We started our bathroom renovation in March. It was supposed to take six weeks. Thirteen weeks later, we were done.

I don’t say this to put you off renovations are absolutely worth it but because I want to be honest about the reality of living through one. The dust, the disruption and the daily negotiations with your own patience. I’ve been a professional organiser for years and even I found it harder than I expected.

If you’re planning a renovation or you’re in the middle of one right now, here’s what I’d pass on.

Before: Sort the space first

The biggest mistake I see (and one I feel strongly about) is packing things away without decluttering first. A renovation gives you a natural reason to empty cupboards, clear shelves and move things out of the way. That’s a real opportunity and it’s worth taking.

Before anything gets boxed up, go through it. Only keep what you need and use. The things you haven’t reached for in two years don’t need to go into a box and come back out again on the other side. Let them go now, while the space is empty anyway.

For our bathrooms, there wasn’t a huge amount to get rid of, but we did go through everything from unused bath bombs and hand lotions to moisturisers Carys didn’t like the smell of any more and expired contact lenses of Andrew’s. Nothing dramatic, but it all went.

My advice would be to start packing away what you can live without as soon as possible, especially if there’s a fair amount to donate or recycle. You want that stuff out of the house well before the work starts, not the night before.

One thing worth thinking about early on: where will everything go during the works? We have a spare room that doubles as an office, so had somewhere to put what we packed away. If your house is already stretched for space, think about this before the skips arrive.

What to keep out during the works

Think carefully about what you’ll need while the renovation is happening and keep only that within reach.

When our kids’ bathroom was being renovated they used our ensuite, which only has a shower. So anything bath-related got packed straight away. There was no point keeping bath bombs or foam when nobody had access to a bath. 

Once their bathroom was finished, we swapped – we used theirs while our ensuite was done but we still weren’t having relaxing baths in the middle of a building site, so it all stayed packed.

It sounds obvious but it’s easy to half-unpack things out of habit rather than thinking clearly about what the next few weeks actually look like.

The same principle applies to kitchens. If you’re working from a temporary setup (a microwave, an air fryer, a camping hob) you don’t need six soup pots and a full set of serving dishes within reach. Be realistic. The rest can be boxed until the kitchen is back.

If you’re planning to go away during the works, think ahead. Do you have holiday things stored somewhere that you’ll need to take with you? Better to think of that before the boxes are taped up.

During: Manage your expectations, not just the mess

Accept early on that your house is going to be messy and dusty. Fighting it every day is exhausting and ultimately pointless – the minute you’ve cleaned one surface, there’s another layer of dust settling.

I learned this the hard way. For the first couple of weeks I was trying to keep on top of it and it was demoralising. Eventually I settled on a proper clean once a week (Friday afternoons, once the builders had gone) and leaving it in between. It wasn’t perfect but it was manageable. And that’s the right target during a renovation.

A few other things that help

• Take photos as the project progresses. Not just for the before and after – though those are very satisfying – but so you can look at them on the difficult days when it feels like nothing is changing. You’ll realise things are moving forward.

• Add a few weeks to whatever timeline your builder gives you. If it doesn’t finish when expected, the disappointment is hard to shake. A built-in buffer makes it much easier to absorb. 

• Whatever date is in your head, remind yourself: it’ll be worth it in the end. It will. That became something of a mantra in our house by week ten.

Look after yourself

This one sounds small but it isn’t. Renovations disrupt sleep, meals, work routines and more. You’re surrounded by noise and mess for weeks on end. Stress levels creep up without you noticing.

If you work from home, the disruption is constant. Get out at lunchtime. Take a walk. If you can manage a night away, do it. Getting out for a day or two helps more than you’d think.

After: The reset

The first thing I did? Clean, properly!

When the kids’ bathroom was done, we kept using just what we needed day to day. I didn’t unpack anything until both bathrooms were completely finished.

Once the ensuite was done, I deep cleaned our bedroom from top to bottom (the dust gets everywhere) then the ensuite itself. Only then did I start moving things back. 

I had one box for the kids’ bathroom and one for ours, worked through them one at a time, then moved our clothes back down (we’d shifted everything upstairs during the works to keep it away from the dust).

Once everything was put away and had a home, I looked at what storage I needed. Knowing exactly what I was storing, how much of it there was and where it was going made choosing the right containers straightforward. That’s always the right order. Sort first, buy storage second.

And how did it feel? 

I was honestly elated. After months of the whole family sharing one bathroom, finally having two again was such a relief. Getting the builders out (brilliant as they are) and losing the plastic sheeting on the stairs felt like getting the house back.

The biggest thing was reclaiming our bedroom. We’d been out of it for six weeks while the ensuite was done and when we finally moved back in the whole house felt so much bigger. We weren’t tripping over hanging rails and boxes any more. Pure joy.

The end of a renovation is a really good moment to be intentional about what goes back into the space. Think about what you really want in there, what belongs somewhere else and what doesn’t need to come back at all.

A new room deserves a considered start.

If you’re about to take the plunge

Renovations are disruptive but absolutely worth it. A bit of prep before the work starts, some realistic expectations in the middle and a little kindness to yourself throughout makes a real difference.

If you’d like help getting your home sorted before or after a renovation, or you’re standing in the middle of the chaos wondering where to start, get in touch.