--- title: "Preparing Your Edinburgh Home for Renovation | Sweet Homes" description: "Prepare an Edinburgh home for renovation with a clear pre-start checklist for belongings, pets, access, materials, documents and living arrangements." canonical: "https://mysweethomes.co.uk/how-to-prepare-your-edinburgh-home-for-a-renovation/" published: 2025-12-01 updated: 2026-08-18 --- # How to Prepare Your Edinburgh Home for Renovation We put personal belongings and pets first. This checklist separates what the household prepares from what the contractor should have ready before the first delivery. ## Clear the room before sorting the paperwork Take out artwork, electronics, documents, ceramics and anything sentimental. Empty the cupboards, wardrobes and shelves that form part of the work. Small furniture and loose items should normally leave the room too. We can move some larger furniture within the property where that has been agreed. We record that separately from clearing and storing the contents of a flat. On our projects, we protect the flooring affected by the work and access route. We also protect furniture moved to let the work take place and, where necessary, a driveway affected by skip placement. Timber, carpet, stone and a finished driveway need different protection. Keep boxes away from the hall, front door and common stair. In a tenement, the detailed access and neighbour plan is covered in [Renovating a Tenement Without Upsetting the Stair](/how-to-renovate-a-tenement-flat-without-upsetting-the-stair/). ## What has to be ready before work starts? Before a Sweet Homes project starts, we want the full scope, materials and supply lists, logistics, schedule and programme ready. The designs and drawings need to match the work we have been asked to deliver. Any required building warrant, certification or asbestos testing should be resolved. Not every renovation needs each of them. It depends on the property and the work. The formal go-ahead and any project-specific pre-start terms belong in the written contract. Sweet Homes does not publish one estate-wide mobilisation fee. The technical [order of the renovation work is covered separately](/how-to-sequence-a-renovation-in-an-edinburgh-home-the-order-that-prevents-rework/). Our pre-start note covers four main checks:
The household confirms Sweet Homes confirms
Personal belongings, valuables and sentimental items have been removed or secured. The scope, programme, material list and supply responsibilities are settled.
We know who will remain in the property, including children and pets. The work zones, access route, protection, dust control and waste route are planned.
Keys, alarms, parking constraints and normal access arrangements have been explained. Required drawings, tests, approvals and certificates are available when the work needs them.
Any agreed item selected or supplied separately is identified and ready for its stage. The household knows which rooms, services and facilities will be unavailable.
The room clearance is the household's part. We still own the agreed dust controls, protection and waste plan. ## Living in the property is part of the scope We factor the client's presence into the scope unless remaining in the property would be unfeasible. In our planning, one person or a couple is usually easier to accommodate. We find children and pets make separation from the work zone more difficult, although we have worked in fully occupied properties. Check the facilities against the programme. Which bathroom will remain available? Can the household reach it without crossing the work zone? What happens while water or electricity is isolated? Where will the pet stay while the front door is open for deliveries? For a bathroom renovation, we ask the client to obtain the supplier's design and we check the proposed layout in the room. The client also needs to understand that the bathroom will be inaccessible during the work before we treat the programme as ready. Where there is no second bathroom, we need to agree another arrangement. For somebody working from home, identify the noisy or dusty stages by date. Calls may need another room or another address for those periods. ## Supplied items and access Sweet Homes supplies and fits the trades package. The materials and labour for the agreed structural, electrical, plumbing and finishing work stay together rather than becoming a labour-only job against separately bought trades materials. Clients can still control agreed selections or separately sourced parts of the project. A design package or a particular finish may sit outside the main trades supply. Record the supplier, accepted specification and the stage when it is needed. Agree how the team will enter, who holds keys and how alarms are handled. Keep the consumer unit, stopcock, boiler and other relevant service points accessible. Deliveries, waste removal and skips need a route. In central Edinburgh that may involve a parking dispensation, bay suspension or permission for something placed on the public street. The City of Edinburgh Council has separate pages for [parking arrangements](https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/parking-spaces/dispensations-suspensions) and [road occupation permits](https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/roadoccupationpermits). Use the route that matches the proposed activity. For significant refurbishment, work that changes the rebuilding risk or a property that will be empty for a long period, speak to the home insurer before the start. The Association of British Insurers' [guidance](https://www.abi.org.uk/globalassets/sitecore/files/documents/publications/public/migrated/home/common-questions-about-home-insurance.pdf) distinguishes major work from routine decoration and replacement of fitted units. Ask the insurer about the actual scope. --- ## Planning an Edinburgh renovation? Our home renovation service explains how Sweet Homes plans and delivers multi-room and full-home work across Edinburgh. **[See our home renovation service](/home-renovations-edinburgh/)**