Remodeling with children around

Momberries
#1

I though I’d ask you guys for some tips or experiences…

My SO, twin brother and I have been given a wonderful opportunity to buy a house (well, a farm actually) and make it into something of our own (some background: my twin brother bought one part of it a while ago as a separate living space, but now the whole building and surrounding property is for sale). We’d share the courtyard etc. with my brother, and maybe one day his partner and/or children if he has them, but each have our own house. It’s at a price we can afford, especially the three of us together, and we’d have much more space for our four sons inside and outside. And if one day we decide our family isn’t complete yet we’d have plenty of space.

Anyway, the thing is… while you can definitely live in it (there’s heating, running/warm water, kitchen and bathroom are usable but need replacing) there’s some remodeling that needs to be done. And I’m a bit nervous about doing this with four small children around, especially with the new born twins. But I don’t want to miss the opportunity. So do you guys have any tips for remodeling with small children around, any experience?
I’ve never done this kind of thing before, with or without children around.

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#2

No experience as a parent! But as a child who grew up with a lot of renovations over the years I’d say it’s completely manageable if you tackle one room/area at a time. Then you can corner off those areas from the kids easier and it’s a little better cost wise :slight_smile:

It’s a little bit of discomfort while the bathroom and kitchen are being done, but nothing torturous - maybe prioritise those first? Everything else is kind of exciting to watch as a child! It sounds like an amazing opportunity and you’ll find your own ways of making it work best for you!

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#3

No personal experience, but you could check out [name_u]Story[/name_u] of This Life blog (YT, FB, etc). They are remodelling an old farm house and have three girls (7, 5, & 3, I think). They’ve been doing it since the youngest was quite little, and it’s awesome / encouraging / fascinating watching them juggle the reno and their family life.

#4

no experience from a parent’s perspective, but i moved into a house that needed remodelling when i was 6. the first thing to get done was the bathroom (that was actually done after they bought it but before moving in - not sure whether that’s an option for you). when the kitchen was being done there were a few nights when we had to eat out/get takeaway, and there was 1 night when we had to stay in a hotel but that’s it. for the rest of the rooms, they were done one at a time and we just didn’t go in there until they were done.

#5

No experience with that, just had to say: a farm!!! :heart_eyes: How lovely!

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#6

@Gem7000 and @lucyxo That’s definitely reassuring, thanks!

@_thelittlefairywren I’ll check that out!

@ethelmary Isn’t it? :blush: This is something I’ve been dreaming of for a long time. The property is just very close to where we live now and I’ve always loved everything about it. It’s so charming and beautiful. I was kind of jealous when my brother got to live there. This feels like such a big opportunity.

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#7

We did a full house renovation when my daughter was about 5 months- 15months. We did her room first, made that a safe zone, and so she would settle faster. Then sectioned the house up so other bedrooms were done at once and we slept in the lounge. Then moved to other side of the house to do living and kitchen. It was full on and we only had one child. We used a playpen and I spent a lot of time just watching her. But do able! We’re still doing the garage/rumpus room haha we had a long break ([name_f]Olive[/name_f] is over 2 now)

#8

Best reno advice if you’re mainly doing DIY, is do one room at a time, don’t do the kitchen and bathrooms at the same time, and do the bed/play/living rooms first. Sounds like a good opportunity. I say go for it. Also, kids do well with renos and since there’re two houses you can share a kitchen and bath while the others are being done.

#9

@Gabriellenz creating a “safe zone” sounds like a very good idea. Luckily we don’t have to do a full house renovation, it’s fairly limited. I’m mostly worried about my oldest son. He’s the only one old enough to understand what’s going on, but he’s also a very sensitive child who hates loud noises etc. So that’s going to be a challenge.

@PRSing that’s good advice. The fact that my brother lives in the other house is definitely an advantage, as you say, so we can share certain facilities.

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#10

It’s definitely possible! We’ve been updating our house little by little since we moved in, and have done some major updates since our DD was born. Some of it we hired out – new siding, new doors, etc. – and others we have done ourselves (AKA my DH has done haha). We’re even planning to completely remodel our kitchen when we have #2 because my DH gets 12 weeks paid paternity leave so he wouldn’t have to take any time off from work to do the remodel :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

As long as there is a safe space, as others said, you’ll be good to go! This definitely sounds like an awesome opportunity!

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