to remove old paint that could possibly have lead or other unwanted compounds goes a long way toward this goal while also giving you a significant look update. Your floors may need an update as well such as replacing old, fraying carpet or installing new vinyl flooring instead. Older wood floors that you may be concerned with scratching or splinters where pets go back and forth with heavy paws and claws could use an update as well.

Other changes can be made like replacing frayed curtains or broken blinds with something more modern will not only keep your pets safe but your home looking nice as well. Depending on your home, you may have other projects in mind to not only improve your home’s look but also keep your pets safer from day to day.

It’s All About Access

A big part of making your home pet friendly comes down to controlling access. The parts of the house (or outdoors) that your pet is allowed into should be easy for them to access. Areas where they aren’t allowed should be difficult for them to access, but ideally easy for you to get to. Home updates to accommodate for your pets this can include things like adding pet doors, installing new doors that latch easily, or hanging interior gates that you can use to block and unblock access to specific rooms or other areas with ease.

If you have pets that are allowed outside, these sorts of considerations apply out there as well. Installing a fence, adding a watering station, or making other exterior accommodations for your pets will help keep them safe while outside, even as they’re allowed more freedom than they would have gotten as an indoor-only pet. Just make sure that any exterior changes that you make don’t run afoul of local ordinances or HOA agreements before you start work, so you can avoid problems down the road.

It’s Their Home Too

In some cases you may find yourself wanting to make bigger changes to your home in order to better accommodate pets. Perhaps you want to change out some of your windows with larger ones so your pets can more easily look outside. Maybe you need to update your HVAC system to better remove dander from the air. You might even decide to add on a small room or other area that is specifically designed for your pet. Whatever project you have in mind, we can help. We have relationships will many types of designers and contractors that can help make all of your (and your pet’s) wishes come true. We are here to not only help you buy, sell and invest, but to be your real estate resource for life.