logistics - decorating before moving in

[BoyMeetsWorld]

DH is adamant it isn't possible to get a decorator / carpet fitter in to completely do new house for 4 days (it's 5 bed) before we move in. Totally structurally sound, just needs magnolia base throughout and new carpets to take it out of Granny mode. We could then do feature walls etc over time.

But logistically, he says we have to hand over our property same day we get keys for new one so couldn't do this.

How does anyone do it? Surely it's near impossible to completely redecorate a property once a whole family and all your accompanying v heavy furniture have moved in?

Would welcome any advice to save me moving into Grannyville !

We did this, but couldn't have done without help. Put all furniture in the garage/ the lounge under dust sheets. Moved in with my parents whilst the work was done. Moved furniture from the lounge when it needed to be carpeted.

This was because we were doing major works though- new bathroom and kitchen, knocking down walls, etc. I think if it was a case of rooms being painted then we would've been OK to 'live' in the lounge for a week whilst everything else was done.

Are you selling/buying, in which case its pretty normal. If the new house is empty you can sometimes agree to get work done between exchange and completion at your own risk. Otherwise I'd suggest putting the bulk of your furniture into storage for a couple of weeks and just move in with the basics (beds/suitcases/sofa) which can be easily moved about during decorating and carpeting.

4 days is pushing it, but if you can get all the furniture into a couple of rooms and move it round as others are completed, you should be able to get the whole house done in a week, with enough decorators etc. Obviously you are going to have to stay somewhere, but treat it as a holiday!

It can be done but with difficulty and by throwing money at it (ie professional decorators). You'll probably have to put some furniture (if not all) in storage for a short time if you want to be able to have carpet fitters in without the hassle of moving furniture around each room. And yes to staying somewhere else (my friend booked into a local holiday cottage for a week).

he is right on the keys, you just need to manage where you stay and your stuff.

You can ask the removers to store the furniture for a few days, while you stay in a hotel. This is not necessarily cheap but has the huge advantage that they will hump all the furniture about for you. Or you can put some of it into storage and move into a couple of rooms with the rest. We tend to tackle the main living room before we move into it, and live with the bedrooms for longer, but that is doing it ourselves.

The stressful bit IMO is lining up tradespeople, asking them to keep a very specific set of days free, then if the exchange is delayed, asking them all to rearrange. 4 days is very tight for scheduling different trades in. But I am rubbish at dealing with that sort of thing - tbh it's one of the reasons why we DIY.

Yes you have to hand over your property the same day you get the new one.

So doing work before you move in is only possible if

1. The new house is empty AND you get the current owner's permission to do work before you complete.

or

2. You move your family & all your stuff somewhere else on completion day (eg family in hotel & stuff in temporary storage as Cress suggests), then do the work, then move again into the new house.

NB only some removers will store furniture so if you want to use this option then choose carefully.

Is the house vacant? if not you'd have to move in with family/rent after completion to do this.

The house we bought was vacant and needed complete decoration and we were given a licence to occupt for 4 weeks after exchange. In that time we stripped all the old wallpaper, replastered and painted 5 rooms and the hallway, removed all the old carpets and sanded and painted the floors upstairs. I think 5 days would be tight unless you are able to organise a team to go in and do everything quickly.

The main thing that delayed us was getting quotes and arranging for tradespeople to go into the property, as it meant coordinating with the estate agent and owner each time.

Nope, not vacant :s I think storage for a week sounds like the way forward but DH is having none of it...he thinks we can play musical chairs with the furniture. I just know if we don't do it before we're in, it'll never get done nicely and this house iis a huge compromise for me (space over character) if it can't even be well decorated.

Doesn't help that some of our furniture is seriously heavy to lift.

Moving is stressful enough as it is without trying to decorate too, you're braver than me.

Stiff in storage, family in hotel. Obvious.costs a lot but much easier.that said, it is always wide to live in a place for a while and find out what else needs doing first...

Don't expect help from your carpet fitters and decorators to move the furniture around - quite a lot of them won't do it. (And if they do, they'll charge extra so storage might work out very similar).

I really am going to have to stop using that tablet: 'STUFF' in storage, not stiff!!