Should we move out during a remodel? An honest answer.
When staying in your home during construction makes sense, when it doesn't, and what good contractors do to make it bearable when you do.
Most clients ask this question two weeks before demo. The honest answer depends on three things — and we’ll tell you straight, not what’s convenient for our schedule.
When staying makes sense
You can stay in the home through construction if all of these are true:
- You have at least one fully functional bathroom that won’t be touched
- You have a kitchen-adjacent space we can stage as a temporary kitchen (microwave, mini fridge, hot plate)
- The work doesn’t require you to leave for safety (lead paint disturbance, large structural moves, asbestos abatement)
- You’re not sensitive to dust, noise, or strangers in the home daily
A single-bathroom remodel in a one-bath house? Move out. A kitchen remodel in a house with two bathrooms? Stay if you want.
When you should move out
- Whole-floor remodel that includes the only kitchen and the only living space
- Major plumbing reroute that takes the home offline for 3+ days
- Asbestos or lead remediation required (uncommon, but rules exist)
- Pets, infants, or elderly residents with health sensitivities
- You work from home full-time and need quiet — construction is loud, every day
What “moving out” actually means
You don’t need to move out for the entire project. For most remodels, you only need to be elsewhere for 2–4 weeks at the noisiest, dustiest phase: demo through framing.
Three options, in order of cost:
1. Move into the basement or guest suite (free)
If part of the home is fully untouched and self-contained — your own kitchen, bath, entrance — stay there. We seal the work zone.
2. Stay with family or friends ($0)
Two weeks at your in-laws’ place is a real option for a lot of homeowners. We’ve had clients do exactly this on every kitchen we’ve done.
3. Short-term furnished rental ($3K–$10K for a month)
In Denver, a furnished one-bedroom rents at roughly $3,000–$5,000/month including utilities. A two- or three-bedroom: $5,000–$10,000/month. Build it into your budget if you’re going this route — it’s a real line item, not a footnote.
What we do to make staying bearable
If you’re staying during the work, here’s what we do that other contractors often don’t:
- Negative-pressure dust containment between the work zone and living space. Plastic walls, zip-doors, HEPA-filtered exhaust. Every project. Not optional.
- Temporary kitchen setup. We help you stage a livable kitchen in the dining room or basement before demo. Microwave, mini-fridge, induction burner, table.
- Predictable schedule. Every Sunday night you get the next week’s daily plan. You know exactly when the noise starts and ends each day.
- No subs in the house when you’re not there. We unlock the door at 7am, lock it at 5pm. No one is in your home outside those hours unless you want them to be.
- Daily cleanup. Site swept and tools put away every evening. You’re not living in a job site.
- Real walkthroughs every Friday. Not a text update — we walk you through what got done and what’s next.
What it costs you to stay (in non-dollar terms)
- 2–6 weeks of dust, even with great containment
- Daily noise from 7am to 4pm
- Strange men in your house every day
- A kitchen that isn’t really a kitchen
- More takeout than you usually eat
If those don’t bother you, save the rental money. If they do, move out.
Our recommendation, by project type
| Project | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Single bathroom (with backup bath) | Stay |
| Single bathroom (only bath in house) | Move out 2–3 weeks |
| Kitchen, primary residence | Stay if you have an alt eating space |
| Multi-room remodel of main floor | Move out for 4–6 weeks |
| Whole-floor remodel | Move out |
| Addition (existing home untouched) | Stay |
| Basement finish | Stay |
| Outdoor living | Stay |
How to decide
Honestly: walk through the construction zone in your head. Imagine 4 weeks of plastic walls, daily strangers, and limited kitchen. If that sounds like a fun adventure, stay. If it sounds like a slow torture, the rental is worth it.
Either way, it’s a question worth answering before the contract is signed, not two weeks before demo. We bring it up on every project — and we don’t charge you more either way.