Why Keeping a Clean Renovation Job Site is Critical

Posted on Jun 06, 2011 by HDL-Group-Admin  | Tags: clean, jobsite, renovation, safety

The most important tool on a renovation job site is not, as most people would think, a hammer or power drill - it's a broom and dustpan. Why?

Renovation sites are chaotic by nature. This applies to all construction sites but especially renovations because:

  • it's usually in a confined space,
  • lots of material must be removed during demo,
  • lots of material is being brought in during re-construction,
  • a lot of people need to work in a small space,
  • changes to the scope of work often happen in the middle of the project,
  • sometimes residents are living in the space while it's being renovated,
  • etc, etc, etc.

Without a simple broom and dustpan, a renovation site would quickly - and I mean quickly - turn into a total disaster zone where no one could work or even walk through. A messy job site causes too many problems to list, the most obvious of which are:

  1. An abundance of safety risks: stepping on nails, slipping on dust, breathing in dust, tripping over tools or cables, falling objects, the list goes on indefinitely...
  2. Time wasted navigating through crowded areas, looking for tools & materials, moving garbage around.
  3. Inability to work due to lack of space.
  4. A feeling of chaos causing repercussions in the organization and quality of work and contributing to low morale.

Professional workmanship includes a proper clean-up schedule. Even if the job site gets a little sloppy during the day, at the end of the day it's time to get organized. Here's a photo of what a professional renovation job site should look like:

Clean Job Site

Notice 6 features of a clean and organized site:

  1. Tools are out of the way.
  2. Building materials are neatly organized and out of the way in an easily accessible location.
  3. Equipment scheduled to be moved off-site the next day is staged and ready for transport.
  4. Electrical cables are neatly wrapped and out of the way.
  5. Cleaning tools and supplies are readily available in abundance.
  6. Poly sheeting is available to isolate particularly dusty work areas.

If you're doing you're own renovation, make job site cleanliness and organization a priority. And if you're hiring, look for an organized, professional contractor. It will save you all kinds of money and headaches.