Can I live in my home during a remodel?
Have you been wondering if it will be possible for you to live in your home while it is being remodeled?
Have you been asking: Can I live in my home during a bathroom remodel? Can I live in my home during a kitchen remodel? Will there be any health hazards during my remodel? What can I expect when I live in my home during a remodel? Will my belongings get dirty during the remodel?
These are all great questions! Let’s see if we can’t answer all of them for you today!
Can I live in my home during a bathroom remodel?
As long as you have a second bathroom, it is absolutely possible for you to live in your home during a bathroom remodel!
There will be some logistics that need to be planned ahead of time, like how workers will have access to the work area, where materials and tools can be stored, what areas of the home will need to be cordoned off, etc. Most of the time, these things can be done in a way that allows your daily routine to go on without too much inconvenience.
If you only have one bathroom, it will be a bit more difficult to live in your home during the remodel. If you wish to do this, your toilet needs can be taken care of with the use of a porta-john and you can likely use your kitchen sink while you are without a bathroom sink. What gets the most difficult is bathing.
You will be without a bathroom for approximately 3 to 4 weeks while the work is happening, so you will need to figure out where to bathe during that time. Most of our clients make arrangements to use a friend, relative, or neighbor’s shower when they don’t have a second bathroom to use during their remodel.
What can I expect when I’m living in my home during a bathroom remodel?
As hard as we work to make the remodeling process stress-free for our clients, you will find yourself stressed, in some way or another, if you are living in your home while your remodel is underway.
You will wake up early to workers arriving and starting their work day!
There will be a lot of noise, sometimes unbearably loud noise, coming from the work areas!
Parts of your home will be cordoned off, making movement through your home difficult!
The work area and tool/material storage areas will be messy and disorganized!
Construction dust will get EVERYWHERE! No part of your home will be safe from the dust!
On top of all of this, you won’t have access to your bathroom for between 3 and 4 weeks (for a standard bathroom, it will be even longer for larger or more complex bathroom remodels)! If you don’t have a second bathroom to use, you will be brushing your teeth in the kitchen sink, using a portable toilet, and showering at a relative’s house!
We can’t stress enough how difficult all of this will become!
The good news is that it will all be worth it in the end! You will love relaxing in your new bathroom at the end of it all!
Can I live in my home during a kitchen remodel?
It would be, arguably, easiest to stay somewhere else, like a vacation rental, while your kitchen is being remodeled. However, it is completely possible to stay in your home while a kitchen remodel is happening. In fact, most of our clients choose to stay in their homes while we remodel their kitchens!
For those who choose to do this, we recommend setting up a makeshift “kitchen” in another room with a microwave, coffee maker, hotplate, and any other necessities. Having access to a bathroom sink nearby will make this arrangement a bit more convenient.
Even with the makeshift kitchen, it is important to plan on getting takeout more than you usually do. Between the stress of having work done in your home, and the fact that you won’t have a full kitchen while it is happening, you will likely find yourself eating out more often than usual. This is normal.
Don’t worry, once your kitchen is complete, you will be cooking at home more than ever before!
What can I expect when I’m living in my home during a kitchen remodel?
Just as with a bathroom remodel, when you live in your home during a kitchen remodel, you will experience:
Waking up early to workers arriving and starting their work day.
Lots of noise, sometimes unbearably loud noises, from the work being done.
Difficulty moving through your home, due to the cordoned off work areas.
A messy and disorganized work area and tool/material storage areas.
Construction dust! No part of your home will be safe from it!
On top of all of this, you won’t have access to your kitchen for somewhere between 5 and 7 weeks (for a standard kitchen, it will be even longer for larger or more complex kitchen remodels).
You won’t have a kitchen for this time, so you will likely have a makeshift kitchen set up in another room. You will be eating microwave meals, simple meals you can cook on a hot plate, and takeout food. Lots of takeout food! So much takeout food…
We can’t stress enough how difficult all of this will be!
We promise it will be worth it in the end! You will love cooking in your new kitchen at the end of it all! (And you will love eating the home-cooked meals you missed so much during the construction phase!)
Are there any health hazards during a remodel?
Remodeling is a messy, dirty, sometimes toxic job! While we do everything in our power to minimize everyone’s exposure to health hazards, it is an inherently hazardous process. Let’s talk about the hazards that will be involved in your remodel.
First, all remodeling projects have a risk of bodily harm in the construction area. There are sharp tools, tripping hazards, fall hazards, and all manner of other hazards while the remodel is under demolition and construction. Many of these hazards are still present after hours, when no workers are present. This is why we strongly discourage homeowners from entering the work area at any time! If you choose to enter the work area, you will do so at your own risk!
On top of these hazards, there will be dust and noise hazards in the entire home! Some of the tools used in the demolition and construction of your new space are dangerously loud, even for people in other areas of the home!
While we contain the construction dust as much as we possibly can, fine dust has a way of making its way through the entire home, irritating anyone it comes in contact with!
There is also a chance that hazardous substances were used when your home was built or previously remodeled. While the vast majority of the substances used to build newer homes are non-hazardous, old homes were often built with hazardous substances, like lead and asbestos. When these substances are present, extra precautions and specially trained personnel will be needed to remove these substances without exposing you, your family, or our workers to these hazardous substances.
Will my belongings get dirty during a remodel?
Did we mention dust? I feel like we might have mentioned dust.
Well, just in case, during your remodel, dust will get EVERYWHERE! And we mean EVERYWHERE!
We will install plastic walls to contain the dust in the work area. We will run fans to push the dust outside when we are doing extra dusty things, like demolition or sanding the drywall. We will vacuum the work area regularly.
Even so, the dust will find its way into other areas of your home. This means that, unfortunately, you should expect all of your belongings to get dirty during your remodel. Some of them will likely be safe, but it would be best if you plan for the worst, and prepare for a reality where no place is safe from dust.
If you have any belongings that cannot get dirty, we will advise you to wrap them up, store them away in a protective container, and/or remove them from the home while the work is being done.
Should I live in my home while it is being remodeled?
As we have learned today, it is usually possible for a homeowner to live in their home while their bathroom or kitchen is being remodeled.
There will be hazards present while the work is ongoing, areas outside of the work zone will likely get dusty and dirty, and there will be many inconveniences present during the remodel.
Some homeowners feel that these issues are a large enough concern and/or inconvenience to warrant living elsewhere while the remodel is being completed. Others choose to accept the hazards and inconveniences and stay in their home while it is being remodeled.
Unless there are specific hazards that prevent this, it will be entirely up to you whether or not you stay in your home during your remodel. If you choose to stay, it will be stressful! But, we promise to do our best to keep the noise down as much as we can!
