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Property/DIY

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Original poster

House extension starting soon. Should we stay or move out?

19 replies

AesopsMables · 21/03/2015 20:26

So we now have a start date for our double side return and single rear extension.

We always said we would move out but our builder is advising that we should/could stay as he can block us into the front of the house where there is a living room on ground floor and bedroom with ensuite on 1st floor. When it comes to knocking through he is suggesting building us a temp kitchen in the D/Room.

Would it be so dreadful? DD's are both away at university so there is only me and DH.

I have worked out that it would save us at least £12,000 (not to mention the hassle of packing and moving out)

Any of you got good/bad experiences to share I would appreciate it before we make our decision before end April.

Thanks

OP posts:

shakemysilliesout · 21/03/2015 20:29

I stayed as a child during a huge project and it was fine, especially for you as 2 adults with no kids at home . Def stay but use a bit of that £12000 saved to book a couple of mini breaks to get away from the work for a bit.

shakemysilliesout · 21/03/2015 20:31

We did it with just toilet and sink, microwave and kettle. Showered at nans. Just think about laundry- do u have a laundrette?

TheSingingMonkey · 21/03/2015 20:53

We aren't living in ours and I'm so glad. But we have young DC.

BL00CowWonders · 21/03/2015 21:15

We're in the middle of staying, never really thought about moving out. I'd suggested to our builder that we stay away (locally) fir last half term, but he wanted us on-site to speed up decision-making.

It's getting harder (dust and cramped conditions) as we're so near the end - but £12 seems like loads!

WhatKatyDidnt · 21/03/2015 21:16

We stayed during a major renovation. It was pretty horrible, dust everywhere and never alone in the day. The upside was the ££ saved, and being on site to make quick decisions and check up on the builders and stress about it all.

longestlurkerever · 21/03/2015 21:19

An extension is less disruptive than renovations to your existing house as the works mostly take place in the garden till they knock through. You have timed it well as living with no kitchen is much easier in the Summer as you can do barbecues and picnics. Good luck!

CQ · 21/03/2015 21:20

Stay but pack up everything as if you were moving out. Store in sealed plastic boxes. Put all your clothes in dust covers like the dry cleaning comes home in - you can get them on Amazon.

Dust will get EVERYwhere!

Agree with pp, take some breaks away and pay for a professional deep clean of the whole house when it's finished.

Original poster

AesopsMables · 21/03/2015 21:29

Thanks everyone that has swayed it for me.

Good point about the launderette! No there is not one in our town but we have good friends and neighbours who I could do a couple of loads with each week, also we have a dry cleaners that offers laundry so even if we spend a few hundred with them it will still be worth it.

We have a 2 week holiday booked whilst work is being carried out so that will give us a break, also I work overseas at least 1 week in every 6.

The money saved and being on site for decisions makes staying the most viable option.

BlOO Cow and and Monkey - good luck with yours!

OP posts:

RaphaellaTheSpanishWaterDog · 21/03/2015 21:35

We've always stayed when doing major projects. DS was eight when we dud the first, but as we were converting the house from four fiats back to a single family home we just camped out on the upper floor whilst building work went on downstairs.....plus DH was hands-on in the evenings when he got home from his desk job, with plastering etc......

Last house we were without hot water/heating for over five months whilst having the extension from hell built......wettest Summer for ages (2012) and work ground to a halt several times, but could have been worse - at least it wasn't Winter! We bathed using kettles/saucepans of boiling water carried upstairs, lol - just the two of us at home by then though......

Agree about dust though - it really is a bugger! Don't think our buyers appreciated just what we went through to get the house looking so good!

The money you'll save by living on site would be enough to persuade me.....

RaphaellaTheSpanishWaterDog · 21/03/2015 21:36

Lol,did, not dud!

Apatite1 · 21/03/2015 23:24

I'd never stay during building work, but others have managed it, so I'm sure it's possible. I think the dust would drive me mad frankly!

UptobedNOW · 22/03/2015 07:55

We are a month into a big project. We are having a big extension which has meant the removal of the small kitchen extension that was already there to create a large kitchen/diner and utility. We have a 3 and a 5 year old. The builders set up a temporory kitchen in the dining room comprising of oven, sink and washing machine so it is not too bad.

As others have said, the dust is a bit of a problem and we have boxes everywhere. When the girls want stuff, it's really a case of 'if you can find it you can have it' I do like being there to make decisions toon the electrician was in last week and we could discuss lighting positions and cooker placement etc there and then.

The downside of this though is that you never have any privacy in the day and the teas and coffees are a pain to keep making. But it's all a means to an end and we did after all choose to do it.

AryaUnderfoot · 22/03/2015 08:02

We stayed during our extension. We 'lost' our living room, DD's bedroom and the hall, stairs and landing. We had to move a lot of stuff out, so ended up renting a storage unit at the local Big Yellow place. I'm really glad we did. The dust was dreadful but not just from knocking through (that wasn't actually too bad). It was the tacking, plastering and decorating which made the most dust!

TeddyBee · 22/03/2015 09:41

We stayed but went on holiday for two weeks for the worst bit and rented a storage unit to put delicate/excess furniture in. Storage unit was a godsend. Staying was fine with two small children, who didn't seem bothered, and I really needed to be able to keep an eye on them. When I went away they had to correct quite a few things on our return that were just wrong and we have power points in the wrong places that I couldn't face having moved because they asked DH not me.

TeddyBee · 22/03/2015 09:41

Keep an eye on the builders that is, the kids were quite low maintenance in comparison.

Marmitelover55 · 22/03/2015 14:31

We stayed for ours last year and I too am glad we did. We put the fridge in the sitting room and the washing machine and kitchen stayed in the building site and were moved around as required. I had to take the washing up upstairs and do it in the bath, which was a bit of a pain.

We told out insurance company and they also wanted us to stay from a security point of view. I didn't like going away as security did feel a bit compromised - the gaping hole at the back was boarded up but was easily unscrewed by the builders in a couple of minutes...

My husband works from home which was handy as he could make decisions or ring me if necessary.

We did eat out a lot and went round to friends and as mentioned above, enjoyed a few BBQs.

It was so worth it though!! Am incredibly happy with our lovely new space. Good luck!

Marmitelover55 · 22/03/2015 14:32

washing machine and oven* (not kitchen!

TheRestofmylifeiswaiting · 22/03/2015 14:42

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

newstart15 · 22/03/2015 14:50

We stayed but moved out for the actual knock through which was very helpful as it provided the break we needed.I think its worth staying for most of the time, especially early days as the work is outside and doesn't bdire toy affect the running of the house.Our builder did have a portaloo which I felt helped to keep our house separate.You can also setup a "tea station" in the garage so the builders are independent.

If you are building in colder weather do consider having access to portable heaters as pipes maybe distrupted.We also found having some lamps around helped as our lighting circuit was off for a while whilst changes were made.Getting additional storage is also really useful as you do have to clear existing rooms.

I think it must be a luxury to move out and only go back in when its clean and new but its about affordability and most people do manage to stay in if necessary.

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