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For a gut renovation, move out. For one room, most people can stay, though it is worth leaving for the dusty days of demolition if you can. Between those two cases the decision turns on five questions. Moving out costs money and is a nuisance; staying costs comfort and can slow the job. Neither is always right.
| What changes | Staying | Moving out |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | No rent or hotel bill | Temporary housing for the length of the job, and often storage |
| Speed | Work goes around you and your things | An empty home lets every trade work without interruption |
| Dust and noise | You live beside it, behind plastic | You come back when it is clean |
| Oversight | You see progress daily | You visit by appointment |
| Daily life | No kitchen or bathroom for a stretch | Normal routine somewhere else |
What are you renovating?
This is the first question. A full gut takes over the whole home, and contractors will tell you to go: the job moves faster and you are away from the dust. If the work is limited to a kitchen, a bathroom or a couple of rooms, staying through most of it is a fair middle course. Even then, consider being away for about a week during demolition, so the dust can settle and the site can be cleaned thoroughly before you return.
Can the budget stretch?
Decide early, because the cost of living elsewhere belongs in the renovation budget from the start. A short-term rental or hotel for the length of the job is a real line item. Some owners time a vacation to cover the worst weeks. That works for demolition; it works less well if you want to keep a close eye on decisions as they come up.
Who lives in the home?
Children and anyone with a health condition change the answer. Lead does more harm to children, whose brains are still developing, and it reaches them as dust on floors and hands. The federal rule is that any renovation in a pre-1978 home that has lead-based paint can easily create dangerous lead dust, and anyone paid to disturb painted surfaces there must be certified in lead-safe work. New York City goes further for apartment buildings and rented homes built before 1960, whose owners must presume the paint is lead-based (HPD).
Asbestos is the other old-building material. The city’s Department of Environmental Protection says it can be found in almost all buildings constructed before 1989, and where it will be disturbed a licensed abatement contractor has to be brought in. People with asthma or a weakened immune system are more sensitive to air quality in general. With a baby, a pregnancy or a fragile adult in the home, moving out for demolition at least is the cautious choice.
Can you live without a kitchen or a bathroom?
A kitchen renovation means weeks of takeout, or a makeshift kitchen somewhere else in the home with a hot plate, a microwave and a sink within reach. Our own kitchen jobs average six to ten weeks. A bathroom is harder, most of all if it is the only one. You may have use of it early and late in the day at first, but there comes a point when the room is unusable. With one bathroom, plan to be elsewhere for that stretch, which our bathroom remodel timeline helps you place.
What is the layout of your home?
You want distance between where you live and where the work is. If the apartment has a single entrance, workers and debris pass through your living space on the way out. A townhouse or house may allow a separate entrance and a floor kept clean. The more the two overlap, the stronger the case for leaving.
What the contractor does if you stay
A renovation can be made livable. On our jobs the preparation stage includes dust isolation and protection for the surrounding areas, a protected path for debris, and negative air pressure in the work area, which keeps dust from drifting into the rooms you are living in whenever someone goes in or out. The work zone is sealed with heavy plastic and tape. At the end of demolition the remaining debris is swept and vacuumed.
The city adds its own protection. Where a job needs a permit and at least one dwelling unit is occupied, the Department of Buildings requires a Tenant Protection Plan covering exits, fire safety, dust control, noise and the upkeep of heat, water, gas and electricity during the work. And city rules allow construction only between 7am and 6pm on weekdays without special authorization, so evenings and weekends stay quiet.
If you do move out, or clear rooms to stay, see where and how to store your things during a remodel. Our apartment renovation in NYC page describes how a job is staged, and the kitchen remodel timeline shows which weeks are the disruptive ones.
Trying to decide whether to stay? Call us or send the request form. We will walk through your scope and tell you which weeks you would want to be away.
Questions people ask
Should I move out during a kitchen renovation?
Most people stay, with a temporary kitchen set up in another room. If you can be away for the first week, when demolition makes the most dust and noise, do. Households with small children or anyone sensitive to dust should consider leaving for longer.
Is it safe to live in an apartment during a renovation?
It can be, when the work area is sealed, kept under negative air pressure and cleaned, and when lead and asbestos rules are followed. In older buildings, where lead paint and asbestos are more likely, ask what testing has been done before you decide.