So, you’ve been planning your whole house remodel with your contractor and you are excited about the new designs and how the plans are all coming together. But sooner, or later, you have to face a rather large and complicated question: Where to live when your house is being remodeled? Can you stay there? Do you have to live somewhere else? How does that all work, especially if you are undergoing a whole home renovation process? In fact, one of the most important steps to renovating a house, before any dust flies, is to make plans for where your family will hunker down while it’s all happening.

Can You Live in Your House While It’s Being Remodeled?

Well, you can, but the question is, should you? This will vary from family to family. Will you be able to budget renting and living in another space during the course of the renovation? Most home remodeling companies Northern Virginia families work with will suggest this if possible, simply because we’ve seen how easy it is for people to become overwhelmed by house renovation dust, noise, and disruption.

If you can’t afford to rent another place during the course of the whole house remodel, do you have family or friends who would be willing to let you stay with them during that time (for a few months)? If you do, be sure to be gracious and grateful and help out as much as possible.

Failing both of the above scenarios, there are things you can do to reduce the stress of living through a whole home remodel, so you don’t cry out, “The contractor left dust everywhere!” at the end of every day. If you are staying put for the duration, here is a whole house remodel checklist to prepare you and your family for the inevitable inconveniences of remodeling your whole house:

Living Through a Whole House Remodel

The first thing you’ll want to do is to discuss your living arrangements with your contractor as you plan the remodel in the first place. Here at Silva Construction Group in Northern Virginia, we have helped many families manage to live in their homes while the renovation was going on, and we have a lot of advice and also a lot of tools to reduce the mess and stress for homeowners as the process continues. These are the key items to prepare for:

1. Make a Plan of Where to "Live" in your House During the Remodel 

For a whole home remodel, where to start living is the part of the house that isn’t first on the hammering schedule. A whole house remodel happens in stages, so you can still use the other parts. If you’re starting with the kitchen, dining room, and other neighboring areas, set up a makeshift kitchen and living space in another area of the house, away from the noise and dust.

2. Pack All of the Stuff as if You Were Moving 

Again, if the kitchen is the first area to be renovated in a whole home renovation, pack everything away as if you were planning to move. This will make it easier for the builders and you won’t have to worry that things will get broken and dirty. Unpacking them in your new kitchen will feel great too.

3. Understanding that Sometimes the Water and Electricity will Need to be Shut off 

Work with your remodeler to understand when those times will be ahead of time so that you can plan accordingly. Having some emergency water stashed in the bathrooms can flush toilets. Or, if you can schedule a short vacation to stay at a hotel during those times, it’s even easier.

4. Separate Construction Zones from Living Zones 

Here at Silva Construction Group, when we do home additions, Fairfax VA families often enjoy the fact that we board off the construction area with plywood and plastic sheeting. We use zip entrances to corral the dust and mess in one area of the home as much as possible so the rest of the home remains as clean as possible and pets and children don’t wander into the wrong areas.

5. Choose a Contractor That Uses Dust Abatement Strategies 

It’s important to choose a contractor that has a robust dust abatement system for any home renovation projects. This protects your living space from dust and possibly harmful substances that you don’t want to breathe in. In addition to separating and sweeping the area, we spray down buckets of sawdust we need to remove from the house so the dust doesn’t blow everywhere when we remove it.

6. Prepare Yourself Mentally 

For a few months, your privacy, lifestyle, and schedule will be at the mercy of renovating your home. You may have to shift your headquarters, a makeshift kitchen, and sleeping areas to different parts of the house as the renovation moves along. It will be loud and dusty. These are unavoidable parts of a whole home remodel.

Save Your Sawdust Sanity with Home Remodeling Northern VA Style

The great thing, though, is that at the end of it, you’re going to have a beautiful, quiet, clean, updated, and a fresh new home that you love living in again. The destination is worth the journey! When you work with Silva Construction Group on your whole home remodeling project or home addition, you get top-notch building experts who take great care to keep your family safe and to reduce the mess as much as possible. Contact us today to start your home remodeling journey!