Staying In or Moving Out of Your House During Renovation

You are going to go ahead with extensive home renovation. Once you have finished with the planning and searching for solutions and materials for each room and once you have chosen the company to undertake the renovation of your home, you need to think about and decide whether you will stay in your home during the renovation period or maybe move somewhere else temporarily.

Should you stay at home (if that is feasible) and experience the inconvenience that will arise or should you look for temporary housing, relatives, relocation to a country house, short-term home rentals etc?

The option to stay at home seems more appealing. However, you should consider also the advantages we cite for moving away from the house when it is being renovated.

Initially, we recommend that large renovations to be avoided during the winter period. This is obvious because it would be much better to have good weather conditions during this time.

Advantages of moving out of your home

• Comfortable living in a neat space (home or hotel) (and not in a construction area) without disrupting your everyday life.

• Avoid the dust and noises accompanying the renovation works.

• Reduce the duration of the renovation as the contractor will work more efficiently.

Of course, we shall also mention the advantages of staying at home for you to be able to compare:

Advantages of staying at home during renovation

• You save money because of the hotel cost or on moving away if you live in countryside.

• You can keep track of the renovation works closely and work directly with the contractor.

• Possibly you can use the kitchen for some days to avoid eating out.

Some tips if staying at home during Renovation

If you finally decide to stay at home, you have to take some issues into consideration to ensure the safety and health of family members.

• You need to know the work schedule to customize your daily routine.

• Protect from dust and clutter the spaces that will not be renovated.

• Protect clothes and items from dust by storing them in closets / cupboards to avoid extensive cleaning afterwards.

• Make sure that small children and pets do not come close to the areas of renovation.

• Check that the electrical sockets and switches are safe to use.

• Always wear shoes because you do not know what can be on the floor.

The biggest issues that arise with staying at home during the renovation period are in the kitchen and bathroom.

Kitchen under Renovation

If you are renovating your kitchen from scratch with replacing all electrical appliances, move them to another room in the house in order to work during the reno project. For example, the refrigerator and the microwave can be connected in another room so that you can use them to prepare some snacks and to not buy from outside.

The electric oven practically can not be connected anywhere else. The same applies to old cabinets that you can use only if you move them to a temporary location. Also, make sure to organize your kitchen utensils and then move them, so they can be repositioned easily into new cabinets.

Bathroom under Renovation

The bathroom is one of the rooms that has the most frequent usage and also it’s an essential area of the home.

If there is no secondary bathroom in the house, you have to make sure in advance to arrange for a bathroom area (neighbors / relatives) and consult with the contractors to shorten the bathroom renovation work as much as possible.

Finally, secure your valuables, as when renovating a house, you may need to leave the house with open doors and windows, so they will not be secured.