Anybody had building work done while on holiday?

[TheOneWiththeNicestSmile]

We've been waiting ages for the builder we want - was supposed to be late August, it's now going to be beginning of Oct.

We're having roof reslated (mid-terraced house, main roof plus original rear extension) plus new Veluxes installed to original attic, & rendering repaired - all that via scaffolding & while we're still here.

Then the attic is supposed to be gutted - replastered, new lighting, extra sockets, new radiator installed (never had one up there before) etc etc plus probably new staircase - the old one is steep & narrow & has always been a problem.

We're away for 12 days & I quite like the idea of coming back to a finished job - but is that a good idea? Builder is amenable, we can agree roughly what will happen before holiday & he can communicate via messages & photos if there are queries.

I have four friends who have done this. Actually 2 sets were living in a different town in a rental while the new house was being extended and they visited once a week. Another 2, actually maybe 3, went on holiday looking forward to comin back and it all being lovely on their return.

Every single one regretted it. Every. Single. One.

Mostly not huge disasters just poor decisions made by the builders with the best of intentions but which they have to live with now for years.

Sorry.

I delayed my building work for 3 months because of holiday clashes (and then needing to wait until he had finished the next job). I have never regretted it. Well, that's not true. I regretted it every day of the 3 months. But now, nah, don't regret it. Especially when round at friends' house with lots of little things still annoying them.

If you do go ahead, brace yourself for delays and disappointment. If you could be totally chilled about that then good luck to you but you did say I am down for a fairly traumatic facial op not long after the holiday (haven't got a date yet) & I don't much fancy recovering from that while builders tramp up & down 2 flights of stairs with buckets of plaster That immediately had me shouting in my head. "no no don't do it. That is exactly what will happen because it won't be finished."

Is a few weeks' wait really that bad?

Will you be able to relax on holiday?

What if they don't finish or make daft decisions? Will that be harder to cope with immediately post-op?

I know, I know, not what you want to hear...

It isn't because they are cowboys or idiots.

Just that, say, when they run the cabling they find that because of some structural thing they can't put the socket where you wanted and the builder thinks it is obvious that it should go a foot to the left and wouldn't disturb your holiday for such an obvious thing but actually that messes with your plan to have a lamp table there, or whatever. You get the idea.

My builders have been lovely. Very sensible lovely people. But at least half of the stuff he asked me about, he would have chosen to do something different from what we eventually chose when we discussed it. DH and I rearranged our working days so that one of us saw them at the start and end of every working day. I worked from home as much as possible despite the disruption. I am very very glad we did that.

Unfortunately the facial op isn't a one-off - there will be at least 3 ops over an 8-week period & then probably one more after - & we need to have a usable attic room asap

Thank you all very much for your input - it's helped a lot with things to bring up beforehand & look out for