Renovating with pets at home: what to plan around

Which jobs are actually dangerous for an animal

Not every renovation job is equally risky. Sanding, especially of old paintwork or varnished floors, throws up fine dust that settles in a pet's fur and gets ingested during grooming; if the paint predates the 1990s it may contain lead, which is worse for a small animal's body weight than for yours. Solvent-based paints, wood stains, epoxy floor coatings and some adhesives give off fumes that linger for hours after the work is done, and a cat or dog breathing at floor level, closer to the source than you are, gets a stronger dose.

Power tools are a separate hazard: the noise from an angle grinder, hammer drill or circular saw is loud enough to distress most animals and can trigger a bolt for the door. Loose nails, screws, offcuts of skirting board, shards of tile and torn-up flooring underlay are all things a curious dog will sniff and a cat will bat under the sofa, where you find them a week later or you don't.

Jobs that involve none of this, like reassembling flat-pack furniture, mounting a shelf, or an odd job that takes an hour, are generally fine to do with a pet in the next room, as long as the door between you stays shut.

When to arrange somewhere else for the animal to stay

For a short job, a friend, family member or a boarding kennel or cattery for the day is usually enough. Worth arranging for: any day involving sanding, spray painting, or solvent-based products; any day with heavy demolition noise; and the first fixed-quote flat renovation job that runs for more than a day, where several trades may be in and out.

If boarding is not possible, the next best option is to keep the animal confined to one room, ideally at the far end of the flat from the work, with the door shut and a sign on it so nobody opens it out of habit. This is far more realistic for a cat than a dog that needs to be let out and walked regardless of what is happening at home.

For work that is dusty but not fume-heavy, and takes half a day, most owners manage without boarding; it is the multi-day jobs and anything involving strong-smelling products that make a real difference to an animal's stress and health.

Protecting a pet through the days it stays at home

Ventilate properly rather than just cracking a window: open windows on opposite sides of the flat to get a through-draught while solvent-based products are drying, and keep the animal out of the room until the smell has genuinely gone, not just faded. Vacuum and damp-mop skirting boards and floors at the end of each working day, since dust settles low and that is exactly where paws and noses are.

Keep food and water bowls, litter trays and bedding well away from the work area, and check them for dust before the animal uses them. A HEPA-filter air purifier in the room the pet is confined to helps on the heaviest sanding days, though it is not a substitute for ventilation.

If you notice coughing, sneezing, watery eyes or a dog or cat refusing to settle, treat that as a sign the work area needs to expand its distance from the animal, not just tolerate it as normal renovation stress.

• Board the animal elsewhere for sanding, spraying or solvent-based work if you can
• Otherwise confine it to a room away from the work, with the door shut
• Ventilate with a through-draught, not just one open window
• Vacuum and damp-mop skirting and floors at the end of each day
• Keep bowls, litter trays and bedding well clear of the work area
• Watch for coughing, sneezing or restlessness as a sign to increase distance

Open doors, open windows and the risk of a pet bolting

Tradesmen going in and out with materials, tools and offcuts mean doors left open longer than usual, and a flat full of unfamiliar noise gives a nervous animal every reason to make a run for it. This matters most on the first day, before the animal or the workers have settled into a routine.

Fit a temporary barrier, a baby gate or a closed door, between the entrance hall and the rest of the flat so an open front door does not mean an open route outside. Tell whoever is doing the work that there is a pet in the flat and ask them to check before propping doors open, particularly if scaffolding or a balcony is involved.

A cat that has never tried to get onto a balcony under normal circumstances may try when a window is propped open for ventilation and the balcony door left ajar for materials. Check that a collar with an ID tag or a microchip is up to date before renovation work starts, as a simple precaution rather than an expectation that it will be needed.

Choosing paint and materials when a pet lives in the flat

Water-based paints, sold as low-VOC or emission-class M1 in Estonia, off-gas far less than solvent-based alternatives and are the more sensible default for a home with animals, particularly for interior walls and ceilings. They still need proper ventilation while wet and drying, just for a shorter and gentler period.

Flooring adhesives and floor varnishes are usually the strongest-smelling products in a renovation and worth checking the datasheet for before choosing one, or asking whoever is doing the work to use a low-emission option. Skirting boards and door frames are worth painting with the animal out of the room for a day regardless of the product, simply because they sit at nose height.

For a full flat renovation, from 180 € per job, or a painting and decorating job, from 12 € per job, it is worth mentioning at the quote stage that a pet lives in the flat; it changes nothing about the price but it does change which products and working hours make sense. For smaller tasks like moving a piece of furniture or fitting the barrier itself, that is odd-job work, from 39 € per hour.