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You’re ready to renovate your home, but can’t work out the logistics of moving out while doing it. Is it really possible to renovate without moving out? Yes. But it’s not easy. Here’s what to expect.
If you can’t move out before the renovation, prepare yourself for the noise. There will always be noise during any home remodel, whether it’s the banging of tools, the shouts of workers, or the music they bring along with them.
You can limit this by staying in a different part of your home whenever possible—and it’s okay to ask the workers to keep the music down a bit!
Along with debris, dust is unavoidable during any major renovation, and you will deal with it if you stay home while renovating.
Whether it’s sawdust from boards being cut, the gritty dust of drywall when you make room for your new kitchen appliances and cupboards, or the dust from old insulation when you tear out a wall, you can expect dust throughout the renovation, and for several weeks afterwards.
Shutting doors, opening windows and putting up plastic sheets can help with, but not solve, the problem.
Our advice: don’t bother trying to clean it up until the work is done, just try to contain it as best you can.
The hardest part about remodeling while on site is that your home will continue to be a distraction even after the work is done for the day.
Everything is slightly out of place and messy, and there’s really nothing you can do about it.
The best answer to this is to limit the work to one area at a time, so you can keep using the rest of your house as normally as possible until the work is done.
A good contractor will help you arrange this even before the work starts, because they know from experience that remodeling without moving out is really hard.
Every remodel runs into some kind of issue: bad wiring, bug problems, last minute design changes—it only takes one thing to go wrong before the whole project is delayed.
This is entirely normal, and knowing that you should expect it will make it much easier to handle when it inevitably happens.
Your builder should start out with a schedule and a budget that includes a buffer specifically to account for unforeseen delays. Any builder that doesn’t is one to avoid!
You’re going to need it. A home remodel is a difficult undertaking even in ideal circumstances. It’s even harder when you have to live in the same place you’re currently tearing apart.
If you don’t already have a standby, you will find a new favorite coffee over the course of the renovation. And if you share with your builders, who now spend as much time with you as any of your friends, you might just make new friends along the way.
A home remodel is definitely worth it if you’re living in a home that no longer fits your needs, but if you can’t move out, you need to be prepared for some difficulty. As long as you know what to expect and have a firm end date scheduled, it will be okay!