Living in a house while extending

[CareBear17]

Is this possible?

We are planning a rear/side extension while comprises of turning our kitchen into a kitchen/diner, add a shower room and another bedroom. We are in the process of having our plans done but wondering how feasible it is to stay while the work is being done.

I can be out the house during the day when the builders are in and would prefer to do this. We understand that we’d be without a kitchen for a time but are willing to work round this. During any particular difficult periods we could spend a few days with my mum but there’s no way we could live here for the duration as there just isn’t enough space for more than a few nights.

Ive been asked by so many people if we are going to move out but its really not affordable for us to do this and have essentially 2 sets of bills.

Am I mad to think its doable to live there?

We stayed during the building works. Our whole back wall came down and we had limited kitchen for awhile. It was not great but very doable, it was very dusty and noise was high at some points. We just got on with it and got it weather proofed as quickly as possible.

We stayed when we had an extra 3rd adding to our house , at one point we had no kitchen or bathroom and every internal wall upstairs came down! I can’t say I’d do it again but we had no option as finances meant we couldn’t afford to rent anywhere. I survived and the bonus was … no cleaning and plenty of eating out for the time it was being done👍🏻

We lived in the front of our house during a major extension, it was doable. Much worse was living in the extension while a loft conversion and major reconfiguration was done at the front.
The extension was easy, the other bit ? That we should have moved out for.

We are now through and out the other side.

My advice:
FULLY clear everything from the part of the house being extended and put into storage/loft/garage/shed. Double up on bedrooms if you need to for a while.

Think about where and how you cook, water source etc. And how you will manage if it over runs.

Will they keep the drains running so you have washing/loo facilities? Will you retain hot water?

What will the outside temperature be when they start? Will you need/ have heating if necessary?

Keep a couple of clean spaces in the house AT ALL TIMES that are not accessible by the builders. Ask them to build a temporary timber wall to close off the building works if you need.

How are they accessing for diggers/ dumpers/ crane or lifting for steels?

Make sure they hire a portaloo and have a space for a tea station.

Be prepared for dust and mess and your garden WILL be trashed.

Plan well and you will be fine.

We did it and it was fine, not ideal but totally manageable. Poster above has good advice. But having a kitchen for a couple of months was the hardest I found, we live rurally so no restaurant or takeaways nearby but I used the slow cooker a lot.

I think the hardest days are when you're around - I WFH one day a week and am home with my kids two days and that was tough always having other people around. No slobbing in my pajamas! Our builders were great, generally quiet but lovely to chat to - great with the kid and dog, no radios etc which helped, very tidy. But when we had other trades in for the odd day or two specialist job they could be pretty noisy and sometimes rude, so I think a lot depends on the actual builders!

Yes we did it whilst having rear / side extension done including kitchen. It was a bit cold and miserable at times but not unachievable.

Advice - think about time of year you plan the building work, we were very cold at some points. Put as much stuff into storage as possible. Borrow an air fryer if you don't already have one. If you work from home, try get out to a cafe with WiFi for a bit. Plan a strategic weekend away, if it's just to a premier Inn in the next town, to give yourself a break.

Good luck!

It is possible to stay while extending/renovating but not desirable.
We have done it, like you we could not rent elsewhere while it was happening.
Be strong and dig deep. Be as organised as possible while it is ongoing, so that when the builders have left for the day, you have a nest to decompress.
Best of luck!

We have just started building work and similar to you, finances simply don't extend to rent elsewhere. I had a full rewire and renovation on the house 3 years ago when I moved in and while not ideal it was manageable.

I'd advise having someone home during the day whilst the builders are working; if they don't have anyone to answer questions that arise then they'll most likely do as they think best. That means you end up with their choices which can be frustrating/costly.