Many homeowners would love to update certain aspects of their home, buy they worry about the possible damage contractors will cause during demolition and construction. Remodeling and renovation work certainly can be a messy business, if not handled properly. If fear for your floors or personal effects is holding you back from renovating, you aren’t alone. You can overcome that fear by hiring a trustworthy full-service contractor like TriFection. We take tremendous pride not only in the quality of our custom craftsmanship but also the care and respect afforded to our clients’ homes. We treat each project as if it were for our own home. Here, we’ll give you a few insider tips on how to protect your home during a remodel.
At TriFection, everything starts with communication. Coordinating with your project manager is essential. Together, you can create a thoughtful plan for protecting your home.
Remove Everything Possibly in Harm’s Way
The first way to help protect your home during a remodel is to remove all personal belongings and items of value in or near the soon-to-be construction zone before the TriFection demo crew arrives. Large, heavy items and delicate antiques, such as a piano or grandfather clock, should be handled by professionally trained movers, not the demo crew.
With your input, the project manager will help identify those items that should be relocated before our arrival. He will also develop a clear plan for our work pathways, which will help you better understand what could be in harm’s way during construction. Your effective preparation will save time & money, greatly reduce the chances for damage, and put your mind at ease. Demo crews, carpenters, and other highly skilled tradespeople should be doing their assigned jobs onsite, not bubble-wrapping or tippy-toeing around expensive china, artwork or irreplaceable family heirlooms.
Cover Pieces You Can’t Remove
While you can easily remove smaller items, such as pictures and countertop appliances, there are likely some things you can’t or don’t want to move. For example, large flat-screen televisions, other entertainment equipment, or bedroom sets may fall in this category. 
Instead, you and the project manager can work together to cover such items carefully with plastic and/or moving blankets. Effective covering to protect from potentially harmful construction dust may be a far more practical solution than disassembly, relocation and reassembly.
To provide more protection against dust, cover your AC registers and turn off your AC unit, if you can. Otherwise, the increased dust load can easily clog your unit. Also, try keeping the windows open with well-positioned fans to provide better ventilation. If you prefer to leave the AC on, be sure to inspect and change the filters during the remodel. For those folks with high sensitivity to dust and smells, the purchase of portable air filters could be a wise investment.
Every home remodel is unique, and homeowners have different priorities for the protection of their “stuff.” Therefore, clear communication with your project manager from the very beginning is incredibly important. Consult with the project manager on any personal item that concerns you and either follow his advice or take your own precautionary measures proactively well in advance of demolition to protect your home during a remodel.
Construction Dust Barriers
Speaking of dust, which is a huge concern for many homeowners, sealing off the construction zone as much as possible is imperative. At TriFection, we tape large plastic sheets to the walls and ceilings so dust cannot simply flow unfettered throughout the house. Before doing so, we ask our clients to remove any personal effects they’ll need from the construction zone or adjacent areas, such as closets and bedrooms, prior to demolition. The plastic dust barriers will prove far more effective the fewer number of times they are removed and replaced. We check the integrity of the sealed edges regularly. Just know that the vast majority of dust is generated during demolition. Once we get past that phase, dust mitigation becomes much easier to manage.
One more tip – if you’re really concerned about the potential impact of dust, ask TriFection about dust-free tile removal. You’ll pay more for the service, but it can make a really positive difference.
How to Protect Hardwood Floors During Renovation
Hardwood floors represent one of the most common things homeowners worry about protecting during a remodeling project. They love the natural beauty of their wood floors and realize how easily the floors can be scratched or the finish damaged. Often, quality wood floor repairs are not simple or inexpensive. 
So, we completely understand their concerns when thinking about the prospect of major renovation work inside the home.
Protecting hardwood floors begins with identifying the best entry and exit point in the home. TriFection project managers consult with clients to determine the doorway that will require the least amount of walking through the home to reach the work areas. Less traffic naturally translates to lower potential for damage.
Next, we protect the floors by covering them with Ram Board, paper and even drop cloths, if necessary. Importantly, we apply to tape to baseboards instead of directly to the floors to avoid harming the finish. We also do not drop or slide heavy tools or equipment across the covered floors. Lastly, we inspect the protective coverings on a regular basis and replace them when necessary.
Protecting Your Landscaping During a Remodel
You can preserve the appearance of your lawn, flower beds and other landscaping by directing the project manager on acceptable work areas outside. The tradespeople will need to cut lumber, tile and countertop material. They’ll also need to wash buckets, certain tools and paint brushes periodically.
You should assign logical work areas within reasonable proximity to the agreed upon access point to house.
Ask the project manager to pay special attention to important areas you want to protect. Provide access to a hose bib and water hose so the workers can wash down construction by-products thoroughly at the end of each day. Lastly, feel free to cordon off any especially sensitive areas with wood stakes and visible tape. Nevertheless, if the project manager supervises properly and work crews use common sense and show respect for your home, your landscaping should be just fine.
Most Importantly, Protect Your Children and Pets!
While you want to make sure valuable items stay protected during a remodel, you can’t place a value on family members and pets. Both children and pets are curious creatures. They want to know what’s going on as unfamiliar faces make loud noises with fancy tools and the home renovations take shape. They may wander into construction areas where many perils exist….First, talk very directly and honestly to your kids before the project begins. Make sure they understand why they should not enter the construction areas or play with any tools or materials onsite.
For very small children who won’t fully comprehend that conversation, make sure they remain under close adult supervision at all times. The project manager and trade crew members are not appropriate babysitters for kids of any age. Take primary responsibility for the safety of your children and develop a plan that will keep them far away from construction activity, particularly when you will not be present, as much as possible.
As far as pets go, at minimum, keep them secured in a room not part of the remodel. For dogs and cats, comfortable kennels during the day are a great idea. You might even consider keeping your pets at the house of a friend, neighbor or family member during the project. While they might prefer the home environment they know well, avoiding the daily sights, sounds and smells of construction may place far less stress on them. Whatever you decide, recognize that you have the primary responsibility for a full-proof plan to protect your pets. Again, the job of the project manager and tradespeople is to execute your remodeling project with skill, safety, and cleanliness. Help keep them safe and focused on their assigned tasks by securing your pets.
We Protect Your Home During a Remodel By Cleaning As We Go
One of the best ways to protect your home is regular cleaning during the project, not just at the end. At TriFection, the project manager makes sure each crew removes trash and sweeps upon completion of their work. On Fridays, we conduct a more rigorous check for cleanliness so our clients don’t have to look at a messy house over the weekend. We want to start with a clean slate on Monday. Beginning with the demo process, TriFection receives nearly as many compliments for our cleanliness and safety as we do for the masterful skills of our craftsmen. Clients love the respect we show for their homes!
TriFection Will Treat Your House Like Our House
Here are just a few samples of what clients had to say about TriFection’s efforts to protect and clean their homes:
Paulette in Houston said “There wasn’t a speck of wood or dirt left behind. Inside or out.”
John in Houston said, “They kept our house and yard extremely neat and tidy throughout the process.”
Charles in Richmond said, “They worked diligently and cleaned up after themselves when they got through.”
So, if you’re worried about how to protect your home during a remodel, you aren’t alone and your concerns are valid. TriFection can help by explaining our process in more detail. Enjoy the home renovations you deserve! Contact us by calling 281-548-2436, or by filling out this quick form on our website.
