Prepare your home for a whole-home renovation: phase, then pack
Most Cobb County whole-home projects phase by level or wing so the family stays. Pack the active phase completely; half-packed rooms slow crews and break things. Keep one working bathroom and a temporary kitchen (fridge, microwave, electric kettle) outside the work zone at all times.
Decide the systems before the finishes
- Polybutylene (1978–1995 homes), panel capacity and HVAC age — decided pre-demo, priced in the scope
- Flooring continuity across old room lines — especially where walls move
- Where you will live if a phase slips: a written fallback beats a hopeful one
The whole-home renovation page lays out the construction order of operations; this guide is the household side of the same project.
The four-week countdown to demo day
Preparation works backwards from the first demolition date. Four weeks out, confirm the permit jurisdiction for your parcel — City of Marietta through SagesGov, or unincorporated Cobb County through Community Development — because a Marietta mailing address does not settle it, and the permit has to match the parcel before work starts. Three weeks out, finish selections that drive rough-in work: appliances, plumbing fixtures, tile and flooring. Two weeks out, pack the active phase and label boxes by the room they will return to, not the room they left.
- One week out: empty and photograph every cabinet, closet and built-in in the work zone, including the insides of walls you are about to lose
- Set up the temporary kitchen and one fully working bathroom outside the work zone, and test them for a weekend before the crew arrives
- Move cars, bins and stored garage items so the crew has a clear path for materials in and debris out
- Agree, in writing, the daily start and finish times, the dust-control measures, and who receives schedule updates and photographs
Protect the budget before you protect the furniture
The Houzz 2026 study cited in our research found 37% of renovating homeowners exceeded their budget, driven by material upgrades, expanded scope and unexpected conditions — all three are decided, or prevented, in this preparation window. Hold the 10% contingency local guides advise as a separate line, not as spending money for upgrades. If your home was built between 1978 and 1995, get the polybutylene, panel-capacity and HVAC questions answered and priced before demo, while the answers are still cheap. A written fallback for where the family sleeps if a phase slips belongs in the same folder as the contract, the permit and the selections list.