Staying in house during upgrade

[FlipFlops4Me]

My husband is physically disabled and brain damaged after a stroke. We have lived in our home for over 30 years. Later this year we will be having a total upgrade - re-wire, re-plastering of walls, re-skimming ceilings, new kitchen, new bathroom, new flooring.

We have two dogs, so finding temporary accommodation would be very difficult. One of the dogs is a rescue who would not cope well away from me. The little one also wouldn't do well. My husband could not cope with nights out of our house. He can find his way to the bathroom on his own and sometimes he can manage in there alone. In a strange place he'd get lost and his confusion would get worse.

Would it be possible to have all the downstairs work done (with us living upstairs) and then when that is done we could move downstairs and the men work upstairs? I can put our stuff into storage. I know the dust will be dreadful but I can cope with that. I'm not sure I could cope without my dogs (who are an enormous comfort to me) and with my husband even more confused than normal. He really is very confused at night anyway.

I know it will cost extra, but can it be done?

Oh, forgot the new bathroom going in, as well as a stair lift and new front door.

We don't have your circumstances but we had a lot of work done once and stayed in the home while it was happening. We had a very concientious builder who spent about 30 minutes at the end of the day cleaning up so we could walk around, and it meant that he needed to spend a few extra minutes each morning putting the sheets back down. That would have added to the verall cost in terms of his hours, but it made it possible. In your circumstances you might need to set up a temporary kitchen somewhere with a microwave, hot plate, mini fridge, etc.

@dudsville - thank you! I am making as much space as possible in our bedroom so that two small cottage armchairs can go in there. It already has a TV, so we'd have a bedsit. I can use the tiny boxroom as a kitchenette (no water) but I can put meals together with a microwave, an airfryer and a slow cooker!

Thank you - I was scared it would be impossible and then I'd be absolutely stumped.

Oooh - mini fridge! Yep - I'll need a cheapie that can go to the charity shop afterwards. That sounds bad but I'll have no use for it, and someone who desperately needs one might find a cheap second hand one a godsend.

It can be done but it will take the trades longer to complete their work as they will for example have to ensure they leave you with electricity, running water and no hazards every day when they leave.

There as if you move out they can just get on with the job not worrying about these things.

Oh and some electricians aren't that bright so make sure you make it clear to them what sockets and lights need to work especially over a weekend.

We managed without our kitchen for 8 months.

Do you have somebody in overall charge of your renovation? Start talking to them now about a temporary kitchen.

My builder bought me a scratched sink and ex display cabinet and worktop and built me a kitchen in the dining room for about £50.
We bought a mini cooker/grill and cooked veg in a microwave (these days I would buy a cheap standalone induction hob).

We shunted a lot of furniture into one room and sealed the entrances with dust sheets.

In an ideal world we'd move into temporary accommodation but good luck finding a flat for a disabled, brain damaged man, two dogs and me! My fear is that my dh's confusion would increase and stay increased. At the moment he is coherent (to an extent) during the day. I'm not sure how I'd cope if his confusion was total and 24/7.

Yes, I have a main contractor handling things who I trust. He has done a lot of work in our road and it has all been excellent. @Madcats - your advice to discuss with him is excellent and I'll be taking it. Thank you.

I think it's possible but I would suggest having the work done upstairs first if you can. If you have downstairs done first then you will have builders and other tradesmen trailing through the downstairs areas that have already been done and making them dirty.

The exception I can think of is if you're having a wall knocked through in the kitchen etc. I know someone who had their bathroom done before a kitchen knock through, and they had to repair all their tiling in the new bathroom, as the upstairs floor level shifted slightly when they took the wall out and put in a supporting beam.

Would having a small mobile home in the garden be an option? They can be lifted over walls by crane for example. The builders will be able to work much more quickly if they don’t have to pack up each night.

Do you have a garden OP? Garage or shed? Does it have a power supply?

I'm beginning to wonder whether you could set up a mini kitchen out there while your kitchen is done?

We virtually camped in one room while our house was done. It was difficult but I'm very glad we did it, as we were on hand to keep an eye on the builders and make sure that everything went in in the right place. Perhaps we were just unlucky with our builders, but making sure they followed the plans first time was a much bigger task than we anticipated.

I'd be happy to camp downstairs first if my builder thinks it more sensible. I'd store the sofa and get a double sofa-bed for the duration, and then pass it on when the time came to move upstairs. Good thought.

No, a caravan in the garden isn't feasible - it would be new, and it's new things that confuse and upset dh. Otherwise I'd do it like a shot - so much easier!

We did a whole house renovation with 2 dogs and 2 kids. We explained to the builder that we needed every penny to do the house so couldn't afford to rent a place. We had trades people in for about 6 months and they were great! They gave us warning when water or electric would be off and we worked around each other. Feeding them cakes at break times does wonders for cooperation! It's difficult but doable x

We are having this done now, and it is so dusty. Especially the electrical chasing (ours is into bricks and block work, less so if it's stud walls) We aren't living there yet, but will be once it's made safe. Would say def put as many soft furnishings in storage. Get a couple of good air filters to purify the air. We got an asbestos survey before and bought a lead paint self testing kit so we knew what we were dealing with (we then got it all removed before).

The builders said if you're living in the upstairs, they can plasterboard across the doors to the stairs downstairs to really cut back on the dust. Those plastic sheets that are taped across doorways we have found rubbish. So in effect it'll be like a flat, with just access through to the front door for you.

Also you can get a film that seals over carpets if you're keeping those

We have just done a complete refurb and stayed throughout. The contractor and the tradesmen were fantastic but it was a very stressful 7 months and there is only me, DH and the dog at home. The noise and the dust were the killers for me, plus never having the house completely to myself. I cried a lot and I am a generally robust person. Don't underestimate how invasive and difficulty it might be.

Thank you all for your warnings and advice. I'll take them all on board - especially the cake!

My wonderful cleaner has agreed to increase her hours for the duration and damp dust whatever she can get at, and I have air purifiers already. She's going to help me pack and store furniture etc, and move just what we'll need upstairs. I'm hoping to keep my poor dh as oblivious to it all as possible by following our usual routine, and going out as much as we can. We'll have a powered wheelchair by then that I will control, so we can go out with the dogs and a picnic on nice days etc.

I've also remembered plug in dog anti-stress thingies (work for people too) and I'll get anti-stress collars too. Hopefully they'll help.

Thankfully I've always been a bit of a prepper so I have a wonderbag for cooking casseroles etc. which doesn't need power to keep working.

I feel better in some ways, and more prepared in others. Thank you all.