· by Michael Blair, Nashville's Remodeling
Most renovations are lived through. Whether that is sensible depends less on the size of the project than on which rooms it takes out and for how long.
What is manageable
A single bathroom in a house with another one. A bedroom. Flooring done room by room. Exterior work of almost any kind.
These are disruptive rather than disabling, and the saving on accommodation is real.
What genuinely is not
A whole-house floor refinish, which puts every room out of use at once and involves fumes. Any project taking out the only bathroom or the only kitchen for weeks.
Also anything requiring the power or water to be off for extended periods, and asbestos or lead abatement.
- Second bathroom available: staying is fine
- Only kitchen out for six weeks: set up a real temporary one
- Whole-house floor refinish: plan to leave
- Abatement work: leave, it is not optional
- Dust containment matters more than people expect
Dust containment
Ask specifically whether it is included. Plastic sheeting at openings, zip doors, covered HVAC returns in the work area and negative pressure where it matters.
Without it, drywall and demolition dust reaches every room in the house, including closed cupboards.
Setting expectations with the crew
Agree working hours, where they park, which bathroom they use, and how the house is secured at the end of each day.
These sound minor and they are the things that cause friction over a six-week job. Agreeing them at the start is easier than raising them in week three.