15 tips to survive a live-in renovation
This post is for you if you are embarking on a renovation and will be living at the house for some or all of the project. It’s inspired both by clients and friends who are doing major renovation work whilst living in the building site. I'll also be keeping all of this advice in my own back pocket for when we eventually do our renovation too.
This post includes my own advice, but also advice from Instagram, friends, clients, and students as well. Most people will not want or choose to be living in a building site. It can be really stressful. The noise, the dust, the chaos are a real thing, but sometimes there is simply no helping it.
The benefits to living in your building site!
Yes, there are some benefits!
Save money: The money saved on rent can be funneled straight into the build.
Get to know the building: You get to really know where the light is good, what the traffic routes are, and how the space feels to be in.
Communication with contractors: Questions about exact details can be answered quickly, preventing delays. You’ll be able to closely monitor work and prevent any mistakes.
The goodness in the contrast: it can be an amazing experience that helps you to appreciate how beautiful your home is once your renovation is complete. The gratitude feels extra sharp once you’ve lived through what it once was.
15 tips to survive a live-in renovation
I have 15 tips rounded up from students, clients, and Instagram pals. It’s split in to 2 parts, one is focussed on preparation and the other is focused on surviving the actual build. Let's go.
Part one: Preparation
Make a list and check it… millions of times
You need to get a written, detailed list of works to be completed, and by whom, from your builder, so that you know what's happening when. This should also include a timed schedule. Make sure that everyone has been consulted, that everything is included, and refer to it often. This will become your Bible through the renovation.
One of my design clients wishes that they'd had a clearer schedule of works from their builder because they assumed that the electrician had included the entire space in their quote, but they'd only included the kitchen part of the room. So they were stung with a bigger bill than expected. That’s why, in my Fresh Nest course, students create a design file. They essentially become their own interior designer where they choose their overall style and colours, but they also create floor plans, and furniture plans, and choose finishes. That level of detail is what you need to be in the headspace of when you're doing your renovation.
Avoid winter work if you can.
This goes without saying but if you can, time the major building work for spring and summer. This doesn't always guarantee dry weather in the UK, (lol) but it should at least not be completely freezing.
Invest in storage.
It can be tempting to save money by keeping your belongings in the house, but store away as much as you can in storage containers or friends’ and families’ garages and lofts. It means that everyone can move about the space easily, your stuff is free from dust and grime, and it helps the whole site to feel calmer as well.
De-clutter
It wouldn't be a post of mine if I didn't talk about this….You’ll need to be packing up a good deal of stuff for your renovation. Use this opportunity to declutter. It will reduce your storage costs, and it means that your new space will remain calm and clutter-free. It can be disappointing to have spent a lot of time and money making your dream kitchen, and then unpack things from your old kitchen you don’t like. Be brutal when you're packing up and deciding what you actually want to bring with you to your new kitchen or home and what you've not used or you can do without. Home with Kate Killian on Instagram very much agrees. Her tip was to declutter before the knock-through. Kate joined my four-week summer refresh to do just that, and she managed to declutter tonnes. Lizzy Crea on Instagram agrees that doing a massive clear out before the start of the work makes everything easier.
Lower your standards
Georgie Wildman on Instagram says, “Massively lower your standards and expectations on normal house rules and norms". Catriona Stiles similarly says, "Be prepared for builders to be messy, but make sure they know what your expectations are”
Be realistic with timings.
It can be tempting to save every penny for your build, but renovations often take much longer than planned so investing time and money in having a nice environment really pays off. Fresh Nest student, Sophia, remembers during her parents' renovation that they invested quite a lot in making their temporary living space usable and semi-nice, she says. “Although they probably could have done things more cheaply in that regard, the extension took well over six months. It's worth bearing the length of time it will take your project to complete.” If your project does overrun, which many do, you might regret not spending a bit more time and energy creating a functional and calm, temporary living space.
Part 2: Surviving living in a building site
Choose the main living area.
Have at least 1 safe room low on dust and noise, like a spare bedroom or a living room. Protect the space as much as possible from the chaos. Ruth, one of my Fresh Nest students, says, “We lived in one half of the house while the kitchen living area was renovated, so we still had our bedrooms and bathroom.” She goes on to recommend having a play space for children if you can; “The room where the kitchen was became our main living space we were in, which was a lot with children who also wanted to play in that space. So maybe think about an alternative play space as well if you have children.” You'll also need to set up a sleeping area. It can be tempting to just make do on airbeds, but I'm recommending that you stick with your normal mattresses because you are going to need your rest. Trust me on that.
Prioritise the bathroom
If you can, prioritise the bathroom work first in your plans so that you can have one place that you can bathe and rest in away from the chaos. Sit them on Instagram says, “preserve an area that is untouched by the reno, all the better if it's a bathroom.” If you know the bathroom is not going to be done until further down the line, consider doing a temporary job like painting the walls, putting a temporary Lino floor down, getting a new shower curtain, putting a nice mirror and some pretty hooks up. If you won’t have access to a bathroom, then a lot of people on Instagram recommended joining a gym, getting a swimming pool membership, or using friends and family showers. Someone even set up a camp toilet!
Temporary kitchen food prep
If your kitchen is under renovation, you'll need to set up a makeshift kitchen. You can do this relatively easily with tables, camping stove and microwave. Fresh Nest student Ruth, says, “We did this for three months. We set up a mini kitchen in our living room and managed on a toaster, an air fryer, and a microwave with three kids under five.” (Whoa!) On Instagram, Georgie Welman says, “Paper plates, cereal for dinner, mix Whites and darks at the laundry. Keep it simple.”
Be super organised
Embrace minimalism. Put most of your stuff into storage so that you can keep your living area clutter-free or low on clutter, and use clear plastic storage containers with lids to keep your belongings organised and dust-free. Label things really clearly so that you can find what you need easily.
Manage the dust and noise
Invest in noise-cancelling headphones or earplugs to block out construction noise. Sarahrest on Instagram, says, “noise-cancelling headphones and a sense of adventure are essential.” Bear in mind that you'll need to cover your floor even if there isn't work happening in your temporary living area because dust will billow through the cracks in the floorboards and through the doors. To prevent this, line the walls and floors with plastic or paper sheets (Correx is a popular option and I have also found a product called Q1 Floor Pro Board and it's 25 pounds for 45 metres. It’s thick recycled paper. One of my Fresh Nest students, Sophia, says, “I think having some parts of your house unaffected makes a big difference.” They installed a proper back door between the sitting room and where they were building the extension, which limited dust.
Escape when necessary
…and it probably will be necessary. If (or perhaps when) the renovation gets too overwhelming, take a break. This doesn't necessarily have to involve spending money in a hotel. This can look like spending a night or two at a friend's or family member's house. If you can afford holidays, time them for the messiest bits of the renovation. If you work from home, spend decent amounts of time each day in cafes or pubs, working away from the noise. Breaks will become really important.
Keep some areas nice
Far and away, the most recommended tip is to keep some areas nice. Renovations can drag on longer than you think, and it really pays to invest time, energy and money in keeping one to two rooms cosy and comfortable. Daisy Oaks, on Instagram, says, “a comfortable place to shower and good food” are the priorities which I 100% agree with.
Fresh Nest student Bethan Axford says, “Get one space finished first so that you can shut the door on the rest and relax in the evening” which is such a good tip. Acquire joy on Instagram says, “Make one room finished as soon as you can so that you have somewhere to escape to.”
Many more comments say to keep one or two areas nice. One client of mine spent some time clearing the garden and bought some nice garden furniture, a little chiminea and a trampoline for the kids. And it meant that her kids had somewhere that they could safely play and the adults could sit out with the chiminea lit in the evenings and have a nice-ish space to be. I thought that was such a good idea, and it's another reason to try to time the works in the spring and summer months if possible.
Take photos and videos. Document your work.
It can be really easy to forget this in the midst of it, but it's worth videoing and photographing the progress, how you're living, what's happening with the build, even little things like how the kids are eating cereal that morning or a delivery that's arrived. Anna Jepo on Instagram says, “take before photos to look back on. It helps morale when feeling overwhelmed to see the progress.” This is so important. If you've got videos of the before, then when you're feeling completely disheartened about the progress, you can go back to them for perspective. This will pass. This will end.
Try to stay positive
Living in your house during a renovation can be challenging. It's easy to sink and lose perspective when things get on top of you. Try to focus on the end results, the improvements your home has already undergone and will undergo. Hannah N on Instagram says, “see it as a long-term project that takes time and not a quick fix.” Also, Home with Kate Lillian says, “try to embrace the chaos. Try to remember the reason why you are doing it when things get tough.”
Do not forget joy.
Buy the flowers, light the scented candles, use the nice bedding, make sure you keep your main living area tidy and clutter-free, because you are likely to be in this temporary space for months, if not years. So it really does pay to support yourself in these times with small little bits of joy. Budget will probably be very tight so I'm not suggesting making major investments, but little things like a new pair of socks, a lip balm or a takeaway coffee can lift your mood when things feel never-ending.
Islands of Calm
Something I talk about a lot with my clients and students is the concept of islands of calm. It means that regardless of the chaos in your house, you have small islands of calm. These are small, curated, styled areas that make you smile, that feel like you, and that give you hope. This might look like a beautiful bedside table with a favourite book and a little posy of flowers, or one surface that has got some beautiful objects on it that are gathered in a way that makes you smile.
So if this is you, remember, this too shall pass. Try to enjoy the process as much as you possibly can, because ultimately, it's a massive privilege that you're able to do this work. There will be an end to this. You will have a beautiful home. Be kind to yourself. Remember why you're doing it. Hold your nerve, prioritise joy, and remind yourself that this will pass.
If you're realising that you don't really have a clear enough picture of how you want things to look after the renovation, then check out the Fresh Nest e-course. Six core weeks of content, with loads of bonus content that I’m adding to all the time. It comes with a Facebook community and twice a month lives open year-round, so I'm there to support you in figuring out all of those tiny details. You'll get super clear on your style and values. You'll make a whole home colour palette, you'll make floor plans, you'll make shopping lists and sourcing plans.
If you have a topic that you would like me to discuss in a bit more detail, then feel free to send me an email and I will try to cover it either in the podcast or over on Instagram!
