Checklist: what to do with furniture during a renovation

Before a renovation, a practical question comes up that is easy to underestimate: what to do with the furniture and belongings. If you leave everything in place, the contractors will work around it — slower and with a risk of damage. If you act without a plan, the furniture will suffer from dust, moisture or careless moving. Getting this question right saves both your nerves and your money.

This article is a practical checklist: what to pack, where to move it and how to protect furniture during a renovation, especially if you are running the renovation remotely.

It draws on years of experience from the DomCare team preparing apartments for renovation in Slovenia.

Three options for furniture

Before a renovation, every piece of furniture and every belonging falls into one of three scenarios:

Move it out of the work area — relocate it to a room that is not being renovated, or to a storage room or cellar. This suits most items, if there is somewhere to put them.

Leave it in place under protection — if there is nowhere to move it, or moving it makes no sense, the furniture is shifted into the centre of the room and carefully covered. Worse than moving it out, but sometimes the only option.

Remove it entirely — if the renovation is a major one, or some of the furniture is being replaced anyway, it makes sense to clear it out. This overlaps with property clearing.

Checklist: preparing furniture for a renovation

Assessment and plan

• Decide which rooms are being renovated and how extensively
• For each item, decide: move it out, protect it in place, or remove it
• Decide where to move things to — is there a free room, cellar or storage space
• Agree with the contractor what they clear and what is a separate task

Fragile and valuable items

• Fragile items, dishes and appliances — pack them separately and store them safely
• Valuable and personal belongings — remove them from the apartment or put them in a lockable room
• Documents and small important items — kept separate

Moving

• Large furniture — move it carefully, with protection for both the item and the route
• Heavy and bulky items — with enough people, dismantling where needed
• Whatever stays in place — shift it aside and prepare it for covering

Protecting what stays

• Furniture left in place — cover it with film against dust and moisture
• Floors along routes and in work areas — protect them
• Construction dust gets everywhere — factor this into the packing

Documenting

• Photograph the condition of the furniture before the renovation — in case of disputes over damage
• Record what was moved and where

After the renovation

Once the renovation is finished and the post-renovation cleaning is done, the furniture goes back in place — again carefully, with the same protective measures. This is the second half of the task, the one people often forget to plan for.

If you are running the renovation remotely

For a remote owner, the furniture question is a separate task that cannot be solved from another country on your own. It is handled on-site: assessment, moving, protection, and return after the renovation. It is convenient to combine this with contractor support — the same people who oversee the renovation also organise the work with the furniture.

How DomCare helps

At DomCare, working with furniture during a renovation means moving furniture (moving it out, rearranging it, returning it with protection and, where needed, dismantling and reassembly) together with contractor support. If some of the furniture needs to be removed — property clearing. You can run the renovation from another country — we take care of preparing the furniture. We work in Ljubljana, on the Slovenian Coast, in the Bled and Bohinj region, and in the Kranj region.

The easiest way to talk it through: message us through the form or on WhatsApp.

Frequently asked questions

What should you do with furniture before a renovation? For each item, choose one of three options: move it out of the work area, leave it in place under protection, or remove it entirely (if it is being replaced). The best option is to move it out if there is somewhere to put it.

Can furniture stay in the room during a renovation? Yes, if there is nowhere to move it: the furniture is shifted aside and carefully covered with film against dust and moisture. But this is worse than moving it out — construction dust gets everywhere.

Why photograph furniture before a renovation? To record its condition in case of disputes over damage that occurs during the renovation.

Who moves the furniture — the renovation contractors? This needs to be agreed in advance. The contractors may shift some of it, but carefully moving large items is a separate task that is best not left to chance.

How do I handle furniture if I’m running the renovation remotely? On-site: assessment, moving, protection, and return after the renovation. It is convenient to combine this with contractor support.

Furniture during a renovation is a question to settle before the work starts, not “as you go”. Three options for each item, protection from dust and moisture, careful moving, photo documentation — and a return to place afterwards. Settled in advance, this question saves both your furniture and your renovation time.

Planning a renovation and wondering what to do with the furniture — message us.

Sources and further reading

• Moving furniture within a property: 6 situations — about the moving service
• Contractor support — overseeing a renovation
• Post-renovation cleaning in Slovenia — the final step of a renovation
• DomCare — Moving furniture — what the service covers
• DomCare — About us — our experience preparing apartments for renovation