Living at home during a renovation
It is often possible to stay. What to plan for, which stages are hardest, and when moving out is the better choice.
Is it possible?
For many alterations and additions, yes. It depends on the scope, the layout of the house and how the work can be staged. We advise before contract which stages, if any, require you to move out.
The hardest weeks
Periods without a kitchen or bathroom, services being switched over, and the weeks when the roof or external walls are open. Planning these around your household makes the difference.
Staging the work
Where possible, we complete new space first, then move you into it while the existing house is reworked. It takes planning, but it keeps daily life running.
Safety and site boundaries
An occupied site needs a clear line between home and work zone — fencing, dust screens, protected paths and agreed working hours. Children and pets need particular care.
When moving out is better
Second-storey additions, major structural work and whole-home renovations are usually faster, safer and less stressful with the house empty. A shorter program can offset much of the cost of renting nearby.
Bryce Caldwell is the director of Larq Built, a Newcastle builder of architecturally designed homes and complex renovations with more than 17 years in the industry.
