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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

new baby and building work WWYD?

25 replies

theycallmebabydriver · 26/04/2018 12:38

This is all rather bad timing but it can’t be helped and it is the way it is. Our baby is due in a few weeks time, however, 6.5 weeks after her due date we are due to have some essential building work done on our house. It will be incredibly noisy and dusty and is scheduled to go on for 2 weeks (the drilling will last at least the first week and probably some way into the second week). DH will be back at work by then but only just as he’s taking 4 weeks off after the birth.

The way I see it, we have a number of options regarding what we do in that time whilst the work is happening –

A – stay put in the house the whole time and put up with the noise and the dust (frankly, this option can fuck right off!)
B – stay in the house overnight but DD and I go to our friends house during the day when the work is happening. They live 5 mins walk away and work full time so won’t be there when we are
C – book a room at the premier inn for the duration and use it to stay over / during the day as need be. This is also 5 mins away from the house
D – DH takes a weeks annual leave and we sod off to Centre Parcs for the first week (30-45 mins away) whilst the worst of it happens and then do option A B or C depending on what the builders have left to do after week 1 and we know how disruptive week 2 is likely to be (e.g they may finish the drilling early and just be laying new concrete in week 2 or they may continue to drill for a few days into week 2)

Few other bits of relevant information… the cost isn’t an issue as we’ve budgeted for having to stay elsewhere whilst the work is being carried out, DHs holiday isn’t an issue as the summer months are his quiet period, DH can’t get 2 weeks off work to cover the whole time as he only has 1 weeks annual leave left to take after the rest of the year is accounted for, according to scans and measurements the baby is a whopper (measuring 5 weeks ahead) but we don’t know yet what impact (if anything) this will have in terms of due date so there’s no guarantee she will arrive on time, we have no other children, friends offered the use of their house so no issues there, moving the date of the work isn’t an option (and would only move the issue to another point in time anyway), staying with family / friends for the duration is not an option I wouldn't inflict a small baby on anyone for that length of time and having people fuss round me and her would drive me up the wall!

My preferred option is D but I don’t know how realistic this is.

What would you do, any thoughts, any options I haven't considered?

OP posts:

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AKP79 · 26/04/2018 12:44

I think any of the options will work and if money and holiday isn't an issue then do what feels best for you.

We're having major building work done 2 weeks after baby is due, DH is self employed so can only take a week off and we don't have the funds to do anything other than live amongst it.

I honestly wouldn't over think it and as all the options are viable to you, do what you'd like to do.

Stephisaur · 26/04/2018 12:51

I probably wouldn’t do D, just because I wouldn’t want to give builders keys to my house and then bugger off for a week. I’m not very trusting 😂 they could end up not locking your doors when they leave and that opens you up to crime.

I would probably go for C if it was me, but only because I’ve lived in a house where building work was dusty and I’d have given anything not to HAVE to sleep there lol

M0RVEN · 26/04/2018 13:22

I would do none of these.

I would rent a flat locally through air bnb or similar. If you like near a university they will have student flats available from 1 June. Being in self catering is much better than a room in a hotel .

Then I’d make sure that Dh Used some of his leave to work flexible hours and go to the house every day to check on the contractors .

brogueish · 26/04/2018 13:23

We're in a very similar situation, glad to know it's not just us that are facing this! I think we'll be living with it too, AKP.

Buxbaum · 26/04/2018 13:27

I would also get a local Air BnB. Two weeks in a Premier Inn would be pretty soul-destroying.

I don't think D is really feasible unless you have somebody else project-managing / supervising the build. IME you need someone to check in at the beginning and end of every day.

MyNameIsTotoro · 26/04/2018 13:31

D is good but agree with pp that it could be risky leaving them to it. Building works always over runs and I think staying on top of it on site makes it much easier to manage communication/expectation.

I think looking at an airBnB is a good suggestion.

B would annoy me as I wouldn't be settled. C would also annoy me but less than option B.

MammyHester9116 · 26/04/2018 13:31

We had planned to get our bathroom done 2 weeks before my due date in January. I was admitted to hospital and lb came 3 weeks early! Emergency csection. Released on Sunday and work started Monday. My MiL was picking us up each morning as the builders arrived and dropping us off again. Was really hard work but also nice to have food/drinks brought to me.
I would avoid staying in the house over night if you can. It was really hard to get up and out of the house with everything I needed for the day a few days after having a baby! 😬

randomsabreuse · 26/04/2018 13:39

Noise wouldn't be so much of an issue as the dust. We had ongoing DIY when DD was born- including 3 days without stairs so sleeping downstairs when she was 3 weeks old. However the dust was very much contained by then and the noise drove me insane as I'd just get back to sleep after grabbing breakfast when FIL would start drilling below me - DD slept when she needed to and is a great sleeper to this day - but it killed me.

I'm not sure I'd brave Center Parcs as that's a £££ option to not do much of the activities but if there's a nearby holiday type option, that would be very appealing!

CoffeeChocolateWine · 26/04/2018 13:45

I’m 8 months pregnant and our building works are going on now...really hoping they get it finished, or more or less finished by the time baby is born.

I would probably do a combo of all of the above. Maybe try and go away for long weekends, visit friends during the day, go for walks in the park, or look into local Airbnb options. Not sure what work you are having done but we are doing a loft conversion and there have been bits that have been really dirty and dusty and noisy, and other days when it really hasn’t been that bad being around the house.

nailsathome · 26/04/2018 13:47

We were in the same situation. I was at home whilst they were doing digging/drilling and then we stayed with family for 2 weeks when they knocked through then we went back home again.

If we could have afforded it, I'd definitely have rented a small flat for the entire duration. It was impossible to relax/nap and lots of our stuff was piled in the living room so there wasn't enough space for baby stuff.

CawsNaked · 26/04/2018 13:47

Agree youre over thinking. I've done this for about three months (and I had older children as well at the time). It was fecking stressful at times but I survived. I'd do option B sometimes if they are happy for you to do but not every day because I'd feel stressed about not taking the mick and worry about any mess etc.

MachineBee · 26/04/2018 13:48

Agree with PPs re a local AirBnB.

Original poster

theycallmebabydriver · 26/04/2018 13:55

Thanks everyone, stuff to consider. I did look at Air BnB but it's not an option, there's nowhere that would suit us logistically. The halls of residence is a good idea and I'll have a look at that as we live in a city with 2 big universities, DH would be able to get into the city to work via public transport and I would have to car to get around in. - I like this option!

Not too bothered about leaving the builders to get on with it, they've worked in the house before and there's very little they can do to fuck up what they're doing. Good point re them not locking up properly though, we have pets that live outdoors and whilst we'd get the pet sitter to look after them if we went away, now I think about it I don't think I'm comfortable not checking on them daily to make sure they are safe and secure overnight once the builders have left.

This is very useful - thanks everyone - and commiserations to everyone else having babies through shitty building work, ours has been a work in progress for a while and this is (hopefully) the last bit of major work, it feels like it's never going to bloody well end!

OP posts:

Original poster

theycallmebabydriver · 26/04/2018 13:58

It's not so much the mess that bothers me, we'd lived with it being a state for years, it's that they will be digging up concrete floors with a road drill for at least a week.

OP posts:

AKP79 · 26/04/2018 14:04

They'll be doing foundations and breaking up a concrete floor when our baby arrives... I'm trying to convince myself that ultimately it'll produce a baby which will sleep through anything!! :)

Good luck with it all.

purpleorchidwhite · 26/04/2018 14:10

We've always seemed to time building work with new arrivals!

My advice to you is move in with someone for that first week oR so.
I decamped to my MIL more than once. The rest of the time it was ok. But the drilling and grinding is a bit tedious.

I also had all my sterilising equipment upstairs in baby's bedroom and used the bathroom to wash things as during my kitchen extension everything was covered in grit.

That's my prevailing memory. The grit.

Original poster

theycallmebabydriver · 26/04/2018 14:22

Good luck to you too AKP

OP posts:

Namechange128 · 26/04/2018 14:27

I wouldn't do A - it is very bad for little lungs.
Also wouldn't do D, without you there to check you run a higher risk of things going a bit off.

Local Airbnb would be my choice too. And make sure that every door isn't just closed, but also covered with a dust sheet (or in a pinch a regular bedsheet) taped over it, it makes a big difference!

StylishMummy · 26/04/2018 14:30

Drilling would be very damaging for such tiny ears and the dust generated would penetrate everywhere, no matter how careful and tidy the builders may be. I'd arrange to be away from the house almost completely for the duration, either stay with friends/family or look at centre parcs/haven or similar

MachineBee · 26/04/2018 16:55

If AirBnB isn’t an option you could try your local post office/parish magazine/small ads for anyone looking for a house sitter for a few weeks.

MonicaGellerHyphenBing · 26/04/2018 17:15

I would try and stay somewhere else and get your OH to check in on the builders whenever he can. Depending on how your baby does (or does not!) sleep, you probably won't feel like dragging yourself and the baby out of bed every morning and going out. I wouldn't have felt comfortable being in someone else's house in case I made a mess (DD used to vomit A LOT), and even a short walk in the pissing rain with a screaming newborn is not much fun. Much better to be settled somewhere where you can relax if need be, imo.

Justwanttoweeinpeace · 26/04/2018 17:35

Local Airbnb option - good luck!

FusionChefGeoff · 26/04/2018 17:41

Definitely move out. We had a cellar conversion done when DD was 3 months and I couldn't have imagined the mess it was everywhere.

Yes to arranging for DH to keep popping in to check progress / answer questions.

Arrange for a deep clean before you move back in. And warn the people it's a post works clean so they can allow extra people / time.

M0RVEN · 28/04/2018 17:42

If you are staying at a friends / air bnb etc I recommend that you take your own bed sheet and mattress cover. Lots of women bleed very heavily for weeks after birth and no, it’s not like a period , whatever the baby books tell you. It’s much heavier.

You don’t want to be worried about bleeding all over someone else’s bed.

Sorry but I thought I’d just mention it.

M0RVEN · 28/04/2018 17:51

You should seal off any areas of your own house that are not having work done eg bedrooms, this will reduce the mess. Tape heavy duty plastic sheeting over the room doors.

If you can, limit the workmen to only using one entrance eg front or back door ( that may not be possible). When we had a wall removed between our kitchen and the adjacent room, we sealed off the kitchen door ( boarded it over on the hall side ) so the men didn’t come through the house. They accessed the work area through the back door.

We had to do this as we were still living there ( with three small children and no kitchen for thee months ). Not to be recommended.

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