Moving out during a home renovation isn’t always easy.
For many families, the cost and disruption of finding somewhere else to live are almost as stressful as the house build itself. So the big question is: Can a family really make it work—living in their home during renovation—or is it a recipe for disaster?
Here’s the honest truth, drawn from real builder experience, many family renovation projects, and feedback from homeowners who’ve done it the hard way. If you need a step-by-step overview of the full process, check our Complete Home Renovation Guide. This article focuses squarely on the day-to-day reality for families thinking about staying put.
Why Families Consider Living at Home During Renovations
Before talking about dust clouds and tradies at the breakfast table, it’s worth asking why so many families even try to live through it.
• Saving money is the most common reason. Renting a place, paying for storage, or couch-surfing with friends and family can add up quickly—especially if the renovation runs longer than planned.
• Keeping kids in their local schools and close to their daily routines matters a lot to many parents. Packing up just for a couple of months isn’t always an option, especially in tight housing markets.
• A sense of familiarity and personal comfort. Some people feel more in control if they’re close by, can check progress, and discuss snags instantly with the builder.
• In some cases, short-term rentals or family accommodation simply aren’t available or even practical for larger families.
• Pets are a huge factor. Many landlords won’t accept them, and boarding kennels quickly become expensive.
For many families, these pros seem worth the risk—at least at first glance.
The Realities: What Living in a Renovation Really Looks Like
It’s one thing to talk about cost savings or routine, but living in your home during renovation is something else altogether. Here’s what that lifestyle typically involves:
Noise, Dust, and Daily Disruption
There is no sugar-coating this: from 7am, most days, there is a steady stream of activity. You’ll hear saws, hammers, concrete cutters, and delivery trucks. Noise and dust are part and parcel. Most builders do their best to keep things contained, but fine dust finds its way everywhere—inside closed cupboards, on beds, and through air vents.
Kitchen and bathroom renovations are the biggest disruptors. For families with little kids, having the kitchen or bathroom out of action—even for a few days—can feel impossible. Older kids and adults tolerate it better, but everyone shares in the inconvenience.
Lack of Privacy
Your home becomes a semi-public workspace. Tradespeople will come and go, sometimes even before you’ve had your morning coffee. Forget wandering around in your pyjamas. Access to rooms changes daily as projects progress; it’s standard for areas to be cordoned off or accessible only via detours.
Routine? What Routine?
School drop-offs, work-from-home days, even getting ready in the morning—all these everyday moments are reshuffled by ongoing work. Kids often end up sharing rooms, sometimes sleeping in loungerooms or temporary nooks. Mealtimes can turn into microwave dinners or BBQs outside, particularly during full kitchen overhauls.
How Long Does This Last?
Every renovation is different, but it’s common for works to run from a few weeks to several months. Rain can stall progress. Back-ordered fixtures stall schedules. The impact on daily life is rarely “just a week or two.”
Kids and Pets
Young children, in particular, struggle with sudden changes in routine, noise, and unfamiliar people in their space. Pets pick up on stress and disruption, and keeping them contained or calm can become a daily battle.
Day-to-day, the strain is real: small irritations stack up, and family tempers can get short. It’s part of the reality of building and living in your home during renovation.
Risks You Need To Know (and How to Manage Them)
There are real dangers that come with living in a home during a renovation. Most families don’t fully realise how complex it is until something goes sideways. Here’s what needs careful thought.
Health and Safety
Dust, paint fumes, insulation particles and tools everywhere put kids, adults, and family pets at risk. Small children are particularly vulnerable to sharp objects, trailing power cords, and piles of building debris. Respiratory issues can flare up in sensitive family members, especially during sanding, painting, or old material removal. Always ask about what materials will be used and what hazards come with them.
Security
Leaving doors and windows open for long stretches (for ventilation or access) creates new security risks. There are more strangers around than usual, including subbies and delivery teams. Families need clear systems for locking up at night and limiting access to personal possessions or sensitive documents.
Delays, Surprises, and Setbacks
Unexpected discoveries (rotten framing, hidden leaks, asbestos, or wiring faults) can cause work to stop or change. If you’re living in, part of your home may suddenly be off-limits or unusable for far longer than expected.
Temporary Loss of Essentials
Having no working kitchen or no bathroom is more than a minor inconvenience. It makes day-to-day living tricky, and some phases bring unavoidable outages. Plan for these windows and have backup arrangements ready.
When Should You NOT Stay?
• Large-scale structural work: If engineers, architects, or builders recommend vacating, don’t gamble with safety.
• Asbestos removal or demolition
• Full rewires or replumbs where power and water will be off for entire days or weeks
If you’re in doubt, ask your builder—and listen if they sound worried.
Top Strategies for Making It Work
Some families do make it through living in their homes during renovation, and remain on speaking terms after! Here’s what separates those who cope from those who crumble.
Planning and Communication
• Always start with full transparency between yourself and the builder. Get a day-by-day or week-by-week plan so the whole family knows which areas will be out of action, and for how long.
• Talk about no-go zones early—where will the family live, and what space stays off-limits to tradies?
• Agree on how to handle unexpected delays, worksite hours, and important family routines (school pick-ups, shift work sleep needs, etc.).
Setting Up a Temporary Home Within Your Home
• Kitchen survival: Plan for meals that don’t need a hob or oven. Use a microwave, air fryer, or BBQ to prep easy dinners. Stock up on ready-to-eat or no-prep food.
• Bathroom solutions: If your bathroom is being renovated, set up a makeshift wash station elsewhere or arrange to use a neighbour’s or friend’s facilities if it’s only for a short period. If possible, schedule building work so you have at least one working bathroom at all times.
• “Quiet zones”: Dedicate one area as a retreat—ideally somewhere you can close the door, even just for a call or for a nap. Work-from-home parents should discuss needs ahead of time.
Safety Systems
• Physically block off dangerous areas with baby gates or closed doors. Ensure that young children are always under direct supervision near work zones.
• Clear signage can help visitors or tradespeople respect boundaries. Don’t assume everyone knows which parts of the house are off-limits.
• Pet management: Use crates, pens, or send pets to relatives or doggy daycare during the noisiest, messiest days.
Managing Stress and Family Expectations
• No point pretending otherwise: there will be dust, lost shoes, missing homework, and off nights. Keep a sense of humour and accept that things will be a bit out of shape for a while.
• Label storage boxes and put away breakables in advance. Keep everyday items—and favourite toys—easy to access.
• Plan family “escape” time. Check out local parks, libraries, or trusted friends’ homes to get away from the work site on weekends or during particularly hard blocks.
• Lean into routines that help with mental health—good meals, exercise, early nights.
When To Move Out (Even Temporarily)
It’s not a defeat to shift out, even for a day or two, if things get too tough. Common triggers:
• Major demolition, dust-producing sanding, or spraying
• Full shutdowns of plumbing or electrical
• Anything that puts kids or vulnerable family members at risk
Have a shortlist of options ready: Airbnb, motels, friends, or family. Often, a few nights away during the hardest phase makes the overall experience more bearable.
Decision Checklist
• Is the kitchen or bathroom out of use for more than 48 hours?
• Is there asbestos or hazardous material work going on?
• Will dust or noise make sleeping, resting, or working impossible?
• Can essential routines (school, medical needs, pets) be maintained?
• Does the builder or project manager strongly advise you to go?
If you’re ticking any of these, consider a short-term move.
Real-Life Examples: What Families Experience
No two families have the same experience living at home during a renovation, but certain patterns emerge. Here’s what others have reported:
• One family managed a medium-sized renovation with three kids by scheduling work zone-by-zone, always keeping one bathroom and a basic kitchen set up at all times. Their toughest challenge was the disruption to bedtime routines, but having clear boundaries and good communication with their builder made it possible.
• Another family with a pet dog decided to move out for the week when the kitchen was ripped out and the water was disconnected. They returned when a working sink and fridge were in place, saying that “trying to cope without a kitchen with kids was much harder than we expected.”
• A couple whose project involved asbestos removal for two days moved into a local motel for safety, returning as soon as the work was certified safe.
Common threads: planning, flexibility, and honest expectations make all the difference.
Is Living at Home During a Renovation Right for Your Family?
This isn’t a decision to make lightly. Here’s how to decide.
Factors to Weigh Up
• The number and ages of children (infants and toddlers are harder to keep safe and happy during big renovations)
• Project length and the areas affected (kitchen and bathroom works are hardest to live with)
• Access to support—friends, family, neighbours who can offer meals, showers, or a day’s escape
• Your family’s flexibility—adapting to routines, finding humour in chaos, sharing spaces
• The actual layout of your house—is there a safe, closed-off area to bunker down, or is the whole house “open” during the build?
Who Shouldn’t Try It
If anyone in the family has serious respiratory issues or a low tolerance for change, or if your project involves dangerous materials or days without power/water, it’s more sensible to live elsewhere, even if only for short stretches.
Getting Personal Advice
Every family’s situation is different. If you’re unsure, speak honestly with your builder—they see the real-world impact on families, not just the construction side.
Essential Questions to Ask Your Builder Before Deciding
Don’t skip this step. Whether you’re determined to stay or just weighing it up, these questions are key:
• Can you map out when each part of the house will be worked on, and for how long?
• Will there ever be days/nights with no working kitchen, water, bathroom, or power?
• What hazards (dust, fumes, tools, demolition) are expected, and will they affect kids, pets, or family members with allergies?
• Which spaces will the family be able to use, and which will be off-limits day by day?
• Who locks up each night, and how is access handled for trades outside normal hours?
• What contingency plans are in place for unexpected findings or delays?
• Are there quiet hours or worksite boundaries in place for family rest or online meetings?
• What’s your experience with other families staying on-site during a similar renovation?
Having straight answers to these questions sets everyone up for a better, safer, and more honest experience.
Conclusion & Next Steps
Living with your family in a home during a full renovation is tough. For some, the cost savings and convenience make it worth it, especially if you’re organised, communicative, and willing to put up with the noise, dust, and shifting routines. For others, a short-term move will be the best sanity-saver.
If you’re considering this approach, plan carefully, ask direct questions, and prioritise your family’s health and safety above all. For a more detailed overview of the renovation process, refer to our Complete Home Renovation Guide linked above.
At Rag Reno’s Ltd, we’ve helped many Franklin families through home renovations—both those who stayed and those who moved out temporarily. We know which projects work for families living in, and more importantly, which ones don’t. We’re upfront about the realities because your family’s comfort and safety matter more than winning a job.
Want the honest answer about whether your family can handle living through your renovation? Book a FREE consultation and we’ll tell you exactly what to expect—no sugar-coating, just the truth about your specific project.