It makes total sense that you want to elevate your home, you want to add more value to the house, especially if you don’t think you and your family will live there forever. All of that makes total sense here. But it’s not like remodeling is as quick and as easy as one of those fun 1980s movie montages. Instead, you have to consider real life, especially if you’re doing something more than cosmetic, like tearing down walls, extending rooms, doing a full gut renovation, changing multiple rooms at the same time, you get the idea.
But how exactly can you manage a remodel while still living there? It’s a fair question most people don’t think about. While rich people probably stay in a hotel, a temporary rental, or their second home, everyone else needs to find compromises and balances instead. So, what should you do?
Start by Planning the Most Disruptive Rooms First
Your family can sleep in other rooms in the meanwhile if the bedrooms are getting renovated, most families can do without a living room for a while too. But all families need their kitchen and their bathrooms; these get the most use anyway. So the plan needs to be realistic about how those will work during construction. This is also where contractors matter, because timelines aren’t just numbers on paper; they affect how people live. You really shouldn’t DIY these, unless you’re a professional yourself (and most people aren’t).
So, if the project includes a bath remodel, it’s worth talking with contractors upfront about how long the bathroom will be out of commission, what the exact order of work will be, and what the backup plan is if something runs long. It’s pretty obvious that they’ll be understanding, especially given the fact that this bathroom is the only one you have in the house.
Ideally, it’s Best to Just Phase the Work
As nice as it would be to just do it all at once, it’s not exactly the best idea out there. So yeah, a lot of remodel stress comes from trying to do too much at once. It feels efficient to knock everything out, but living in a full-house project is exhausting. But instead, at least with a more phased approach, it’s usually easier, even if it takes longer overall, because it keeps part of the home functional.
Which is why it’s for the best to look to having one “clean zone” that stays off limits to construction. Most people make that their bedroom or a home office, but the point is to at least have one room that at least feels normal.
Set Up Temporary Kitchen and Bathroom Routines (If Needed)
Well, this just depends on the situation you and your family are in. If the kitchen is getting a full gut renovation, then you still need something for routines (and the fact that everyone needs to eat). So even in the living room or dining room, there still needs to be something like a microwave, air fryer, coffee pot, you get the idea (and maybe use disposable cutlery for the time being).
When it comes to bathroom renovation, it’s not too uncommon to have to bathe somewhere else, but you still need to have towels and toothbrushes ready since they’re just needed daily anyway.
A penny for your thoughts?