How much work/stress is a major home renovation?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It'll be a pain no matter what, but in most cases, the end results are worth it.

We went through ours when the kids were 2 and 5, both working full time. There's no ideal age. In general, I'd say do it sooner rather than later to get it over with and to enjoy the new space longer.

We did not move out for 99% of the reno. It's really unpleasant at times, but the plus side is that we're on site everyday and can monitor progress and check for issues. Expect re-dos. We've caught some significant issues before the drywalls were put back in, so that's fortunate. When you're living offsite, make sure you check on the house every day.

Yes to this. We definitely noticed small things just by being there. Like one Friday the crew left a window open. Wasn't a big deal for a few hours, but would have been a big deal for a few days.

[Anonymous]

If you move out during, it will be the most stressful time of your life but worth it in the end

If you try to live there during it, you may not survive.

Consider how bad you think it may be and times that by 100

Signed, someone who is now on the other side with what feels like PTSD. We moved out during. It's beautiful but I'm still way too close to the trauma to enjoy it. Hopefully soon

[Anonymous]

Get a marriage counselor before any large home renovations. That's how bad.

[Anonymous]

We are almost done with a major renovation (we moved out), and I don’t think it was that bad. Are there some irritations and frustrations? Sure. But overall we are so glad we did this and cannot wait to move back into our new renovated home!

The hardest part was finding a short-term rental, as we didn’t need a full 12 months.

No regrets!

[Anonymous]

Agree with others.

Expect it to take twice as long and cost twice as much as you originally thought.

Try to regard moving out to a smaller place as a fun experience. We tried a new neighborhood.

Visit site daily and have a weekly meeting with GC.

[Anonymous]

So much wisdom here.

Yes, take pets with you.

Yes, make loads of decisions upfront. Ask for no more than three option from architect.

Remember Labor costs more than materials.

Yes, it was worth it after. No, I would never do it again.

Plan to have access to clothes for two seasons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We just finished up living in our new (old) house during a massive renovation and addition. It nearly broke me. I would not recommend living through a renovation. If I could go back in time we would have rented somewhere close by or found a different home that didn’t need such extensive work. It is not for the faint of heart. Now we are very pleased with the work and the home looks great, but it was incredibly disruptive to live here during the construction.

Can you say more about what exactly was disruptive and terrible about it?

(As someone planning to stay in our home during a renovation this is terrifying, but we are not losing use of our kitchen and don't expect too much dust in our main living areas, so maybe it will be okay? Or maybe those aren't the main problems at all and we're still doomed to be miserable? I dunno.)

Do you work at home? That’s where it becomes most wearing and untenable. And managing pets.
Dust (and the health risks), bad odors from paint etc, less privacy in your home, having guys working, playing radios, hammering all day, disruptions to ask you questions, supplies in your non work spaces, decisions, everything costing more than it should. It’s wearing.

How often do they actually interrupt you to ask questions? I would have guessed that would only be an occasional thing. Is it more like a multiple-times-a-day thing? (What kind of questions even come up that often?)