by rob@elementsofhome.com.au | Jun 27, 2023 | builders, building | 0 comments


Here are some of the pros and cons of living in your home during a renovation:


Pros:

  • Save money on accommodation.
  • This is the most obvious benefit of living in your home during a renovation. You won’t have to pay for rent which can save you a significant amount of money.
  • Be more involved in the process.
  • If you live in your home during the renovation, you’ll be able to see first hand how the work is progressing and make changes as needed. This can give you a greater sense of ownership over the project and ensure that the end result is exactly what you want. Whilst this sounds good in principle – there should be minimal changes required during the build. A full documentation package will ensure this. And you don’t want to micro manage the builder.


Cons:

  • Noise and dust.
  • Renovations are noisy and dusty, which can be disruptive to your daily life. You may have to wear earplugs or a mask to protect yourself from the noise and dust.
  • Limited access to your home. Depending on the scope of the renovation, you may have limited access to certain areas of your home. This can be inconvenient if you need to use those areas for work or school study/homework.
  • More expensive
  • It can be up to 20% more expensive to live in the home during a renovation. Water and electricity needs to be turned back on at the end of the day and the house made safe. There is a lot of extra work in making sure this happens.
  • Heating and cooling may not work
  • The toilet may not work. There is always the outside builders portaloo!
  • Security.
  • Multiple trades will be wandering through your house for a year. Not all are known by the builder. And unfortunately things can go missing, including your belongings.
  • Disputes.
  • Damage occurs – you don’t want to blur the line between what the builder has caused and what you may have caused.
  • Safety hazards.
  • There may be safety hazards present during a renovation, such as exposed wires or sharp objects. Open floors and walls. Nails in timber or pieces of sharp metal. You’ll need to be careful to avoid these hazards and take steps to protect yourself and your family.
  • Ongoing damage.
  • when you live on a building site you see everything that happens. Trades trampling through your home, walls being bumped and damaged. Glass being broken. Areas that should not have been affected are. It can be very stressful wondering why this has happened. And if the builder is being careless. But on a building site there is so much happening on any given day that damage occurs. It’s the nature of the job. It will be fixed. And if you were not living on site – you wouldn’t see every bump and scratch.
  • Delays
  • Delays occur. Just when you think you will have your privacy back, there is an unexpected delay. This is hard to take when you are not living there – so it can be can be soul destroying if you are.
  • Arguments with the builder
  • You chose your builder because of a) your connection and trust with that builder and b) sometimes, but not always, the price. Don’t put extra strain on the relationship by living in the house. It will start off well – but rarely ends this way.


Ultimately, the decision of whether or not to live in your home during a renovation is a personal one. Not many builders will allow it. Whilst it seems like a good cost saving measure after a month or two you may end up regretting it. Where possible I always recommend moving out.