Renovation saves

[user1485851222]

So about to start a renovation project, full house, living, dining room, kitchen, bathroom, hall, 3 bedrooms, whilst living in it, with dogs and DH. What are your suggestions for keeping sane, contractors reckon it's a 5 month project.

Could they do the upstairs first and then you move upstairs with a gas stove for a bit? What are you having done?

Assume it will be 10 months and then you will be happy if it is less. Get genuinely excited about the lovely new things as they go in. I will never take heating for granted again.

You will go crazy if you can't have one room as dust free. Where is all your stuff going and will you be sleeping in one of the bedrooms whilst it is worked on or are they doing one and then moving round?

Make sure you get a zip door plastic sheet for the room you are keeping your day to day loving stuff and sleeping in and make sure it has several other barriers if possible so that you have one dust free room. The dust gets everywhere.

It's a bungalow and the whole house is being done

Make as many meals as you can to stick in a freezer before the kitchen is ripped out and have a makeshift kitchen area (you will become friends with everything that is microwaveable).

Book a weekend away around halfway through just to enjoy a dust free environment - gives you something to look forward to.

I did think about a weekend away, midway thru... Great idea, thank you.

Being a bungalow makes it harder, I think. You will struggle to keep out of the way, and the dust and disruption will be much worse with only one storey.

Is there space for a caravan? You might be able to rent one.

Assuming you're not having an extension, you might just about be able to live there, but I'd be a bit concerned about the dogs' safety and comfort.

We renovated a larger house which had been derelict. We lived in a static caravan in the garden. Initial thoughts were 1yr, but it was over 2 before we could physically move in! Still LOTS of things to finish, bathroom cabinets, final painting, final lighting, soft furnishing etc. Its never ending!

Being onsite is great for security, to accept deliveries and work with the tradesman- but can you move to a garage, seal off part of the house or fit a caravan in the garden/drive to live in? We sold the caravan when we'd finished.

There is no way its going to be 5 months

Get everything you can picked and ordered before you start in terms of fixtures and fittings

when deliveries arrive, open and check them for damage right away, many things arrive damaged and you need to know so you can return it for a replacement without it holding up progress

living in the property while its being renovated will slow things down as they cant cut off the electrics and water etc