Anyone lived in house during a re-wire? How was it?

[MrsBobDylan]

We move today into a four bed town house. It needs lots of work and first thing next week the electrician comes to re-wire.

For various reasons (primary one being an autistic child who needs to feel settled after the trauma of changing homes) we will be living in the house as the work happens.

We did this four years ago and coped fine but didn't need a re-wire.

If you've lived through one while in your house, how was it? What can I do to make it easier for dc? How much unpacking can I do?

They will start at the top and work their way down. I am having a very last minute worry!

We had the previous property we lived in re wired, we didn’t have children then and went on holiday for the week. MIL visited to check up for us, it was very dangerous, floor boards up etc. Is there anywhere you can stay whilst the re wire is happening?

Yes with a baby. It's messy and dusty but you'll be fine. When you have kids the workmen just replace the floorboards at the end of each day to make sure it is safe

It's horrendous. Nothing is left untouched. I'd advise leaving, but obviously pp has had a less intrusive experience.

Horrendous had to move out. Floor boards up holes in the ceilings, all the walls and the dust was awful and in everything.

We lived in our house during a full rewire 3 years ago. It wasn't as bad as I expected. Our electricians were good at tidying and dusting as they went along. We did have to pack away a lot of stuff and be prepared to keep moving to different rooms though. My DS found it quite an adventure.

Eeek. I have had two houses that needed rewiring. We lived through one but not the next-the first experience put us off!

It was the dust and the state things are left in each night that was the problem. Can you see if they'll leave one room at least till last so you can sort of seal yourself in there? And then move to a room that's done while they do the last room?

It depends on what you are having done, if it is literally just replacing the wires and no new sockets/lights then there isn't much mess, if you are having new sockets then they may need to put holes in walls take up floor boards.

Can you sort of 'camp' in one room?

One word. Dusty.
Oh and I had to have a poo by the light of a work lamp hanging off the bathroom door.

We lived in one room through a full house refurbishment (demolishing bit, rewiring, new roof the whole lot top to bottom). We coped as 2 adults and two dogs but the rewiring with having random floorboards up and down then extension leads up the stairs to give us light in our one room did make it quite hard.
We saved a fortune by not moving out for the 6 months the work took but I am certain I would not have done it or even just the rewiring with children in the house.

It might actually be more stressful for your child to live with the chaos rather than live elsewhere for a while. Do you have a family member you could stay with where he might feel more secure?

I did a live in rewire last year and wouldn’t do it again. Between the light fittings being replaced and the new consumer units being commissioned the only light available in the evening upstairs was a lamp plugged into a long extension lead. There was dust everywhere from chasing walls. We ate out for three weeks only coming back to the house to sleep. Limited TV because it had to be moved out of the way and covered to stop it getting dusty so we only uncovered it and moved it back at weekends.

Furniture has to be moved in the evening depending on what room was being worked on next. We had to strip the bed every morning and make it every night so that it didn’t get covered in dust and whatever is in the ceiling void. We don’t have children but there is no way I would want to do it with children. Or at all. I would move out next time.

I live in a 1890s property that was rewired in the 1970s. I'm mid-way through a full re-wire at the moment and the disruption has been fairly minimal.
We started with the lighting circuits and there was almost no disruption at all.
The ring main rewiring is more disruptive as more furniture needs moving. I'm lucky as I have the ability to clear the room in question of all furniture.
The kitchen is likely to be the toughest which thankfully as I was putting a new kitchen in at the time, I could do independently of the rest of the re-wire.
The short answer is it depends on many factors - especially the electrician you're using.

Oh shit that sounds bad. Sorry for not replying but I have mainly had my head in a packing box for the last two days!

We were so depressed on our first night I had to put all my effort into not crying. The sale was probate and the house hasn't had any work done on it since the mid eighties. I don't think it's been cleaned since then either!

I might review taking the kids up north to stay with the in laws. I can't live with my mother as that would undoubtedly be more hellish than anything a re-wire could throw at us.

Does it make a difference that the electrician said he'd start on the 2nd floor and work his way down? Also, that we have no flooring as dh pulled up the life threateningly dirty carpet yesterday?

Omfg it's so complicated. Ironically, autistic son has been the happiest of us all. He thinks he used to live here as it seems familiar.

I, however, sobbed on the John Lewis guy delivering the fridge freezer who felt obligated to hug me as I wailed 'I used to live in a lovely house.'

Electrician is good, really organised and comes very highly recommended by my builder bil.

Last time we re-wired a house we didn't live in it but that was 10 years ago and I can't remember what it was like, except dusty, verrrry dusty. I might see why the first day is like, and if intolerable, flee up north with the kids.

We moved into our motorhome for the week. We were still eating dust weeks later.

Ours starts tomorrow.

Full re-wire of a large house. lots of new sockets and extras too.

Not looking forward to it at all.

Also having a new kitchen, walls moved and new doors and windows.

Wish me luck.

the dust is terrible.

I strongly advise you put all your belongings, yes, all, in plastic crates with tight fitting lids. When the work is over, hoover and damp-wipe the boxes and the lids before opening them.

Cupboards and drawers will not keep the dust out. Dustsheets will not keep the dust out.

Buy a builders canister vac with some bags and a spare cartridge filter and hide your dometic vac until the work is finished and the house is clean. Put it in the boot of your car or in the garden shed.

look up your nearest travellodge or similar and stay there for a week.

TVs, computers, DVD players etc are likely to be irrepairably damaged by the dust. So are books and photos. And clothes.