Preparing for work on your home before it starts can be a major task, but once it has started how do you cope while the work is going on and what should you look out for during the process?

For relatively smaller projects such as renovating a kitchen or bathroom you may encounter some inconvenience, but major works such as extensions can be very intrusive and even attract unwanted interest.

Going

As with all projects, planning is key. In the case of a new bathroom, if you are lucky enough, you may have an en suite or another bathroom to use, but if not you should talk to your bathroom fitter. You can live without a bath or shower for a few days let’s face it, but a toilet?

Without good reason, no local hero would leave a customer without a toilet for longer than a day, and no other good plumber should either, but it’s always worth double checking as a bucket may be the only alternative for some.

Eating

Similarly, with a kitchen fitting, having some meals prepared and frozen ahead of time that you can defrost and microwave can avoid relying on expensive and unhealthy take-away food. Also, you should always request that at least one tap remain connected throughout the work so you always have running water.

Securing

For larger renovation projects, your planning needs to be a little more considered; food and hygiene are a legitimate concern in the short term but for more extensive work home security is just as important. 

You should be reliant on your builder for security, and competent builders will include making your home secure while working there. This consideration should be included in the estimate but, again, just make sure you check.

Despite this, you still need to be vigilant - particularly if you intend to live elsewhere while the work is carried out. A building site, no matter how small, is a target; building sites mean tools and materials, not to mention whatever is left in your home. 

Having all materials delivered prior to the work starting makes it hard to monitor quantities and few tradespeople will perform a stock check every day. Therefore, it’s important to have secure storage.

Copper pipe, boilers, radiators, windows, and obviously tools, are all very desirable and a huge skip in a home’s driveway can act like a beacon to thieves a quick look in a skip and you pretty much know what’s going on in the house. Dispose of marked boxes by cutting them up and make sure they are covered.

Further, if windows and doors are removed then the openings should be secured with plywood fastened from the inside - screws on the outside can simply be undone..

Overall, any work you have done will be somewhat inconvenient, but proper planning and vigilance will ensure you stay comfortable and secure while it’s being done.