Can you live at home during a full refurbishment?

Staying at home during a refurbishment can look like the obvious way to avoid accommodation costs. The harder question is whether the rooms and facilities left available will support everyday life while the work happens.

For a full refurbishment in South West London, discuss occupation before agreeing the programme. A spare bedroom is not enough on its own: you also need usable facilities, suitable access and a clear separation from the work. The answer may change between stages.

Make a plan for each stage, not just each room

Ask the contractor to mark the work areas and the areas intended to remain in use on a simple floor plan. Add the route between the entrance, sleeping space, toilet and any temporary food preparation area. Then repeat the exercise for the busiest stage of the project.

In a converted flat in Battersea, the hallway may be the only route through the property. In a terraced house in Tooting, access to the garden might run through the room being stripped out. Those arrangements need discussing before “we will live upstairs” becomes part of the agreed plan.

Ask which stages require the property, or a part of it, to be empty. The contractor needs to assess the actual work and layout; a general article cannot establish that a particular home is safe to occupy.

Separate household routes from the work

HSE’s guidance on protecting the public emphasises defined site boundaries, controlled access and consideration for children and other vulnerable people. Owning the property does not make every work area suitable to walk through.

Agree how the boundary will be explained and maintained, who can enter the work area and how deliveries will be handled. Tell the team about children, pets or mobility needs early. Include shared entrances and neighbours’ access in a flat, rather than planning only around your own front door.

Ask about dust before discussing the final clean

A clean at the end does not answer how dust will be managed while work is under way. HSE’s construction dust guidance describes reducing dust at source and controlling it during the task, including suitable extraction or water suppression where appropriate. It also explains why relying only on a mask is not the answer for high-risk work.

Ask the contractor how their assessment affects occupied rooms and when those rooms can be used. Do not choose the dust-control method yourself or assume a closed door settles the issue. Share any household circumstances that may affect the occupation plan before the work starts.

Write down which facilities will remain usable

“Water will be back on later” is too vague to build a week around. Ask for the anticipated interruptions and how changes will be communicated. The practical questions are straightforward:

• Will a toilet and washing facilities remain available at each stage?
• Where can food be stored and prepared away from the work?
• Which rooms will have usable power, heating and lighting?
• When will the kitchen or bathroom become usable again, rather than simply have its fittings installed?
• Who should you contact if the agreed arrangement cannot be maintained?

Temporary arrangements need agreeing with the team. Avoid planning improvised electrical or plumbing connections as a substitute for a properly assessed setup.

Compare staying, moving out and a mixed approach

Request a programme based on the real occupation arrangements. Keeping one room usable, moving possessions between rooms and restricting working access may affect the sequence. Ask what changes if the property is empty, without assuming either option will guarantee a particular price or completion date.

A mixed approach may be worth discussing: staying for some stages and arranging somewhere else for the most disruptive work. If you consider that option, ask what determines the return date and what happens if that stage takes longer. Keep accommodation bookings separate from an unconfirmed estimate.

For working from home, think beyond internet access. Ask about likely noisy periods and whether a usable room can genuinely remain outside the work area. A different daytime workspace may solve a practical problem even when overnight occupation is agreed.

Put the arrangement in the refurbishment brief

Record the intended occupied rooms, facilities, access arrangements, communication contact and the circumstances that would require a review. Revisit that plan when the scope changes. It is easier to make a considered decision before strip-out than when the only bathroom is already out of use.

OSPM undertakes full property refurbishment in South West London, alongside kitchen projects. Send your postcode, the rooms involved and whether you hope to stay in the property so we can discuss the scope and the practical questions to resolve before work begins.