Preparation is part of the project—not a last-night cleanup.
A contractor can protect the work zone, but the owner still controls important decisions, personal belongings, access, pets, alarms, and building arrangements.
Start from the signed scope and current schedule. Ask what must be completely removed, what may stay, where the protection boundary will be, and which services may be interrupted. For a condo or managed property, confirm current building requirements before arranging deliveries or access.
Seven days before: confirm the operating plan
- Confirm the work area, start date, expected arrival window, work hours, and primary contact.
- Review the latest scope, drawings, selections, approved changes, and known exclusions.
- Confirm permits, condo approvals, elevator or loading bookings, parking, and waste route where applicable.
- Identify water, electrical, heating, ventilation, internet, security, or appliance interruptions that may affect the household.
- Agree on the protection boundary, daily cleanup expectation, tool or material staging area, and end-of-day access.
- Record who may authorize a change and how urgent decisions will be handled.
Three to five days before: clear and document the space
Remove small furniture, wall art, electronics, valuables, documents, plants, food, toiletries, and fragile objects from the work area. Empty cabinets, vanities, closets, or shelving included in the scope. Do not stack belongings in the only route trades need to use.
Photograph the work zone and access route before protection begins. Label items that remain, identify anything especially sensitive, and agree in writing if the contractor is expected to move a large appliance or furniture piece. Back up important home-office files and make sure essential medication, identification, keys, and chargers remain accessible.
The day before: prepare people, pets, and access
- Choose a safe plan for children and pets away from the work zone, deliveries, open doors, tools, and unfamiliar noise.
- Tell household members which entrance, bathroom, kitchen, parking space, or hallway may be unavailable.
- Notify neighbours or building management when the agreed work may affect shared access, deliveries, or normal daytime noise.
- Test the agreed key, fob, lockbox, intercom, concierge, parking, and elevator arrangements.
- Move vehicles and clear the delivery path; account for height, width, stairs, turns, and weather exposure.
- Disable or explain alarm zones only through the approved property process, and preserve a secure end-of-day plan.
Plan dust and protection realistically
Ask which doors, floors, stairs, counters, vents, and adjacent rooms will be protected and who removes that protection. Keep ordinary household fans from spreading construction dust. Discuss the planned containment and cleaning approach with the contractor, especially when work is in an occupied home. If the project may disturb asbestos-containing material, lead-containing coatings, mould, or another hazardous condition, stop and use the appropriate qualified assessment and work process rather than treating it as routine dust.
Create a small “keep available” box
Keep the contract contact list, current drawings or selections, building instructions, spare key, flashlight, paper towels, waste bags, basic cleaning supplies, chargers, water, and any household essentials together outside the work zone. For a kitchen renovation, set up a temporary food and dishwashing plan. For a bathroom renovation, confirm which other washroom remains available and when any water shutdown is expected.
First workday: walk the plan once
- Confirm the exact work and no-work areas.
- Point out shutoffs, panels, alarms, parking, washroom access, and building contacts.
- Review existing damage or delicate finishes along the access route.
- Confirm material locations, owner-supplied items, and deliveries expected that day.
- Agree on the first progress update and the next decision deadline.
- Ask how the space will be left at the end of the day.
What not to do the night before
Do not add new work verbally, leave final product choices undecided, place valuables in an adjacent room without discussing protection, or assume the contractor can store every delivery. Do not remove a fixed fixture, disconnect a service, or disturb a suspect material unless that action is already assigned in the approved scope.
For a clearer start, use the scope-of-work checklist, the material-selection checklist, and—if applicable—the condo pre-construction checklist.