Can I Live In My Home While Renovating or Extending?

The idea of living in your home through a home renovation sounds attractive and seems to be one of the number of questions we get asked when we initially talk to our potential homeowners.
 
There are valid reasons why you want to do this and the most obvious one is that you save money as there is no need to rent while building.
 
However, we like to advise the homeowners of the reasons why they may not want to stay in the home.   Also, we explain if it can be done how it can be done and the best way to do so to cause the least amount of disruption to the homeowner’s lives and the builder’s work. 

Reasons Why You Would Want to Live in Your Home Through a Home Renovation 
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The number one reason why most homeowners think it is a good idea to stay in the home while it is under renovation is due to the cost-saving of not having to pay rent somewhere else. This cost-saving could add to the budget of the build giving you a nicer home once completed.

Second, to this is the stress levels of having to move out and uplift most of your lives and the kids’ lives to a new place. This is such a big hurdle for people to come to terms with and ultimately living through a renovation seems a better option.

If you believe this to be true have a read of this blog and see if it is all you imagined.

At the time of writing this article, Perth Western Australia is going through one of the worst rental crises and the thought of having to get a rental in this market, especially for a shorter term of 12 months or less is extremely stressful and daunting.

Some people enjoy living through the home renovations to watch the whole process unfold and get an understanding of each stage of the construction of the home.

Whatever the reason living through a home renovation sometimes stacks up and wins against moving out. 

Reasons Why You Would NOT Want to Live in Your Home Through a Home Renovation
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I think it is obvious the reason why most people would not want to live in the home while renovating and it really comes down to one word- MESS!

You can be the cleanest person in the world and no matter what you do no matter how many times you sweep the floor you will always have a mess in your home.

Second, to this is noise if you work from home or are a stay-at-home mother with young children the noise of construction is quite loud and can disturb the most focused work from home dad or mum. Or wake up the best of sleeping babies.
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This brings me to the next point around safety. Essentially you are living on a construction site which can bring about safety issues if you are not careful. We always like to board off the construction zone and put up our safety signage, but an inquisitive three-year-old is not a very good reader and does not always listen to mum and dad. So please do not forget the safety of your kids when considering the idea of living at home while renovating. 

Now, while most people would have you believe that you save money while living in your home while it is under renovations consider this:
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The builder and his trades must pack up and keep the site neat and tidy much more if there is a homeowner on site. Second to this if the homeowner is on-site living there, they usually complete the work much slower and less efficiently as they may do one bathroom first and then the next to ensure the homeowners always have access to a wet area and running water. On the other hand, if there was no one living in the home the wet area tiling, demolition and fit-out will all be done at once.
 
When pricing this a builder needs to consider the added cost of this disadvantage and will do so by adding a buffer/ contingency for extra time for all trades relevant.
 
Cooking - if you are renovating your kitchen this can take up a lot of the construction time and you will not have access to a kitchen for just about the whole time throughout construction.  You will therefore be putting up with the use of a make-shift kitchen out of the laundry or bathroom. This can call for a lot of takeaways and stressful nights trying to coordinate dinner. Not to mention the preparation of school lunches!
 
So before jumping to the conclusion of the great monetary savings and the added stress of uprooting your lives being the number one reason to stay in the home while it is under renovations.  Consider the pitfalls of living in the home also and consider if they outweigh the reasons why you would stay.
 

Further Things to Consider When Thinking About Staying in Your Home Through a Home Renovation….
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We say to our potential homeowners here at Distinct Building Company, that each house and home renovation is different to the rest, and we assess each renovation on its own merits as to whether it can be lived in.
Things that we consider when having this discussion with the homeowners are:

1. Can the homeowner always make use of at least one wet area and a toilet?
2. Will there be long periods of time with no electricity or water?
3. How much of the home is being affected by the renovation or home extension?
4. Can the renovation and extension stages be broken down into parts to enable the homeowner the ability to stay home?
5. What are the cost advantages of the owner moving out vs staying?
6. What time of year will construction take place- winter think freezing cold if no heater is working and summer think boiling hot here in Perth if no air con?
7. Can the construction zone be clearly zoned off and portioned off with temporary PLY boards?

Most people that choose to stay in the home will elect a 2–3-week period or longer when they will go on a holiday or stay with friends and family when either the utilities are not available or the demolition and/or messy construction work is happening.
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This is a good balance and can work for some. While others just think the easiest option and a way to avoid added stress while renovating is to move out the whole-time construction is underway.

Conclusion
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Ultimately choosing between staying in your home while it is under renovation or moving out is going to come down to a case-by-case basis.

Also, you need to consider the homeowner’s situation and what they have available to them by way of family or friends that they could live with while the home is under renovations.

Is the current rental market ok and easy to get a rental?

Also, budget and the overall design come into play and are important to consider along with the weather and many other variables that must be considered.

It is not a simple straightforward yes or no answer.
 
If you are considering a home renovation or extension and want to ask these exact questions or any other questions, please feel free to reach out to us and we will be happy to help.