Bathroom renovation means moving out for 6 weeks. WWYD?

[Devonsent19]

Our bathroom and en-suite are being ripped out and renovated in July/August. The building contractors have advised moving out for 6 weeks. There’s just two of us living at the property-me and my DS 18 who is autistic and averse to change so wouldn’t cope with the building work anyway. So I need ideas of where to go please? I’ve tentatively looked at caravans or Airbnb -Everywhere is so expensive as it’s right in the middle of the Summer holidays. Answers on a postcard please 😊

How would your DS cope with being in a different environment for 6 weeks? Could they do one bathroom at a time so you don’t have to move out? Or put a portaloo in the garden!

We had two bathrooms fitted last year and together they did take 6 weeks although we had them done separately.

When the first was was refitted that's the only one we had. Although we have a downstairs loo as well. They made sure the toilet was always on over night and mentioned it being building regulations. We used the local gym and a campsite for paid showers.

When the second was built then, of course, we had the first one to use.

My Dad has dementia and lives with us and he dealt with the work going on ok. Better than if we had stayed away, I think.

Why can’t you do one at a time?
Our new bathrooms, right back to floor boards, moving the plumbing around took a week and a half each.
Very large kitchen only took two weeks.
Does the chap only work one day a week?!

Our friends house flooded and they had a sort of portacabin kitchen diner on their drive for a few months. I expect there is a bathroom equivalent.

https://www.temporarysolutionsgroup.com/our-solutions/temporary-portable-bathrooms/
Here you go…

6 weeks, they're having you on there or planning on having a holiday in your home

I seen a reel recently of a company offering a mobile kitchen for kitchen renovations, so maybe u could hire a bathroom for the duration

Are you animal lovers? Offer free pet sitting locally (in their home)

Just had a bathroom refit here - we paid £3000 for the materials and £1800 for fitting - took 8 days. We had the toilet and shower moved so extra electrical and plumbing there.

I can give you 2023 prices for an en-suite and bathroom I had done, which took two and half weeks in total. Total rip-out and refit, but nothing really moving much. Tiled floors and part tiled walls. Lighting / heated mirrors and towel rails in both, and underfloor heating in the en-suite. Both rooms about 3m square, one standard room height one with 3.6m ceilings. Run of the mill fittings from bath store and tiles from fired earth. Each cost around £8k all-in. Decorating extra, but my decorator only charged £300 a room to prep and paint walls, ceiling and woodwork. I supplied the paint.

They should not need longer than 1 week. This a piss take.

6 weeks??? My full bathroom took 8 days and my en suite took 6, they won’t do them simultaneously either so 3 weeks of disruption but never without a bathroom

Explain it's not possible for you and they will need to do one then the other, so that you still have access to at least one toilet at all times.

(If the en suite only has a loo and a sink you can hopefully do stand up washes while the proper bathroom isn't available. If there are no marked physical difficulties it is possible to keep really clean just with a sink wash, as long as you have time and are thorough.....

I’ll also add mine was done by one person not a team!

We did this recently, but refitted the ensuite first then the main bathroom so had a functional toilet/shower throughout the process despite the mess. As long as you have decided on tiles etc and everything is ready for fitting a bathroom reno should take 2 weeks? Can you not do one at a time?

I've got a combined bathroom and laundry, separate toilet. Mine took about 4 weeks plus some days after for the painter. I stayed with my mum for 10 days until the toilet was working. I could have got a hire toilet but cheaper not to. In Australia we have to waterproof and that takes time to cure so adds a little to timeframes. Tiled floors also need 24-48 hours before they can be walked on, so that's a week of waiting over the project. My builders went back to studs, cut the slab to move plumbing, ripped out hall wall, replaced termite damage, rebuilt everything.

This was my schedule of works and they ran like clockwork. Nothing went over time - unlike my poor neighbour who took about 4 months when she did her identical bathroom. She was not happy with her contractor!

Absolutely no need to move out! I had a large bathroom complete refit inc tiling all walls and floor and we have a separate walk in shower and bath in there. The builder did the shower first and only when it was finished did the bath so we always had one or the other to use. We had to walk on planks of wood over the floor tiles when they were in progress and use the utility room sink to brush our teeth and wash faces in the morning but no big deal! No builder should ever ask you to move out for a bathroom refit!!

Seriously. Do one bathroom at a time! Most logical solution here or am I missing something?🤔

Yes, this! If they say six weeks nothing stopping them from stretching it out to 8 or 10. And you wan to be there to supervise the quality of the work.

Look around for someone else to do the job or renegotiate with current firm

My bathroom (full refit) took 4 days

My en suite took 3 days (full refit)

I had them done one after the other so no need to move out

In Wales in 2023

No underfloor heating but radiators replaced

En suite £3000 plus decorating £170 , flooring £125

Bathroom £4250 plus decorating £250, flooring £175

Port a loo in the garden and join local gym for showers 😊

I'm.not surprised that this firm were available if that's how long they plan to take...havìng said that, our extension took 9 months in total and we had to move out for 7 of them, so I have form for choosing the slowest possible builders.

Are they planning to keep the water off for 6 full weeks due to the sewage works? That would make some sense as to why they think you should move out. But I'd go back and ask why it has to be such a large proportion of the time.

We paid £13.5k last summer to have our bathroom switched with our third bedroom, including moving all pipework. So they moved pipes, put the new bathroom in, tiled and took the old one out. It took 2 weeks from start to finish, we were never without a bathroom. The original quotes were £10k but we ended up choosing some very ‘premium’ tiles, fixtures and fittings which bumped the price up.

Sounds like you’re being ripped off. Why on earth would you agree to this!

@Devonsent19is the price still good once you add on about £6k for alternative accommodation?