Decide first whether you are living in it
Renovation projects fail on logistics more often than on building work. Before anything else, be honest about whether you are staying in the house while it happens.
Living in it works for a single room, a bathroom, or work confined to one floor with a door that closes. It stops working when the kitchen is out, when the heating is off, or when there is dust in every room, which happens far earlier in a project than people expect.
Moving out costs more but is faster for the builders, because they are not working around a family, and it removes the daily friction that ruins projects and relationships.
The middle option is the one people forget: stay in the house, but move most of the contents out. The building work gets a clear run, your possessions are not living under dust sheets for three months, and you are not paying rent somewhere else.
Construction dust gets everywhere
This is the point that convinces most people to empty rooms rather than cover them.
Building dust is fine enough to travel under closed doors, through gaps around floorboards, and into every soft surface in the house. It settles into upholstery, curtains, carpets and bedding, and it reappears for days after the work stops. Plastic sheeting over furniture helps, but a sheet is not a seal, and the dust that gets underneath then sits there for the duration.
Anything that cannot be wiped clean is best out of the building entirely: sofas, mattresses, rugs, curtains, books, artwork and clothing.
What to do with the contents
Three options, in ascending order of sense for anything beyond a small job.
Shift room to room. Free, and workable if the project is genuinely confined. The cost is that everything gets moved repeatedly, usually by you, and the rooms you are still living in become storage.
Garage, loft or shed. Better than nothing, worse than people assume. Lofts get hot, garages and sheds get damp, and both invite moths and pests. Wool rugs, upholstery, artwork and anything paper suffer noticeably.
Container storage. The contents are collected from the property, held in a dry, clean, ventilated facility, and delivered back when the work is done. Container storage collected from your door avoids the depot trip a walk-in unit needs, and containers can be returned in stages so the house fills up at the pace the decorating allows.
If you are having floors sanded or the whole house redecorated, emptying it entirely for a few weeks is almost always cheaper than working around furniture and repairing what gets damaged.
Packing the fragile things properly
This is where most renovation damage actually happens, and it is worth doing once, properly.
Mirrors and glass. Use purpose-made picture or mirror boxes with corner protectors, wrapped in bubble wrap first. Transport and store them on edge, vertically, never flat, because flat glass takes the full weight of anything placed on it and flexes under its own weight over time.
Artwork. Face out with acid-free tissue against the surface, corner protectors, then a picture box. Never wrap a painting directly in bubble wrap, which can mark the surface in warm conditions.
China and glassware. Individually wrapped in packing paper, plates on edge rather than stacked flat, glasses upright with paper inside them, in small double-walled boxes with the gaps filled.
Lampshades and light fittings. Boxed individually, never stacked, and never packed with anything heavy.
Soft furnishings. Clean and completely dry before storage, in breathable covers rather than sealed plastic, which traps moisture. Our guides to carpet and rug care and upholstery cover the storage rules in more detail.
Materials for all of this are in the packing shop, and our practical packing guide covers the technique.
Tell your insurer
Worth a phone call before the work starts, because two things commonly affect cover.
Many home insurance policies restrict or void cover if a property is left unoccupied beyond a set period, often thirty to sixty consecutive days. If you are moving out for the duration, that clause may apply.
Many also require you to notify the insurer of significant building works, particularly anything structural, and may adjust cover while the works are under way.
Neither is difficult to deal with. Both are expensive to discover after a claim is refused.
Build in contingency, because dates slip
Renovation timescales are optimistic almost as a rule. Materials arrive late, something is discovered behind a wall, a trade is delayed on another job.
Two practical consequences:
- Do not book the return of your belongings for the day the builders say they will finish. Leave a fortnight, and expect to use it.
- Check how flexible your storage arrangement is. Ours runs on a rolling basis, so extending is simply a matter of telling us, and cancelling needs a few working days' notice rather than a fixed term.
When the work is done
Two things before the furniture comes back.
Clean properly, twice. After-builders cleaning deals with dust that has settled into every surface, and it almost always needs a second pass a few days later once the remaining airborne dust has settled. Doing it before the rooms fill up is considerably easier than afterwards.
Bring things back in stages if you can. One container at a time, room by room, is far more manageable than an entire household arriving on a single afternoon into a house that is still being finished.
Frequently asked questions
Should I move out during a renovation? For a single room or bathroom, usually not. For a kitchen replacement, heating work, or anything involving multiple rooms or floors, moving out is faster for the builders and considerably less stressful. Moving the contents out while staying yourself is a middle option worth considering.
Where should I put furniture during building work? Off site if possible. Lofts get hot, garages and sheds get damp, and both attract pests. Container storage keeps things dry and clean, and containers can be returned in stages as rooms are finished.
How do I protect furniture from construction dust? Remove anything that cannot be wiped clean, particularly upholstery, mattresses, rugs, curtains and books. Dust sheets help but do not seal, and dust that gets underneath stays there.
How should mirrors and glass be packed? In purpose-made picture or mirror boxes with corner protectors, wrapped in bubble wrap, and always transported and stored on edge rather than flat.
Do I need to tell my home insurer about renovation work? Usually, yes. Many policies require notification of significant building works and restrict cover if the property is unoccupied beyond thirty to sixty days. Check the wording before work starts.
How long should I book storage for during a renovation? Longer than the builders' estimate. Allow a fortnight of contingency, and use a rolling arrangement that can be extended rather than a fixed term.
How we can help
RMV Storage & Removals has worked with London households and builders for over fifteen years from our base in Enfield, with container storage delivered to your door, house and office removals, packing services and materials, and professional and after-builders cleaning, across every area we cover.
If a renovation is coming, tell us the rough dates and we will work out what needs to leave the house and when. Get in touch.
Written by Riki Migliori, Director at RMV Storage & Removals. Originally published April 2016. Fully reviewed and updated summer 2026.