Flooring before or after moving in?

[MoveAhoy]

We should finally be completing in a week.
We're not under any pressure to move i.e. our current dwelling isn't being moved into so we can take some time to setup the home we are purchasing before we move in.

The floor fitters currently have a 3 week lead time and we are already fed up of the extra commute to work and school. So we do just want to move.

But I have this nagging feeling floors are better fitted when the house is completely empty so maybe we should just wait for the floor fitters to be done.

But that means we can't get any other furniture. It just delays the entire move and if we wait for the floor we'll be in around November which will affect the whole family and possibly cost a fair amount.

Those who have moved recently, what did you do?

Practically speaking, it would be much easier to get the floor done before moving in.
But why can't you order the furniture until it's laid? That further delay would make a huge difference t my decision. Is there any way you can get the ball rolling on furniture ordering so that it can be delivered ASAP after the floor goes down?

It’s much easier to fit floors in an empty house … order furniture to be delivered after

A 3 week lead for fitters is quite short really. Is there other work yiu can do before flooring that needs doing ? Ie adding sockets, changing light fittings, redecorating….

If you dint wait, where are you planning to move things while floor being laid? Is this wood flooring, or something you cannot walk on immediately?

There's currently plywood over the joists.
As long as the kids don't jump on it, it seems like it will hold out.

I could order the furniture to be delivered after we think the floor will be laid but I'm also decorating the current dwelling and the trades have been at best unreliable... sometimes through no fault of their own. I can imagine the fitters saying they'll be done in 3 days and actually it takes them 1-2 weeks. Unexpected things just seem to be happening - especially any of them getting covid. Then I'll have furniture that needs to be put somewhere waiting for them to finish and then moved in a van which is an extra expense.

But I do understand that fitting floors requires access to the floor so it sounds like there's no getting round it. I'm just going to have to factor that in.

If you have furniture being delivered, you can often ask for the company to hold onto it till you are ready.

We had to clear everything for floors to be laid all downstairs, absolute nightmare finding dry places to store it all, do floors if possible before 'stuff' arrives