If you’re doing a whole house remodel—meaning you will literally have no roof over your head—you will most likely need to find a temporary place to stay, but what if it’s just a bathroom? Two bathrooms? All your bathrooms? And your kitchen?
Living on a construction site is difficult to say the least. There’s dust (no matter how well they seal off rooms), noise, and a lack of privacy. Your routine is disrupted—you may have to wash your dishes in the bathroom sink, get a gym membership to use their showers, and eat out a lot or resort to instant ramen noodles like you’re a college student. If you have kids, you may have to crowd into one room together. Pets, too. It’s not just physically taxing, but it can be emotionally taxing as well.
However, by staying, you can save money on temporary housing, especially if your project unexpectedly goes for longer than the original time estimate. You’re also able to easily monitor your project’s progress every day. Make sure to establish clear boundaries of where and when you will have the house to yourself, so that workers don’t hear you singing Justin Bieber in the shower (assuming you’re shy) and that the crew does daily cleanups at the end of the day.
On the flip side, temporarily moving out can give you peace and quiet and space. For the builder, unoccupied homes can also make the construction process easier and therefore more productive. But moving out can be expensive. Unless you have family or friends who will let you stay with them for a few weeks—or months—you’re probably looking at renting a place or an RV or checking into an extended-stay residence hotel. You’ll have to consider how the new address will affect your commute to work and school, your mail and phone calls, your cable and internet service provider, etc. You will still have to visit your home for meetings and to check in on progress.
One compromise is discussing with your contractor about moving out for only part of the time, specifically during the messiest phase of the project. Whether you move out or not depends on your project’s scope (again, no roof over your head is problematic), your budget, and how much inconvenience you predict you’ll be able to tolerate.
