Podcast Ep 208: Home Sweet (Temporary) Home: Navigating Life During a Remodel

Today on the CRD Design Build blog we're recapping the latest episode of our Don't Live With It, Love It podcast where we discuss the daunting yet rewarding journey of living through a remodel. For this episode, we’ve tapped a few CRD team members for advice including James Kozak, a new member of the CRD team, and Dave Callahan, a seasoned project manager with 14 years at CRD.  Whether you're a DIY enthusiast, a first-time renovator or just curious about home transformations, we hope that this guide will help you navigate the chaos with ease. Keep reading for tips, tricks and first-hand stories from our team of seasoned pros (wait ‘til you hear the story about a cat’s mistaken identity).

All About Navigating Life During a Remodel

Can You Live at Home During a Remodel?

One of the most common questions we get from clients is whether they can live at home during their remodel. To be fully transparent, the answer depends on several factors, including the scope of the project, your living needs and your tolerance for disruptions. To help you make that decision, here are a few things to keep in mind.

Key Considerations:

• Project Scope: The extent of your remodel significantly impacts whether you can stay in your home. For minor projects like a single bathroom or bedroom update, staying at home might be relatively straightforward. However, for more extensive renovations such as a full kitchen overhaul or a whole-home remodel, the disruption can be substantial, often necessitating alternative living arrangements.
• Living Needs: Your personal living needs play a crucial role in this decision. If you work from home, the construction noise will most likely make it difficult to concentrate. Additionally, if you have young children, managing their routines amidst the dust and chaos of a remodel can add stress and challenges to daily life (not to mention if you have a curious kid).
• Logistics: The logistics of your living space also matter greatly and impact your comfort levels during the project. Having more than one bathroom definitely eases the inconvenience if one is out of commission due to remodeling. Similarly, setting up a temporary kitchen with basic cooking facilities can help maintain some normalcy during a kitchen remodel, making it easier to prepare meals and avoid dining out expenses.

Real-life Scenarios

In the podcast episode, Dave shares a few experiences of clients living at home during remodels, like a family of four who chose to stay in their home during a significant addition. They opted for a phased approach, which involved completing the remodel in stages to maintain some functional living space throughout the process. This plan required meticulous planning and frequent communication with their project manager and lead carpenter, ensuring that each phase was well-coordinated so that the family could adjust their living arrangements accordingly.

Similarly. James recalls instances where clients faced the challenge of having only one bathroom in their home. In these situations, clients have had to be innovative, such as renting a Porta Potty for temporary use or showering at a local gym. While these solutions are not ideal, they can be workable for short-term projects. However, for more extensive renovations, these temporary fixes may not suffice, meaning that moving out is a more practical solution.

For large-scale remodels, like whole-home renovations or projects that impact essential living areas such as the kitchen and multiple bathrooms, moving out is often the best option. Dave and James emphasize that although moving out adds to the overall cost, it can significantly reduce stress and disruption. By vacating the home, the construction team is able to work more efficiently and effectively, potentially shortening the project timeline and ensuring a smoother process overall. Win-win for both parties!

These real-life scenarios illustrate the variety of challenges homeowners face during remodels and the importance of flexible, well-communicated plans tailored to individual project scopes and living needs, something that we excel at here at CRD.

Tips for a Smooth Remodel Experience:

• Communication is key: Regular meetings with your project manager and lead carpenter will help you stay informed and address any concerns promptly.
• Plan temporary solutions: For kitchen remodels, CRD offers a temporary kitchen setup, including essentials like a hot plate and toaster oven, to make daily life easier.
• Schedule wisely: Plan vacations or stays with relatives during the noisiest or dustiest phases, like demolition or drywall installation.
• Safety first: Keep children and pets away from the work area. Ensure clear communication with your remodeling team about any pets that live in the home.

The Reality of Dust and Disruption

Even with the best dust control measures, some dust is inevitable. We do our best to alleviate dust, but it’s all but inevitable during a remodel or renovation. Our team uses plastic barriers and floor protection to minimize the spread, but living through a remodel requires patience and flexibility.

Living through a remodel can be challenging, but with the right planning and support, it’s entirely manageable. At CRD Design Build, we’re committed to making the process as smooth and stress-free as possible for our Seattle clients. If you're considering a remodel and need expert advice, contact us or find us on social media. We’d love to discuss your future project!

Stay tuned for more episodes of "Don't Live With It, Love It," where we continue to share tips and stories to help you love your home even more.