Can I stay at home while the bathroom or kitchen is being stripped out?

Many people stay at home during a strip-outDemolitionKnocking down or stripping out whatever has to go before a renovation: walls, tiles, render, bathroom fittings, old floors or old insulation., and it can be done. But demolition is the noisiest and dirtiest stage of a renovation, so it is worth organising in advance.

Dust from renderRender (plaster)A layer of mortar (sand, cement or lime, and water) spread over brick or concrete to give a wall a straight, sound surface ready for paint or tiles. and brick is very fine and gets under doors. The work area is emptied, the doors to the other rooms are sealed with plastic sheeting and tape, and the floors along the way to the front door are covered. Anything valuable or fragile is best moved out of the neighbouring rooms too.

In this kitchen, as soon as the tiles and units came out, the pipes and cables inside the wall came into view. While the supplies are open, the water and power in that spot stay off, and they may need to go off for a while elsewhere in the home too. If the kitchen is being stripped, set up a makeshift place to eat somewhere else. If the only bathroom is being stripped, think ahead about where you will wash.

Children and pets are best kept away from the area, because broken tiles and loose cables are everywhere. For anyone who works from home or sleeps during the day, the breaking-out days are the hardest, so ask in advance which days they will be.

Keep in mind: tell the neighbours too. The noise travels through the building's frame, even when the job is a small bathroom.