Now that you’ve decided to go for your remodel, you might want to start thinking about whether you will move out, or if it’s possible for you to stay while the work is being done. Having done both approaches ourselves, we thought we’d share what we see as some pros and cons for each.
Approach 1: Stay in Place
This should only be considered if the area of work can be easily partitioned off from the rest of your living space, including a separate point of access for the workers. The area of work also needs to include space for construction staging – they’ll need space to put items they are demolishing, as well as new items waiting to be installed. The spaces left for you to live in that are not in the area of work should definitely include a full bathroom. It is possible to create a temporary kitchen setup in another room (i.e. hot plate, etc), however it is not possible to do this for a bathroom. If you only have one bathroom and you plan to renovate it – get ready to move out!
There are some difficulties and downsides to staying in place:
Noise & disruption to your daily life.
If you’ve ever lived next door or down the street from a construction site, this needs no more explanation – just imagine how much more intense it is to live IN one. Do you have WFH days of the week? You might not be able to do so anymore. Do your kids come home in the afternoons and do their homework? Well, construction noise may be an issue for them as well. Does your cat like to sleep in that one window that gets a sunbeam in the afternoon?.. you get the idea – this will be a hardship to all members of the household, even if you yourself feel you can manage.
Dust, Dirt, & Other Nasty things
Construction is (literally) a dirty business. When I mentioned earlier that the area left for you to live in should be “partitioned” off, I really do recommend a literal (temporary) wall. A sheet of plastic is not sufficient. If you are opening up any walls, or doing any demo, either of which could happen for reasons as simple as needing changes to electric or plumbing locations, those are both very dusty dirty phases. Additionally, during demo, things could be found in your walls or under your flooring that may be harmful to your health – common ones to expect would be lead, asbestos, and mold. And when the final stage of drywall is being done, a fine white dust will settle all over everything.
Approach 2: Move Out for the Duration of the Work
Moving out has many advantages, and really only a couple of downsides. First, the downsides:
Plan for Additional Cost
Obviously cost is a consideration here – if you’re already getting ready to spend quite a lot of money on your remodel, you also have to plan for the cost of temporary accommodations along with the costs of everything else. If you’re in a high-cost area and want to stay local, this could add up. But there are ways you can keep your costs down, which we’ll get to later. Remember when you’re doing your budget for this to include costs for a longer construction duration than your contractor has promised you – it’s very common for construction to last a little longer than planned, which could happen for many reasons – it might even be unusual if there were no delays during your project. Consider budgeting 10% more to the cost you’re planning on for your temporary accommodations to be ready if something happens to extend the project schedule.
Disruption to Your Daily Routine
It might not be possible for you to find an appropriate temporary stay that is in your immediate neighborhood. So for the duration of your remodel, you might have to adjust to a different commute, different school pick-up / drop-off routes, maybe your usual yoga studio is now a bit too far away to walk to, etc. You can view this as a hardship or an opportunity – it really might be a bit of both – read on below for the flipside of this under Advantages.
Extended “Travel” Stresses
If you’ve ever been on one of those multi-week trips abroad, you may understand what it’s like to live out of a suitcase – keeping track of your items in a new living situation, or when you’re moving from place to place can be tricky, and could add a bit of stress for you and/or on your relationships. People are creatures of habit and you’ll be pushing yourself to remember where you put that thing in your new house.
Now, for the Advantages:
Reconnaissance
Although your design will be pretty complete by the time you move out, it’s not too late to make decisions on small details – cabinet and drawer inserts in the kitchen, or which side of the stove the spices go on – that kind of thing. If you move out, you get to live in someone’s space who has organized things differently – there might be something you never thought of that will inspire you to adjust your design. Or, it can reassure you that you made the right choice.
Try it Before You Buy It
Maybe you’re considering a new appliance – you might be able to find a rental that has one you can try out. Our recent rental had a really powerful gas stove – we had already committed to going induction, but it’s interesting to be able to try out something you might otherwise just be able to look at in a showroom. Additionally, living without (or with!) some of the appliances in the kitchen you might be convinced you do or don’t need – like a toaster oven, microwave, or garbage disposal – can be a good test to see if you truly need it. We were debating putting a garbage disposal in our kitchen, and realized we hadn’t even touched the one at our rental.
Expand your Radius – Deepen your knowledge of your city
I think many of us are guilty of falling into a routine, especially for busy people. One thing I found really fun and eye opening during our recent remodel was getting to live in a part of the city that I don’t normally go to. Among other things, from the 3 different neighborhood we lived in this summer, I found many new little libraries to check out, discovered big beautiful clean parks I would never have gone to otherwise, and went to a number of delicious restaurants some of which were new to me, and some I had known about but it had just been so long since we’d made the effort to visit since it wasn’t convenient to our house. I also found it really interesting how I had a full mental map of one neighborhood, existing completely separately from my mental map of an adjacent neighborhood, and I hadn’t put together how they connect. So just going on walks in semi-familiar places, making connections and getting to know the city that I’ve now lived in for 20 years in a completely different way was really fun.
In summary, there are many very good reasons to move out during your remodel, and generally speaking, this may be the best option. But the right answer for you will depend on the scope of your project – it would be a good idea to discuss with your contractor well ahead of your construction start date if you are thinking about staying in your house for your remodel. Your contractor should be able to tell you how they plan to access the area of work, what areas they want to use for staging, and what kind of temporary barriers they plan to install between the area of work and the rest of the house. Be sure to ask what hours they plan to work, and if that includes weekends (likely it will), and factor that into your decision.
Lastly.. where to go!
If you’re going to move out for your remodel, here are a couple ideas for where to go:
Pet-sit: if you can find a house-sit or pet-sitting gig, this can be a really good way to reduce your costs – pet-sits are often free (or you might even get paid). Try your neighborhood message boards, or you can sign up for a house-swap online platform like Trusted Housesitters.
Travel: have you been thinking about visiting family or taking a long trip abroad? Maybe this is a good time to do it! Just make sure your architect or designer is on board and available to oversee construction progress and keep in touch with you if any questions come up.
Stay Nearby: check Airbnb, VRBO, Furnished Finder, your neighborhood message boards or word of mouth to find a furnished temporary place to stay. Maybe you’ll enjoy checking out nearby neighborhoods (that you thought you knew), like I did!
Best of luck on your remodel!