Did you move out during home renovation?

[smiles33]

We're going to start a major home renovation in the next 3 months or so (e.g., expanding the kitchen, adding a bedroom and new 1/2 bath, and expanding a current bathroom). This will involve tearing down walls, pouring new foundation, etc.

Since the 3 bedrooms and master bath aren't going to be touched, DH and I had assumed we'd just stay in the house. Our contractor said he could "seal" off the hallway between the bedrooms and the rest of the house. However, I know the kids' bathroom (which is in the same hallway) is going to be expanded another 3 feet or so, which means the hallway won't be completely sealed during the 9-12 month project.

My DB mentioned he has 3 friends who have recently done renovations and 2 of them moved out of their houses into rentals. He said he absolutely thought it was more convenient and better health-wise given the construction mess. I was surprised, as that's an extra expense I hadn't anticipated. DH was thinking he'd set up a hot plate, the Instant pot, and a sous vide in our master bedroom to cook (he does all the cooking so if he doesn't mind the set-up, I'm fine with it). I assume he'd have them move our fridge into the master, too.

The only nearby house currently for rent in our rural neighborhood is very expensive ($4,500 for an old, outdated 3 bedroom house). So I also am now considering renting an RV as we have plenty of space to put a large 5th wheel RV (the kind advertised as "temporary housing" on the RV rental website). Yet a quick google search shows the incredible cost of renting for 9+ months (over $40,000!) means renting a house (or buying an RV and then selling it) may make more sense.

The final issue is that we have a huge 80 pound Labrador/Rhodesian Ridgeback mix and he's an inside dog (meaning we don't leave him outside unless we're with him). I'm worried about how he'd be with all the noise of demolition and construction if we just lock him into a bedroom.

WWYD?

[niccig]

We stayed in the house as rent for an apartment was going to be at least $8k for 4 months. Money we could put into the renovation. We didn’t expand but we knocked out walls and added walls in different places, redid electrical, plumbing and HVAC in new walls, replaced windows, refinished all the floors and repainted. All rooms in the house were touched except for 1 bathroom. For most of the renovation we had 1 bedroom and 1 bathroom to use. Bedroom had twin over full bed and that’s where the 3 of us and cat and dog slept/spent our time. The contractor did a pretty good job at sealing it off, there still was some dust but not too bad. We had zippered plastic wall to enter the hallway from construction area. Dust was worse during demo then drywall. We had a hot plate and microwave, metal shelves on wheels was the pantry and the fridge was out in the hallway as it wouldn’t fit through bedroom door. For the last 4 weeks we had to move into another bedroom so the floors could be refinished and walls painted.

Biggest issue was laundry and we used fluff and fold at the laundromat. DH took our dog to work each day, he usually takes him 2-3 days a week but got his boss’s permission to bring him each day. Weekends we got out of the house fairly often. Could you look at dog day care for some days to give your dog a break? Our cat was in the bedroom and she was ok, but spent time under the bed until we got Home. Maybe someone can take him for regular walks during the day to get him out of the space, go to a dog park etc.

Can you set up one bedroom as the living room/kitchen and have the kids bunk together? It will give you some living space that isn’t a bedroom, so someone can stay up later, we had to turn off lights when DS went to sleep. Will you be home during the day? We were at work/school so there wasn’t too much noise to deal with as the workers were mostly done when we got home. If you’re going to be home, make plans to get away from the noise. We spent a couple of weekends at a friend’s cabin to have a normal house again. We ate out/ordered take out more than should have done as it’s costly over a long period of time, but I got tired of cooking. We used paper plates/cups so only washed up pots/pans. I used restaurant busing bins in bath tub. 1 bin was soapy water, Other bin had dish drainer that I poured clean water over.

I’d recommend you pack up everything you don’t need due to dust or just being in the way. There’s times the house won’t have walls/windows and will be open to the elements. We put a storage pod in the driveway and filled it and garage with furniture and boxes of belongings. We had a Rubbermaid plastic bin each for clothes. Purge as you pack up and again as you unpack.

Our backyard was the staging area for work and it got a bit messed up - things were cleaned up, but it’s where wood/tile was cut, doors spray painted etc. so factor in getting that back into shape after inside work is done. Take dog out on leash to stay in areas they didn’t work in - there were nails/tools etc on ground in backyard, so we took the dog out the front for potty breaks.

It’s manageable but not fun. But it’s worth it in the end. Google for advice on setting up for renovation.


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[pinay]

We're about to start on a major home renovation as well that will include adding a second level to our single story home- our contractor has told us that he can make it work so that we don't have to move out, but I have a feeling it may have to happen at some point. We have a tight budget so I think we will do our best to minimize our time out of our house, but we'll just have to see how it goes.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I can’t imagine tossing that kind of $ out the window on alternative housing. Yes, renovations are messy but make it work. I don’t know anyone who has moved out during their renovations. If my friend could make do with having her 4 kids sleep in one bedroom, parents in the foyer (they used the garage as an entrance during that time) and a half bath with a rigged up shower for 10 months I think most everyone could survive far less impactful renovations while staying at home.


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[AnnieW625]

Nope. We had our single bathroom gutted, and we still stayed at home. The whole process took about 5 weeks (the sink, cabinets, counter install, and painting were the last thing to be done). The biggest inconvenience was the three weeks we didn’t have a shower, and the two nights we stayed in a hotel because we didn’t have a toilet. The bathroom except for the sink was functional by the end of week 4.

We showered at the YMCA (DH and I daily, the kids every other day) so that was kind of a pain, but the the $140 to join the YMCA (where we still workout now) and the $400 or so we spent to stay at the hotel was cheaper than moving out for a whole month. We boarded our dog for three days for a total of $75. An Air B N B would’ve cost us about $2800, plus we would’ve had to board our dog for a month, which would’ve been about another $800.

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[westwoodmom04]

I do know some people who moved out during renovation but most stay. My SIL did the exact same reno you are proposing except they also added a new family room under the new bedroom. They stayed in the home with three kids and a dog. The work went in stages so the actual time they couldn’t use kitchen was only a small part of the total reno time, I think it was done last.

[azzeps]

My brother and SIL and their four kids moved in with my parents at the beginning of the summer when their renovation started. They have basically gutted the entire upstairs of their home, which left their basement (two bedrooms, bathroom and family room) to live in. So at the end of the summer, they had to move back into their house so that the kids could be close to school, because the renovation ran into some unforeseen delays, and won't be done until Thanksgiving (we hope). So they're making it work. I think they've lined up all their kitchen appliances in the basement on a big table for a makeshift "kitchen." That and probably a lot of takeout?

[jgenie]

We didn’t move out when we redid our kitchen at our old house. We had a second kitchen in the basement so it was pretty painless other than the mess. I was pregnant during that reno and my contractor asked me to be out of the house as much as possible as he didn’t want me breathing the construction air. When we pay off this house we will redo the kitchen. I plan to set up a kitchen in the basement and use disposable cups and plates as much as possible.

[mom2binsd]

Can you do a vacation during the worst of it? I'd just make do, uprooting everyone is a pain.

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[AnnieW625]

Can you do a vacation during the worst of it? I'd just make do, uprooting everyone is a pain.

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See this is what I am hoping to do with our kitchen next summer. DH and I are going a 10 day cruise, the kids will be at my in laws, and we just think it will be the best time to get it done vs. having to do all of it when we are home. There might still be some work that need to be done when we get home, but it makes sense to me to the bulk of the work when we are gone. My uncle thinks I am crazy for considering it.


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