The renovation of your home is a complex, expensive and stressful event that is more than necessary, yet, those who have pets have one more reason to dread these works. Namely, it’s fairly hard to achieve all that you’re aiming to do and keep your pet safe at the same time. Fortunately, there are more than a couple of ways to keep your pet safe during home renovations. Here are seven such tips.

1.      Microchip them

The risk of them escaping is much more likely during the renovation, which is why you need to ensure that they can be easily found if this were to happen. During the remodeling process, some natural barriers around your property may be temporarily down. Moreover, construction workers that are tending to their own business don’t really have a habit of watching out for your pet. This means that they may (accidentally) leave the door open or make a similar mistake elsewhere. There really is no way for you to completely avert this, which is why microchipping your pets might be the best course of action at this point.

2.      Start by figuring out the project schedule

Chances are that not all the works around your home will disturb the lifecycle of your pet, yet, in order to know this, you need to get a detailed project schedule from your contractor. You see, if some of the works that are the most disturbing are going to last for too long, it might be better to find temporary shelter for your pet rather than to just try to wing it. Ideally, you would have a friend or a family member that will be willing to take them for a week or two, if not, some hotels accept pets so you might be willing to stay there until the coast is clear.

3.      Protect the area that they’re stationed at

Just because one part of your home might be off-limits to your pet, it doesn’t mean that this is true for the entirety of your home. Keep in mind that there’s always a possibility that one corner of your home is not affected by the works. Make sure that your pet has everything they need here but don’t forget one thing – it’s impossible to incentivize a pet not to explore. Therefore, you need some more reliable methods to keep them protected at all times.

4.      Inspect all the safety measures

The next thing you need to consider is the danger of certain construction methods and equipment that your construction crew will use. For instance, while a cat can climb on a scaffold, for a dog, this isn’t such a risk, other than the possibility that something falling from the scaffold in question might hurt them. In this very scenario, what you should aim for is getting portable scaffolding, so that it can be moved from your property when not used. This will provide a much greater level of security for your property.

5.      Ask about the materials

Some of the materials used in the construction process may be hazardous for your beloved pet, which is why identifying them might be vital for their safety. While a lot of people are careful when it comes to old lead paint, what the majority of them fail to realize is the fact that stain and varnish products, as well as a modern paint, can be just as dangerous. The same goes for tile adhesives, spray foam insulation and fiberglass insulation. Other than this, having power tools lying around (especially plugged in) can be immensely dangerous.

6.      Noise might also be a problem

Keep in mind that the noise that takes place everywhere around isn’t distracting and aggravating just to humans but to pets, as well. As you see, the noise caused by the remodeling project isn’t annoying just to your neighbors. Sometimes there’s nothing that you can do about it but you should at least try to limit the length of the project. Also, when choosing the temporary pet area, try to pick the most remote part of your home’s usable area.

7.      Don’t neglect their routine

Previously, we’ve mentioned a scenario where your pet is getting restless and, therefore, starts acting differently than they usually do. In order to avoid this, and all risks that follow, you need to find a way to keep up with their daily routine. Other than a supervisory role, you won’t have much to do around the remodel, which means that you lack any excuse not to dedicate care and attention to your pet. Other than this, the majority of people walk their dog at night, which is when all the work comes to halt. In other words, those who are determined to do so can keep up with their routine despite the works.

As you can see, with just a bit of organization and effort, you can easily improve the state of your own home during the works, which will lead to a much safer environment for your pets. This is, on its own, a goal that’s worth any effort on your part.