We understand that the Build can be a stressful time for homeowners and we make every effort to make the process as smooth and as efficient as possible. For this reason, we offer our Build clients the option of living in during the build. Living in can be done with relatively little disruption and stress and with some simple steps, such creating a temporary kitchen and segregating off the building site, you’ll hardly know we’re there!
Will I get a temporary kitchen?
One of the most common concerns about living in is access to a kitchen. On the first day, we will strip out your existing kitchen and set up a temporary kitchen in your living area or rear living room (or wherever your preferred location is). We reconnect the plumbing as necessary to ensure you have running water and electricity.
Depending on the size of the project, we can usually keep this temporary kitchen installed for the full duration of the Build Phase. If we do need to remove the kitchen, it’s usually in the last couple of weeks of the Build, but this does depend on the layout of the property and the extension. If this happens our team give plenty of notice, and we advise living with family or planning a holiday so you limit disruption to your day to day life.
What about all of the dust, dirt and noise?
If you have stairs, we will close off your staircase from the rest of the ground floor to avoid any dust or dirt wondering. We also segregate as much of the building site as possible from your living area, which is convenient for security reasons but also helps keep the noise and dust to a minimum. If you work during the day, the timings end up being a bit of a dream team as we’re wrapping up by the time you get back from work. Our builders usually start on site from about 8am, but this can be changed to 9am on your preference. We usually finish up about 5pm, so we should be cleared up and out of your hair by the time you get back from work.
Our team will do everything we possibly can to make you feel safe and secure. The site will be locked up every evening and only reopened when the builders are back on site the next morning.
Is it worth it?
There are lots of good reasons to live in during the Build Phase, our previous clients Mel and Alex lived in during the build, and they discussed the pros in a recent Real Home interview. They said ‘It is less expensive to live in your house during works rather than renting another property nearby. By being on site every day, you can be there to make decisions on site as quickly as possible instead of waiting for scheduled meetings. If there are any questions from either you or the builders they can be asked and answered right away.’
We would say that living in can be beneficial, but it does depend on your circumstances. If you work from home, or have young children at home during the day, the noise and disruption might test your patience. If you work during the day then it actually ends up being practical and doesn’t cause a huge amount of disruption.
If you’re not sure, then speak to our construction team about it. We can absolutely tailor the schedule to you and your circumstances, so if you want to live in but move out for the most disruptive part of the project, we can absolutely assist. We’ve seen it all and dealt with various different families with different circumstances, so please do ask if you want some guidance – we’re here to help and we love to offer advice.
At Build Team, we know that our client’s safety, comfort and budget are all very important and we will do whatever we can to make the Build Phase as straightforward as we can and have you in your new kitchen extension as quickly as possible.
