Should You Move Out During Your Home Extension? Ben's Honest Advice

One question lots of clients ask when planning a home extension is: "Will we need to move out?" It's a big concern, and rightly so. The answer isn't always straightforward, but with over 20 years of experience at Edge Construction, I've helped plenty of families navigate this decision. Here's my honest advice.

It Depends on Your Project

The size and type of your project makes a big difference. A small single-storey extension or garage conversion? Most families stay put. A large double-storey extension that involves removing load-bearing walls, relocating your kitchen, or adding bathrooms? You might want to consider temporary accommodation.

The Reality of Living Through Building Work

Let's be honest about what living on-site during building work actually means:

The challenging bits:

• Dust (even with protective screens, it gets everywhere)

• Noise from early morning starts

• Limited access to parts of your home

• Disruption to your daily routines

• Working around deliveries and tradespeople

The benefits:

• No rental costs

• You're on hand for quick decisions

• You can see progress every day

• Easier to spot issues or changes you'd like to make

The Financial Consideration

Moving out costs money. Rental accommodation, storage for furniture, potentially kennel fees for pets. These costs add up quickly. We recognise this and will help you minimise disruption as much as we can.

However, here's something worth considering: when builders have unrestricted access to your property, projects often finish faster. You can recoup rental costs through reduced labour hours and increased site efficiency. A project that might take 14 weeks with you living in could be done in 10-12 weeks with full site access.

How We Help Families Stay

If you decide to stay, we take your comfort seriously:

Dust barriers and clean zones: We use protective screens and floor coverings to create "clean zones" in your home, keeping building dust contained to work areas.

Temporary facilities: If you're having a kitchen extension, we can create a temporary kitchen setup. You might have to lower your MasterChef skills for a few weeks, but you'll still be able to rustle up a family meal! Similarly, if bathroom work is involved, we plan carefully to ensure you're never without essential facilities.

Safety first: We discuss safety considerations, particularly if you have young children or pets. Building sites have hazards, and we take precautions to keep everyone safe.

Daily tidy-up: We clear walkways, secure tools, and ensure any areas you need to use (corridors, staircases) are accessible and safe at the end of each working day.

Special Considerations

Young children: Toddlers and building sites don't mix well. If you have very young children, moving out during the heaviest work phases might give you peace of mind.

Working from home: If you're on Teams calls all day, the noise from drilling, sawing and demolition will be a challenge. Consider whether you can work elsewhere during noisy phases.

Pets: Building work stresses many pets. Open doors, strangers coming and going, loud noises. Think about whether your furry friends might be happier elsewhere, at least during the noisiest periods.

Health issues: If anyone in your household has respiratory issues, the dust (despite our best efforts) might be problematic.

Our Recommendation

There's no one-size-fits-all answer. During our initial consultation, we'll walk through your specific project and discuss:

• The scale and duration of disruption

• Which rooms will be affected and when

• Critical milestones (like kitchen removal or bathroom work)

• Your family's circumstances

• Temporary solutions we can put in place

Some families move out for the entire project. Others decamp to relatives for the messiest two weeks. Some stay throughout and make it work. We've seen all approaches succeed.

The Bottom Line

We will work with you to decide what's best for your situation. We do our best to minimise additional costs and disruption, whatever you decide.

The quality of our work and the care we put into every project remains the same whether you're living in or not. What matters most is that you make the choice that's right for your family and your budget.

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Ready to discuss your project? Get in touch with Edge Construction to start the conversation. We'll give you honest advice based on your specific circumstances, not a one-size-fits-all answer.