Six Ways to Prevent a Contractor From Damaging Your House During a Renovation

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Home renovations are expensive—and exciting. It’s never cheap to rip out the old and install the brand-new, but a quality renovation can turn your house into a dream home, or at least solve some nagging problems that have bothered you for years. While not every renovation project gives you the results you’re looking for, there’s no doubt that putting some work into your home usually results in a happier, more valuable place to live.

But renovation projects aren’t “set it and forget it.” You’ve hired people to come into your private space with tools and materials, to rip out old stuff (that sometimes doesn’t want to be ripped out and puts up quite a fight), and generally make an enormous mess of the place. Hiring reputable contractors will protect you from the worst-case scenarios in most renovations, but any time tools and big, heavy materials are involved there’s a chance of damage. If your contractors smash up the place, your homeowners insurance may cover the costs, but it’s best if you avoid the damage in the first place. Here are some straightforward precautions to take to protect your home during a renovation.

Sequester the renovation zones

If you’re only renovating part of your home, your first step should be encapsulating the area with plastic sheeting. This doesn’t have to be a complicated process:

• Apply painter’s tape around the doorway or opening that leads to the area where the renovation will occur.

• Cut a sheet of plastic sheeting so that it fits over the doorway or opening with margins of an inch or more all around.

• Tape the plastic into place with duct tape, making sure to adhere it to the painter’s tape so you don’t damage the walls or floors.

• Apply a tarp zipper to the plastic barrier, then slice it open to create an opening for you and your contractors to pass through.

This will help contain dust and debris, preventing damage to your furniture or HVAC systems.

Turn off the HVAC

If your home has central heating and cooling, you should take some precautions to ensure that it isn’t affected by dust and debris, which can clog the filters and damage the unit itself:

• Cover vents. Use magnetic vent covers or tape down more plastic to completely cover vents within the work zone.

• Turn the system off. When mudding drywall or painting, some contractors want to run your HVAC system to assist with drying, but don’t let them. In fact, turn the HVAC system off (in just the affected zone, if you can) to ensure it isn’t sucking up heavy construction dust all day long. If your contractors want to speed up the drying or setting process they can bring in portable heaters or dehumidifiers to do the job without risking your home’s infrastructure.

Protect important surfaces from damage

Now that dust isn't going to coat your entire home in a fine layer, it's important to protect various parts of your home from scratches, dings, and dents.

Doors

Doors are easy targets for damage during a renovation. Contractors carrying large, bulky items can smash into them, and tools can easily scrape and dent as they’re carried around a space. Adding some snap-on door jamb protectors and removing or covering the door with builder’s paper will protect it from these kinds of accidents.

Tubs and sinks

If your workers will be anywhere near your kitchen and bathroom fixtures, you’ll want to protect them from dirt and dust as well as scratches and other damage. You can plug drains with some rags or tape them up, then cover the sinks and bathtubs with heavy-duty cardboard (or invest in an adjustable tub protector or temporary, peelable tub film). This way, when your contractor drops their hammer on your brand-new tub, you’ll be able to just shrug it off.

Flooring

Floors take a beating during any sort of construction. Dirt and grit can act like sandpaper on the finish, and there are endless opportunities for scrapes and scratches. Depending on the work being done, you might get away with a simple drop cloth or carpet film, but if the work is more involved, you should consider something a little tougher to protect your hardwood, tile, or laminate flooring. Floor surface protection sheets are relatively easy to install, and are very effective at protecting against damage from even the most careless contractors, and neoprene runners are a solid option for easier, more temporary protection because they can be rolled out and rolled up quickly. You could also use

To protect your stairs, an easy and effective solution is a no-slip drop cloth like this that will stay in place, even on stairs.

Countertops

In kitchens and bathrooms, contractors usually can’t resist seeing countertops as extra workspace, a place to drop tools, store materials, and otherwise abuse. Covering your countertops with a dropcloth or protective film can spare them dust, dirt, and greasy spills, but won’t protect them from chips and gouges. Covering them with the same board material you use on the floors can give you that extra layer of protection that ensures you still have countertops when the work is done.