Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

Original poster

Building work / pregnancy dilemma

11 replies

SiblingStruggle · 12/05/2020 12:41

Hi everyone

Hoping you can help me with a dilemma / maybe think of a solution that we haven't!

I'm currently 7 months pregnant and so in the "vulnerable" category. We've been following all the advice/rules and have stayed at home since March.

We were due to go on holiday for two weeks in April, during which time builders were going to be in the house doing essential work to what will be the nursery. Obviously the holiday was cancelled and we have postponed the builders as we didn't want them in the house at the same time as us.

We're now getting to a crunch point. I definitely don't want to go anywhere or see anyone in the month before the baby arrives. This is to minimise the risk of catching the virus in the last few weeks and then my DH not being able to be at the birth. But the work needs doing before the baby arrives and so we need to clear out of the house, and soon. Builders estimate the work will take 7 days and will work over the weekend (no noisy work at this time so neighbours won't be disturbed).

We can't stay with any family (combination of key workers and shielding), as well as this would be breaking the rules. The only thing we can think of would be to try to get a holiday let somewhere close-ish and then hide away for the week. We'd take all our food etc with us so we wouldn't need to go shopping and would essentially just lock ourselves away there, just going for walks as we would do at home.

Assuming I can even find a holiday let that will accept people in these circumstances, do you think that's the best solution? We really need the work done - the room has leaks that need to be fixed and there isn't another room we could use as an alternative.

I don't want to break the rules but I am struggling to think how not to!

OP posts:

acquiescence · 12/05/2020 12:45

I can’t see that you will find a holiday let open. You could try messaging some air b n b owners to explain the situation though?

Is the building work in all of your bedrooms? Could you just hide out while the work is happening and go out for long walks?

I’m also pregnant with building work that has been going on/still needs doing. I’m not as far along. I have been keeping my distance and staying in my room. We have been able to maintain social distancing so far as our house is over several floors.

LoisLittsLover · 12/05/2020 12:48

If it's just in the nursery, I would designate a xoue of rooms as builder free zones and just hole up in them for 7 days. Maybe buy a kettle so that builders don't need to share yours but don't need to to traipse in and out too much. If their work is widespread, can you cut it down to just the essentials for now

Original poster

SiblingStruggle · 12/05/2020 13:28

Because of the leak, it involves work in the only bathroom in the house, which we will inevitably have to use! Sorry, should have said that from the start. It makes avoiding the builders in a different part of the house pretty tricky.

OP posts:

StopMakingATitOfUrselfNPissOff · 12/05/2020 13:30

Stay with the relatives that are also shielding? Makes the most sense to me. Providing you have actually been shielding and not going to tesco etc

Babyboomtastic · 12/05/2020 13:31

Is they any reason it couldn't wait until after you've had your baby? Is it vaguely livable right now?

ChanklyBore · 12/05/2020 13:34

I’d just put it on the back burner until next summer or so. Sounds like a headache you really don’t need right now.

okiedokieme · 12/05/2020 13:37

Baby will sleep in your room for at least 6 months (more like 6 years in my case) so it's really not urgent from a nursery point of view, can't the leak be fixed (urgent) and the decorating left until the late summer by which time you could go away with your baby for a few days

Babyboomtastic · 12/05/2020 13:51

For the first 6-12 months, most people find the nursery is just a storage room anyway. My second has just turned one and we are only just starting to sort the nursery. Baby sleeps in there already, but doesn't care about the decoration/other stuff being around yet.

Serendipper · 12/05/2020 14:03

My 2 and a half year old spent his first night in his own bedroom this week (He’s been one with us), I don’t think a baby needs a nursery in any rush.

PoodleJ · 12/05/2020 14:12

There’s two plans of action
Plan 1: Builders usually leave you a working toilet and it’s not usually out of action for too long anyhow. Ask them to make provisions for their own refreshments during the day and get them to clean up after every day. Then you get your husband to go in and clean where they’ve been. Where do they actually need to go?
Plan 2: What is so terrible that you couldn’t leave it for a year? I understand that a nice new bathroom might be nice but unless you’ve got nowhere to put a cot then I’d just leave it. It sounds like it might be more stressful than it needs to be. Also your baby might come at anytime (Not all babies arrive on time) so you don’t need the additional stress.
Good luck with everything

CountryCasual · 12/05/2020 14:13

Can you just patch up the leak?
I moved house at 35 weeks and there were way more issues here than we’d expected so ended up with builders in constantly for 2 weeks until DS arrived at 37.

I was so set that the nursery had to be finished, I cried hysterically when decorator said it wasn’t doable in time.

In the end DH painted it the night before my induction...lucky he did as DS has not used it once in his 8 week life.

Flip