Anyone done a major renovation project?

[Feierabend]

As in, rewiring, replumbing, new kitchen, new floors, walls, cupboards, everything? And with you plus children living in the house while it was being done up? We are contemplating just that and I am wondering if we are barking mad. Come and talk to me!

Four times. I think if you need to ask it probably isn't for you.

We are coming to the end of it. If we’d had any idea it would take this long we wouldn’t have done it. We would also have moved out. It’s caused horrendous stress and I’m not entirely sure that we will ever fully recover our family relationships. Just don’t do it.

The rewire was awful. Every room and every wall affected.

We have done it, but before we had our children, having been through it, I wouldn’t recommend it with young children around, unless you can live elsewhere while the renovation is taking place. Bear in mind that trades are hard to get hold of as well as building supplies. Have a healthy contingency fund everything seems to have gone up.

We’re doing it but because we live in it we are doing in phases over the next couple of years! Phase one is complete and phase two is later this year!

You get dust from everything! Brick dust/plaster dust/ old dust under carpets and floorboards etc… the mess drives me insane but by doing it stages it’s allows us to save for the next lot of work and only deal with the builders for a couple of months at a time! I know a lot of people that move out/get loans and want it all done in one big phase but none of that would work for us! Whatever you think it will cost double it and that’s your build cost 😆

I would have a look at some videos of what is involved in rewiring etc if you have not experienced it before and are unsure where dust would come from. Good luck

As another poster said if you have to question if you can do it - you probably can't. We're still doing our massive renovation project (taken it back to brick, new roof, extension, central heating, basically everything). Everything takes twice as long as you'd expect and the mess is horrific. You really have to be of a certain mindset to be able to cope with it and I can easily see how many people can't. I am fine with it most days but sometimes it can get you down such as when you can't cook properly or have no-where even half decent to invite people round. Definitely wouldn't even contemplate it with young children.

I’ve had a loft extension done with 2 small kids, not that big a deal. However we always had the kitchen so no issues really apart from annoyance with builders ... or maybe time is a great healer🤔 it was 10 years ago.