Should You Stay or Should You Go for a Remodel? 10 Points to Ponder
For remodels big and small, homeowners all have to answer the exact same question: If you find an untouched area in your home and live through the building, or pack your bags and go? The answer depends on the size of your remodel and those two other things you might never have considered.
Ira Lippke
1. Money. The most obvious factor is actually more complex than you might think. Yes, it will cost money to get a rental, but it can also cost money if you stay and you are whatsoever. Some contractors charge more for jobs where customers stay on, realizing there will be extra costs in cleaning, a rush to acquire mechanical work done so that electrical and plumbing services aren’t disrupted, and things as straightforward as lengthy daily conversations onsite with homeowners.
That really is a calculation best done in concert with your contractor and using a hefty dose of reality. If you have never seen a home undergoing a remodel, then now is the time to do just that so you can get a very clear idea of how much of your home will be affected by what you’ve planned.
Kerrie L. Kelly
2. Purpose. The type of project can immediately answer the stay-or-go question. If a roof is coming to get a second story or your home is being raised upward, you will probably want to move out. These kinds of renovations make it impossible to warm or cool a home effectively and normally involve cutting plumbing service, electricity, heating and air conditioning. If you are aware that a huge blue tarp will be part of this plan, consider that your invitation into an alternate dwelling.
Jeff King & Company
3. Scope. Function that includes over half of your home or that impacts each one your kitchen and bathrooms will pretty much rule out remaining at the home as well. Most households can get by without a kitchen, but having no bathroom means to wash dishes or yourselves. And also a single room does not make.
Before Photo
Ventana Construction LLC
4. Pets. The key with pets is keeping them away from the section of your home that’s under construction. Temporary doorways and ZipWalls will help, but occasionally the incessant noise and activity can be disturbing to cats and dogs even if they are physically separated in the work area. Contractors are just as concerned about your pets as you are, but you should understand their limitations. Some contractors actually ask for special contract clauses stating that they will not be accountable for the pets in the event that they escape.
5. Kids. Children are often fascinated by the work going on. But if you spend a lot of time engaging carpenters in talk with your children, costs will add up fast. Additionally, workers at your home cannot be requested to quit making noise at nap time (remember, you’re paying them hourly), so if you have a young child, you have to find an alternate location to nap or bite the bullet and get a rental.
Before Photo
Ventana Construction LLC
6. Cooking. A temporary kitchen can be just the thing to get you through a kitchen remodel. A hot plate, microwave and toaster oven are fantastic for makeshift food production. Preparing and freezing meals ahead is extremely effective, assuming that the remodel scope permits you to maintain a freezer. But producing four to six months’ worth of meals could be daunting. Homeowner Jennifer Bartlett created and froze meals for two weeks prior to the remodel so that she would not have to eat out every evening. This needed purchasing a new freezer, however, it was a remedy she had been happy with during her kitchen remodel and home office inclusion.
kimberly peck architect
7. Cleaning. Don’t underestimate how this can wear on you over time. Washing your dishes in the bathtub might get old after a couple of weeks. And even with thorough site security, anticipate dust to accumulate around your home. It’s worthwhile to ask your contractor to run an air handler to filter the dust out for the duration of this project.
8. Sheetrock. It’s likely to strike a happy medium by remaining far from demolition until the Sheetrock phase and then going back in. By waiting till the Sheetrock is complete, you stay away from the messiest, dustiest and noisiest portions of this undertaking. This usually happens two-thirds of how through a project, and that translates into a possible one-third savings onto a rental. But your location will nevertheless be move-in ready.
9. Needing to go even in the event that you stay. Some remodeling job requires zero occupancy even when you can stay for most of the undertaking. Finishing hardwood floors generally means staying apart for at least a day on at least two separate occasions while the fumes dissipate, for instance. Thus, even when you camp out in the home during most of the building, be aware that you may need to leave during certains times anyhow.
Ventana Construction LLC
10. Peace of mind. If you stay, you can be sure that you’ll be intimately aware of the state of your home. Going off has its advantages too. Homeowner Peter Langmaid’s whole-house remodel was completed earlier this season, and he stands by his choice to leave. “My guidance for major remodels: Budget for a rental — it’s less painful if it does not feel to be an extra expense — and leave,” he states. “The remodel may occupy lots of your own time; no desire to wallow in the daily actions.”
Inform us Do you have advice on whether to go or stay? Share your ideas in the Remarks section below.