House renovation / extension - move out or not?

mazza

Hi there,

We're considering a c 45 sq metre single story extension to our semi-D in Dublin.

In summary, it would involve knocking through existing kitchen wall into newly extended area to make a larger kitchen, together with an extra room to side where existing garage is. (Planning permission required clearly). A few other miscellaneous minor bits too, but the work largely confined to back and side of the house.

We have a small self contained flat within the house, which we could move to during the building work. So, we could stay out of the "main" house, back garden etc entirely. The only overlap really would be the need to walk in the driveway to access the granny flat. Granny flat turn left immediately inside driveway, renovations straight ahead... :-)

Not moving out is obviously attractive financially, but more so in terms of avoiding disruption, finding somewhere, moving etc. Clearly there would be noise, dust etc to contend with, but for a few months counting-in holidays etc, it would be do-able.

So, I'm looking for any expert opinion please on where the line lies that you have to move out? I'm guessing the main issue here is the builder's insurance and any requirement for vacant possession, where that point is.

Any advice on what the norm is or personal experience when renovating / extending and staying in the house appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

shane6977

Any competent contractor would seek possession of the "site" and as you correctly assume this is largely due to insurance but also makes things more straightforward for both you and the builder in terms of compliance with the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Construction) Regulations. This would mean closing off access to the rest of the house while works are carried out.

If you already have a self contained flat within your property this is ideal, provided you are okay with the noise, but that will only be a factor if you are at home during the day while construction work is going on. Dust can be controlled by providing dust barriers to doors & openings that lead into the parts of the house where no work is taking place. Areas to be demolished can also be wetted to keep dust down before and during demolition work.

C3PO

We stayed in the house while we built an extension a few years ago .... never again! No matter how hard the contractor tries, the dust gets everywhere ... particularly into delicate electronics ... we had to replace TVs, microwaves etc!

tcif

We did some work a couple of years ago (extensions front and rear and works to some of the bedrooms) and lived in it while it was going on and yes, it was tough going, no doubt about it.

But we didn't regret the decision because our only other option was to try to rent a house at 1.5-2k a month (for a 5 month build that was already costing us more than we thought originally because we were naive about how much everything was when we started out) and that was even if we could have found anyone willing to rent a house for less than the usual 12 month term.

So I guess it depends on your circumstances but while it's not pleasant it can be done - and a granny flat next door should be much easier than being in the house. Best of luck with the build.

DOCARCH

+1 to what shane6977 said above.

In addition, you may find it difficult to get a contractor...these days...willing to take on the job (and associated hassle) where they don't have vacant possession, or, alternatively, they will simply add a premium to the cost (for the hassle).

mazza

Thanks all for the useful and practical advice!

Good to know that its not impossible anyway and can be looked into a bit more once we get closer to actually doing the work.

Mazza

Calahonda52

This bit for me is the key
"...knocking through existing kitchen wall into newly extended area..."
and how that is designed and what impact it has on existing services such as water/heating/elec/sewage/drainage.
Lets assume it is just a few steel beams in the external wall
Unless I am missing something, the vast majority of the new works can be done before kicking out the wall.
a water cooled con saw can be used to cut out any walls, at which point you can retreat into the rest of the house and tape up the doors.

I have project managed a few of these on this basis and it has worked out well.

If you are near the border, consider engaging a Northern Protestant building contractor: they have such a better work ethic and are not dirty and slovenly like a lot, not all, southern Irish contractors.

Good luck with it in the current climate.

Shaunoc

Calahonda52 wrote:

If you are near the border, consider engaging a Northern Protestant building contractor: they have such a better work ethic and are not dirty and slovenly like a lot, not all, southern Irish contractors.

meeeooowww