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Original poster

Stay in house while extension being built?

18 replies

JulesLo · 07/10/2015 10:27

We are having a large 2-storey extension built at the back of our 1910 "chalet bungalow" to make it 3 beds and 2-baths upstairs - currently 2 beds upstairs and downstairs bathroom.
The builders think we should put all our stuff in storage and rent for 6 months but the cost (not to mention hassle) is deterring us.
Would it be more hassle to stay - they can board up the back to keep out dust and the elements and we would still have a working kitchen and bathroom.
DS and DD are secondary school age so safety etc not too much of a worry.
Has anyone lived in their house while an extension has been built - any thoughts?

OP posts:

thekingfisher · 07/10/2015 10:46

I did and whilst a pain and pretty exhausting and painful - we basically 'lived in the bedrooms and had no working kitchen we tolerated it.

The only thing i would query is if it slows the job down with you being in situ - i.e. limitations on turning water off, electricity, access also would you not at some point need to decorate across the old and new areas.

Like all these things its doable - builders prefer you not being there I think on the whole as it makes it easier for them and stops you nosing about all the time asking questions not that i did that of course

Original poster

JulesLo · 07/10/2015 10:49

That's a good point about being there to check on what they are doing but also answer questions/make decisions if they are not sure about something - and I'm worried it will drag on longer than 6 months if we move out. Absolute minimum cost of renting for 6 months is probably £9,000

OP posts:

LonnyVonnyWilsonFrickett · 07/10/2015 10:52

We did it for a kitchen/diner extension. It wasn't fun, but it was do-able. If you are still going to have a working kitchen and loo then I would definitely stay - although as kingfisher says, there will be times when you have no power/water as they'll be doing stuff involving power and water.

We had a three month job, which was totally fine, although 6 weeks of that was without a kitchen. Like I say, I wouldn't be first in line to do it again, but it's fine.

Bubbletree4 · 07/10/2015 10:56

No I would not. No way.

If the builders have suggested you move out I would think that's a pretty good indication of the level of mess, noise and disruption.

My friend tried to stay during work like this and she lasted 2 nights before going to her parents.

The dust will get absolutely everywhere. Inside drawers etc.

I can understand the cost of rental putting you off. Can you stay with anyone for a bit of the time to keep the cost down? Or rent somewhere small?

PestoSwimissimos · 07/10/2015 10:56

We stayed whilst we had a small 2 storey extension built, but we did put an awful lot of stuff into storage first. We also had the agreement of the builder, who made things easier for us by putting up temporary stud walls so we weren't too inconvenienced before they 'broke through'. The dust and dirt was a pain, but we just got on with cleaning everything each evening once the builders had gone home for the night.

The other thing you might find tricky is when you can't use the bathrooms. We were lucky as I belonged to a local gym and used to take the DDs for a swim & a shower when ours were out of action.

I do think it helps if your builder is 'on side' though. I wouldn't have wanted to have made life more difficult for them, if at all possible. I was at home throughout our build and kept our builders happy with drinks and home-baked goodies and our build seemed to fly by

I missed them when they'd gone...!

LonnyVonnyWilsonFrickett · 07/10/2015 12:04

Yeah but I'd put up with a lot of dust for a £9k saving Bubbletree especially when you're doing building work and money is literally flying out of the door.

Keep all doors closed. Draft excluders really help. When we sanded our floors we taped up every single door we could and basically lived in one room for a couple of nights.

BackforGood · 07/10/2015 12:19

Surely its normal for most people to have to live thee and get on with it?
Most folk dont have the money for storage and rent on top of what they have saved/ borrowed for the work to be done.
It won't be easy/comfortable but you'll have the advantage of being able to keep ono top of them which builder probably isn't keen on

RooibosTeaAgain · 07/10/2015 12:24

We put all our valuables in storage. We stayed in our house most of the time but at the worst ( no roof, complete dust etc) moved out for a few weeks. House sat for some friends on holiday so nearby and then travel lodges etc. Much cheaper doing that for 3 weeks than a 6m rent. We had 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms added and it took 18 weeks for an empty shell but bathrooms fitted.

Original poster

JulesLo · 07/10/2015 13:13

Everyone we know in similar situations has moved out and just added the rental to the overall cost - but a £9k saving has to be worth it for some inconvenience. That's at least 1 fully fitted new bathroom (maybe 2). And as others say - the advantage of keeping tabs on the builders.

LonnyVonny thanks for the tip about draught excluders and taping up doors etc to keep the dust out and travel lodge if we get really desperate!

RooibosTeaAgain how much was your storage - what size unit? Did you store furniture too or just valuables/breakables? Thinking dust on sofas which are quite new

OP posts:

321rd · 07/10/2015 14:43

We are living thru it ATM. To be honest whilst the ground works are going on and Untill they knocked thru it really didn't effect us that much. Now we are living out of the lounge with things piled up everywhere but I wouldn't want to move out. It's defo liveable. It's exciting seeing the changes happening. Our DC are younger than yours and it's been fine.
And why would you waste £9k on rent when that could go towards the build.
There is another thread ATM in a similar vein. Also, we have saved time by being able to give immediate answers to questions the builders have.

RaphaellaTheSpanishWaterDog · 07/10/2015 14:55

We've lived through it a couple of times, the first when DS was eight and more recently with just me and DH. Last time was actually the worst as we were without hot water and heating (apart from the wood burner) for almost six months - having a bath was fun as it involved carrying dozens of saucepans and other receptacles full of water boiled on the hob/in kettles upstairs

Fortunately we were all done by mid October when it started to get really cold out in the sticks where we were living then. We also had a temporary kitchen at the other end of the house so we did have some basic facilities.

Would we do it again - probably but we're gluttons for punishment and I do agree that it's better to be able to keep an eye on how the work's progressing on a day to day basis.

VulcanWoman · 07/10/2015 15:05

What about having a large caravan in your garden, sell it again afterwards.

RooibosTeaAgain · 07/10/2015 18:42

JulesLo - we put real valuables ( eg documents etc) in spare room at in laws and filled the loft of a friend etc. First few weeks was just outside work so used storage for about 12 weeks. Hired a company as moved a piano etc! Left sofas as ancient. Size - cannot remember but enough for a nice dresser and piano and 2 beds plus boxes. Was packed fully. Thankfully pre-children so we owned less. Cost was whatever standard rate was. We also put furniture in our locked garage as it was not affected.

ReadtheSmallPrint · 07/10/2015 19:43

We lived through a two-storey extension. In total, we lost the living room and one bedroom for about three months. We were crammed into the dining room, kitchen, bathrooms and two bedrooms (DCs had to share). We made it manageable by putting all the living room and most of DD's bedroom furniture into storage. We covered most of the livng room stuff (fireplace and wall mounted tele) in plastic dust sheets that were securely taped down.

It was messy and cold. The living room was open to the freezing cold extension for December and January. Christmas was not 'festive'. The chippy put up a door to the new family room on Christmas Eve and we spent the afternoon shaking out dust sheets. We spent Chrstmas Day on plastic garden furniture in the living room with the fire on and a foot-high borrowed tree. On the 27th December we had to 'give the room back' to the builders so they could start running the UF heating into the family room.

It was do-able. Given my time again I would do the same thing. You can get two bloody good foreign holidays for 9K (or a hell of a lot of soft furnishings).

BlueCowWonders · 07/10/2015 19:48

We stayed - on our architect's advice!
We trusted our builders completely, and they were older and understood his the house had to be put back each evening for us. We did it over last winter and it certainly wasn't easy but so much better to be on site.

BlueCowWonders · 07/10/2015 19:49

'Understood THAT...'

Paulawoods · 08/03/2017 11:55

No! We had to move out of the house for 4 weeks. When they take a wall down no amount of radiators can keep the downstairs warm. Once thing we did do in the living room extension was to put brush plates on the wall to the wall mounted TV. That way we could put wires in the walls from top to bottom for the TV and SKY box so they were all hidden. it complied with my OCD tidiness

AmysTiara · 08/03/2017 12:00

We had a side extension built and we stayed. It was fine. Bit dusty but we managed

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