1.  Preparation​

During a renovation, we will typically have 3 main "Areas" to assign when it comes to planning for staging and site prep.

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The first area is the Work-site Area where the renovation is being performed.

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The second area is the Staging Area in which all tools and materials may be stored for the duration of the renovation to allow for quick access and productive work flow. Cutting and other operations will be conducted in the staging area or outside the home. This area is typically an adjacent room to the work-site area and must be larger than 8'x8' in order to facilitate an efficient work environment. The staging room and its contents will not be accessible for normal use during the renovation unless removed prior. 

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These 2 areas will be constantly ventilated throughout the duration of the job using 3-stage HEPA Air Purifiers and plastic wall barriers with access zippers. For safety, it is encouraged that the homeowner does not enter these 2 areas during the duration of work, and should only do so upon confirmation with us or the present sub-contractors. We always encourage our clients to check out the progress of the renovation, but we must ensure you do so safely while following all proper procedures. 

   

The 3rd area(s) would be the traffic'd areas outside the workspace and staging envelope. These traffic'd areas will not be ventilated with the workspace, but the proper floor protection will be utilized.

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Work-site and Staging Areas

     Within the work-site area(s) is where the majority of the work will take place. If the work area(s) or staging area have an unfinished floor or a floor that is top be replaced, no prep is necessary here to protect until the finished floor is installed.

      If the work areas are over a finished floor, all considerations need to be made before choosing the proper floor protection. These considerations usually include items such as type of floor to protected,  type of work to be performed, and length of necessity for floor protection in the area.

     For example, on a hardwood floor to be protected for the length of the job, we would lay down a foam or similar water-resistant membrane with no inks or dyes, and that would be adhered to the floor with a non-residue tape. On top of the membrane would either be an impact resistant layer of Masonite sheets or a roll-out impact resistant cardboard layer.

       Protection of carpeted rooms, hallways, or stairs would not require an impact resistant layer unlike a hardwood or tile floor. Instead we use our supplier's preferred carpet protection membrane in conjunction with canvas drop cloths or poly tarps.

       All in-place horizontal surfaces such as countertops and built-ins to have similar protections to flooring cases. 

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Airborne Particulates

       A floor or a countertop is replaceable, but the same is not so easy with your your lungs. This is why airborne particulate is our number one concern for all of our renovations we perfom. 90% of all the dust and VOCs will be generated from within the workspace and staging areas, so that is where we will handle most of our particulate control.

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  The most important type of worksite protection for the homeowner is airborne particulate control.

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      The typical procedure for removing dust in a work environment and keeping it out of finished areas of the home relies on one main thing, and that is pressure differential. To achieve a safe and properly pressurized containment, we will need 3 main things. First is an air-tight enclosed work-space, second is a negative pressure inside the space, and 3rd is a positive filtered exhaust to the finished area of the home.

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       To confine all particulate to the work-space, and also minimize air volume, the work-space and staging area will be sectioned off from the rest of the house using plastic containment wall and zipper doors. This containment includes sealing doorways, all vents for the HVAC system, and any chase-ways leading to finished sections of the home. With the area fully contained, we can now place HEPA Certified Air Scrubbers through the plastic walls. These units will be creating negative air pressure inside the containment area, constantly removing all airborne particulate, and filtering through a Pre-filter, Carbon filter, and HEPA filter. Simultaneously, they will be venting the filtered clean air into the finished spaces providing a clean and positive pressure. The reason we vent into the finished space is because that addition of clean air will generate a positive pressure on the safe side of the envelope, creating a circulation pattern that ensures particulate from the negative side cannot escape containment.