Where Do You Stay During a Home Renovation? A Kitchener-Waterloo Homeowner’s Guide
Planning a major home renovation involves more than choosing finishes and reviewing floor plans. One of the most important decisions is whether your family will remain at home during construction or temporarily move elsewhere.
For smaller projects, living at home may be manageable. However, a large kitchen renovation, main-floor reconfiguration, home addition, or whole-home renovation can significantly affect your daily routine. Noise, dust, restricted access, utility interruptions, and changing construction schedules can all influence whether staying home is realistic.
There is no single answer that works for every household. The right choice depends on the scope of your renovation, the areas affected, your family’s needs, and how your contractor plans to manage the construction process.
Here is what homeowners should consider before deciding whether to stay or temporarily move out.
Do You Need to Move Out During a Home Renovation?
You do not always need to move out during a home renovation, but larger projects often make temporary accommodations the more practical option. You may need to move out if the renovation:
- Affects most or all of your main floor
- Removes access to your kitchen for an extended period
- Involves major plumbing or electrical work
- Requires heating, water, or electricity to be temporarily disconnected
- Creates significant dust, noise, or restricted access
- Involves structural changes or extensive demolition
- Makes it difficult to safely separate the construction area from your living space
A home addition may also affect entrances, exterior walls, utilities, or adjoining rooms. Even if some areas of the home remain usable, the disruption may be greater than expected.
Through our proven process, we outline what to expect before construction begins, including which areas of your home will remain accessible, what disruptions you can anticipate, and whether the home can be safely occupied throughout each stage of the project.
We also develop a detailed project timeline and use technology to keep you informed about what’s happening on your project each day. This gives you the visibility to plan ahead, whether that means deciding to be out of the home during certain phases, coordinating your schedule around disruptions, or simply knowing what to expect before the work begins.
What Renovations Can You Stay Home For?
Under the Ontario Building Code, a toilet must be available for a home to remain occupied during a renovation. But let’s be honest: your family needs a little more than a toilet to live comfortably.
Before deciding to stay home during construction, ask yourself: What does our family actually need to feel comfortable and functional while the work is underway?
Consider the morning rush, getting the kids ready, walking the dog, working from home, preparing meals, getting a good night’s sleep, and having somewhere to escape the noise and dust.
Your home may be technically livable, but is it realistically livable for you and your family?
Where Can You Stay During a Home Renovation?
Your best option will depend on the renovation timeline, budget, family size, and how close you want to remain at your home.
Common options include:
Family or Friends
This can be a cost-effective option for shorter renovations, but make sure the space will work for your family’s routine, privacy, parking, and storage needs.
A Short-Term Rental
A furnished rental often works well for a large renovation that will take several months. Staying nearby also makes it easier to attend site meetings and make project decisions.
An Extended-Stay Hotel
Hotels with kitchenettes and laundry facilities can be practical for shorter periods or during stages when your home is temporarily uninhabitable.
Another Area of Your Home
Some homeowners stay in a basement, upper floor, or separate living area while construction happens elsewhere. This works best when there is a functioning bathroom, safe separation from the work area, and reliable access to water and electricity.
How Do You Decide if Staying Home Is Realistic for Your Family?
The ability to remain at home depends on more than whether a bedroom and bathroom are still available.
Consider how the renovation will affect each person in your household and the routines that are important to your day-to-day life. Despite our best efforts to protect your home, using protective poly zipper walls, covering HVAC systems, and taking a highly surgical approach to our work, construction will still create noise, dust, foot traffic, and periods where certain areas of your home are inaccessible.
Before construction begins, we encourage you to think about how these temporary disruptions may impact your lifestyle. Understanding these factors ahead of time allows us to help you plan for each phase of construction and how the renovation will affect each person in your household and aspects of daily living:
Children
Young children may find it difficult to avoid construction areas, tools, materials, and temporary barriers. Noise can also interfere with naps, schoolwork, and regular routines.
Pets
Pets may become stressed by unfamiliar workers, loud equipment, open doors, dust, and changes to their environment. They may need to stay in a separate area or temporarily live elsewhere.
Working From Home
Construction noise can make phone calls, virtual meetings, and focused work difficult. Ask when the loudest work will take place and whether the daily schedule will be predictable.
Health and Accessibility Needs
Dust, reduced air quality, temporary stairs, blocked hallways, and unavailable bathrooms may create added challenges for anyone with allergies, mobility limitations, respiratory concerns, or other health needs.
Your Tolerance for Disruption
Some families are comfortable adapting to temporary changes. Others find that ongoing noise, limited privacy, and reduced access to their home become stressful.
Be realistic about how long your household can function without a full kitchen, main living area, or consistent access to utilities. A setup that feels manageable for one week may be much more difficult over several months.
What Should You Ask Your Contractor?
Before deciding where to stay, ask your contractor:
- Which areas of the home will be unavailable?
- Will we have a working kitchen and bathroom?
- Will utilities be interrupted?
- How will dust and noise be controlled?
- Will trades use a separate entrance?
- Are there stages when we cannot safely remain home?
- How often will we receive schedule updates?
- Can a temporary kitchen or living area be created?
For a large kitchen renovation, a main floor reconfiguration, or a new addition, your living situation may change throughout the project. You may be able to stay during some phases but need to leave during demolition or structural work.
How Should You Prepare Before Renovation Begins?
Whether you stay or move somewhere temporarily, preparing early will make the process easier.
Remove furniture, artwork, electronics, food, musical instruments, and personal belongings from the renovation area. Store valuable or sentimental items away from construction dust.
If you are staying during a kitchen renovation, set up a simple temporary kitchen with a refrigerator, microwave, coffee maker, basic dishes, and access to water.
And remember, it’s always worth asking an Eagle. We have connections throughout the community and can often point you toward trusted professionals for things like piano moving, artwork storage, specialty moving, and other services you may need to prepare your home for construction.
You should also:
- Pack everyday essentials separately
- Plan a safe arrangement for pets
- Confirm how floors and nearby rooms will be protected
- Discuss parking and site access
- Notify your home insurance provider
- Confirm who will provide project updates
Should You Stay or Go?
The right answer depends on the size of the renovation, the areas affected, and your family’s comfort level.
For a smaller, contained renovation, staying home may be realistic. For a large kitchen renovation, main-floor reconfiguration, home addition, or whole-home transformation, temporary accommodations may make the experience much easier.
The best time to discuss your living arrangements is during the planning stage, well before demolition begins.
Eagleview Construction helps Kitchener-Waterloo homeowners prepare for every stage of a major renovation. From kitchen and main floor renovations to home additions and larger transformations, thoughtful planning and clear communication can make the process feel much more manageable.
Planning a major home renovation in Kitchener-Waterloo? Contact Eagleview Construction to discuss your project and what the renovation process could look like for your home.