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Original poster

Having an extension built whilst heavily pregnant / maternity

24 replies

LuckySocks13 · 19/09/2013 14:34

Anyone done this really and what are your thoughts! My husband would like an extension built on our house starting in November as he thinks this is a good value time. My baby # 2 is due November and I will then be on leave. I'm a bit worried about sorting a new baby, bonding, feeding her etc with workmen around and constant noise / mess. Not ever had any work done on the house so not really sure what to expect! I suffered from depression after my first baby and am just feeling a little anxious.

OP posts:

brumeye · 19/09/2013 18:43

We're doing this! #2 due next March, at which point we'll be half way through 6 months of building work. The big difference is that we're moving out - we're also doing lots of internal structural work which will make it almost impossible to stay here. We're very lucky that renting somewhere is an option.

I still think we're probably mad to go through the stress of building work at same time as baby arriving, but have convinced myself it's much better to do that than put it off and then have to do it with two older kids. Also DW being on maternity at least means someone is at home and can make decisions when needed, and keep an eye on things more easily.

From experience of our extension on last house, I'd say whether it's a nightmare depends on what kind of work you're doing. Can it mostly be built externally and then only knocked through into existing house at the end? If so it'll probably be fine (although still prepare for a lot more dust than you expect!). If on the other hand the rest of the house is going to be affected for months then I'd think carefully about whether you can hack it

Genieinalamp · 19/09/2013 19:51

We're coming towards the end of an extension & I would strongly advise doing it whilst pregnant/with a baby. Even when the builders are working outside, your house will still be disrupted - loo, kitchen, lots of questions. Its very messy & noisy and pretty stressful at times! We've had fab builders but I would wait if I were in your position (unless of course you can move out whilst it happens!). Good luck!

Talkinpeace · 19/09/2013 22:28

I wouldn't.
My work was 9 months of hell - bad enough with two primary school age kids.
My sister is currently preg and having work done and seems VERY stressed

fuckwittery · 19/09/2013 22:32

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ElBombero · 19/09/2013 22:39

Oh dear, hand holding! I've just done this. Figured best doing it now than with a NB n great now it's done. Pro is that it makes the pregnancy go quick

Retroformica · 19/09/2013 22:43

Finish it before the baby arrives. If its not finished on your due date, stay elsewhere.

We did a project with a one year old. That was very cery very hard.

nicelyneurotic · 20/09/2013 00:20

How long will the extension take? I have done this with a v young baby and it wasn't that bad. Baby slept through a lot of the noise and wasn't mobile so easier to look after. I did spend a few nights with my parents to escape though. If you can't go to a relatives or friends I would seriously consider booking a week in a hotel for a break halfway through.

I'm glad we did it while baby was small as would be a nightmare now that she sleeps less in the day and is more disturbed by noise and strangers.

Good luck!, I hope your extension in lovely!

Thinkingofmyfabfour · 20/09/2013 18:45

We are doing this soon- hopefully starting work before end of year by which time baby will be 5 months. More worried about keeping my 2 yr old out of the way! I think a lot of ours can be done externally but we are also changing layout upstairs and I expect we'll have to move out for a few weeks towards the end

MissBeehiving · 20/09/2013 18:56

We did our barn conversion which started when I was 3 months pregnant and ended 3 months after DS2 was born. It was OK but not great - I think it's easier than doing it when they are a bit older. The hammer drills never seemed to wake DS2!

Fozziebearmum2be · 20/09/2013 19:09

My friend has just had lots of building work ( due Nov) it's been v v stressful-partly due to snags with. Holding work and partly due to the mess playing havoc with her ability to 'nest' and hormones..

I do think its prob better than when new baby is here though

Helliecopter · 21/09/2013 07:34

We are just about to start - Dd1 is almost 3 and excited about having diggers at the house. Dd2 is 12 weeks. Must be mad! But better doing it now whilst she is teeny and immobile.
Prepared for there to be mess, have friends offering to have us for dinner and MIL doing our washing...the builder said he could rig up our machine elsewhere temporarily and I declined because I'll have nowhere to dry it ans I'm a lazy sod who'd rather have her washing done for her
I'm sure I'll end up at my parents for a few nights occasionally too.

NotCitrus · 21/09/2013 09:17

How separate will you be? We're havng an extension atm and the builders are almost totally unobtrusive except for the obvious noise. They have a portaloo in the front yard and go in and out the side gate, and have walled up the back of our dining room with chipboard - this will be removed at the end to reveal a kitchen-diner.

So apart from being squashed and having no garden, it's not too much of a problem.

However we had a loft coversion done supposedly before dc1 was born, which was a 'mare thanks to the builder going bust, and while the workers were happy to continue working directly for us, it involved them having to be project managed by MrNC and me, and them coming up through the house, dust everywhere. For the first six weeks dc1 and I slept in the lounge and it was fine as it was all a bit of a blur - then the hormones wore off and I realised we had little money left, no roof, I was beyond exhausted and could hardly walk... not good.

If you're the sort of person who likes getting out as much as possible, going to all the childrens centres, libraries, parks, baby classes, friends' houses you can. it's OK. With dc2 (and some workmen in - it's an ongoing project) I had 2 rooms that didn't have work going on, got out of the house a lot, had dc1 in nursery a few days, and it's been fine. But other people think it sounds hellish. Up to you.

RockySpeed · 21/09/2013 09:23

I definitely wouldn't! I am 2 weeks away from having DD and in the middle of a hellish month of driveways and patios being dug and laid, walls being taken down and chimney breasts removed throughout the house. The mess is unbelievable and I could cry when I lay in bed thinking about what is beyond y bedroom door. The ENTIRE house inside and out is covered in thick black dust and I should be folding onesies and blankets

Can only IMAGINE the disruption an extension would create. Plus dirty footprints everywhere, endless cups of tea and your front door constantly wide open! I can't even do any washing because of the mess-no where to hang it!!

MummytoMog · 21/09/2013 10:29

Argh argh argh argh argh no no no no no.

I find newborns easy, mine sleep through pretty straight away and feed well. But not for all that is holy would I stay in my house with a newborn while having an extension built. We are having an extension built right now. We've had no heating or hot water for nearly a week because the plumber was a cock and left with the job half done. My elder daughter has a tumble dryer in her room, my son has a freezer in his and we have to climb over my husband's work equipment to get into bed. The microwave is in the living room and the kitchen ceiling is on the kitchen floor. Everything is filthy, including my children. The cats have moved out in disgust. The bathroom has no ceiling and is open to the new loft conversion. If we want to pee, we have to make sure nobody is in said loft conversion or they can see us. I got up early to let in the replacement plumber. He didn't turn up. I will stop whining now, but believe me when I say that if you do not feel especially robust after childbirth and with a newborn, an extension is not a good idea.

gintastic · 21/09/2013 10:35

I must be one who said I'm glad I had it done while on maternity as I could be there if there were any issues.

But the big but is that I am a structural engineer, manage building projects as part of my job and was under no illusions as to the scale of the disruption. We coped fine with lots of time away where possible.

MissBeehiving · 21/09/2013 16:25

It was easier to project manage when I was on mat leave. But the disruption was hard - the builders took the staircase out when I was 7 months pregnant and left me with a ladder on the external wall of the house to get up to bed.

I remember coming home one afternoon in October, when it was dark and we had no drive or parking and the mud was a foot deep and I carried DS1 (5) on my back and DS2 in his carseat with no lights to the house. The next day when they turned up I just sobbed at them to get it finished.

Helliecopter · 21/09/2013 19:58

7 months and a ladder?!

childmummy · 30/01/2018 12:38

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Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

whiskyowl · 30/01/2018 13:10

It depends how much of your house will be affected. If it's a small amount and it's only a corner that will be in chaos for a very few weeks, that's one thing. If it's most of the house that will be out of commission for months, then that's a totally different proposition. It's brutally horrible living inside a house that is a building site, with nowhere to store anything, dust everywhere and chaos reigning. It's also bloody freezing at times in the winter. If you end up having to move out to temporary accommodation, you could well end up paying a lot more than you would have done with a summer build.

Macarena1990 · 30/01/2018 14:39

We had a single storey extension and new kitchen put in when I was pregnant with DD3 which was finished 3 weeks before she was born. The builders were fantastic but I honestly felt like I was losing the plot, mainly due to not being able to nest and the anxiety of it not being completed in time.

I actually found it less stressful moving house a week after DD1 was born!

cujo · 31/01/2018 10:46

I’ve done this. I was 7 months pregnant when it started and ds was 3 months when finished. Bedrooms were untouched but we had no running water or toilets downstairs, limited to one habitable room and no kitchen. We coped okay but the dust was exhausting, the noise awful (I invited myself to friends when the hammer drilling happened) and the lack of privacy (couldn’t wander round bf or in my dressing gown comfortably) intrusive.

However, I was there to ‘encourage’ them, we had a good working relationship with the builders due to my availability and it satisfied my control freakery

We could have delayed the build another 6-9 months (next spot with our builder) but I didn’t fancy a more mobile baby that noticed the noise/disruption

I had lots of anxiety on my first born, and I can say that all the building work, in my experience, distracted me enough to not have that too second time round! So a transfer of worrying to something with an end point (building work)

Big one went to preschool at that point, and the baby distracted us both on the times he wasn’t there.

I wouldn’t recommend it necessarily, but it was better for us to have it done then. The torment is all over and our house is lovely

I would make sure you have the money to finish and if at all possible, the money to Airbnb locally if it gets too much. I seriously considered this a couple of times!

MessySurfaces · 31/01/2018 11:47

Given that the build was planned for November 13, I dare say this is no longer a pressing question for the OP. @LuckySocks13 , what did you do in the end???

Seahorse146 · 30/04/2018 13:13

I think I will be keeping an eye on this thread too, as this is something that I am doing.
My extension is underway now.
APT Renovation have said it will be finished in August. I hope they are right as baby is due in September!

MrsBlondie · 30/04/2018 13:29

No way here! We are in the midst of one with 2 older kids and it would be hell with a tiny baby. Also its nice to go to work to get away from it all. Think no electricity at times, no heating perhaps.....

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