Should You Stay or Move Out During Your Major Renovation?
Renovating your home can be one of the most exciting—and disruptive—projects you’ll undertake. Beyond selecting tiles and choosing paint colours, there’s one big question every homeowner faces:
Do you stay in the house while it’s being renovated? Or move out?
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. It depends on your renovation scope, lifestyle, budget, and tolerance for chaos. At LPC Projects, we guide clients through this decision early to help set realistic expectations. Here’s what you need to consider.
When It’s (Sometimes) Feasible to Stay
For certain types of renovations, staying at home may be possible:
Minor kitchen or bathroom updates where only one room is affected
External works that don’t directly disrupt your main living areas
Small extensions where the existing home is still fully functional
Staged renovations where portions of the house remain livable while work progresses
Pros of Staying:
✅ Save on rental accommodation costs
✅ Stay connected to the project
✅ Immediate oversight of daily progress
Cons of Staying:
- Dust, noise, and tradespeople constantly in your space
- Restricted access to certain areas (kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms)
- Safety concerns if you have young children or pets
- Slower progress if the site needs to be made safe each night
When Moving Out Makes More Sense
For major renovations—including structural work, knockdown rebuilds (obviously), second-storey additions, or full interior gut-outs—it’s often safer, faster, and ultimately cheaper to vacate.
Key signs you should move out:
Your kitchen and bathrooms will be unusable for extended periods
Structural walls or roof framing will be removed
Asbestos removal is involved
Extensive rewiring, plumbing, or HVAC installations required
Safety concerns with small children, elderly family members, or pets
The Financial Reality: Sometimes - Often, Moving Out Costs Less
While paying rent or temporary accommodation may seem like an extra cost upfront, staying on-site often slows the construction process:
Builders lose productive hours each day setting up and packing down to keep the site livable
Access restrictions for trades add inefficiencies
Safety precautions and staging add costs to the builder’s program
Many clients who temporarily move out find that work progresses faster, resulting in fewer total build weeks — which ultimately offsets much of the rental cost.
How LPC Projects Supports Clients Through This Decision
We have open conversations with clients early in the design and quoting stage, covering:
Project timeline adjustments based on occupancy
Safety considerations
Cost comparisons
Child/pet management
Realistic expectations around noise, mess, and daily disruption
Our goal: To set you up for a renovation experience that’s both exciting and manageable — not frustrating or exhausting.
Final Thoughts
While staying home may seem like the ‘cheaper’ option on paper, living through a full-scale renovation can take its toll — on your schedule, your family, and even your builder’s progress.
With good planning, honest conversations, and a clear build schedule, you’ll know upfront whether staying or moving is the smarter long-term decision for your renovation.
Thinking about renovating in 2025?
Contact LPC Projects to start the process with honest advice and full transparency — from design right through to handover.
