PREPARING TO LIVE ON SITE

Natasha Brinsmead shares her advice

Living on site during a renovation project has good and bad points — and for those on a tight budget could be the only option. In her latest column, Natasha Brinsmead explains the realities and suggests how being more organised than she was could make all the difference

As I explained in my column last month, we lived on site, in our renovation project, for the entirety of our five-year project. While it would have been nice to have had the option of renting as work took place, on reflection I am not sure we would have done even if we could have afforded to.

Living in the project meant we got to know the house so well, and I am not sure we’d be as pleased with the end result if we hadn’t have been there to witness things like how the sun enters the property at different times of day or become aware with which spaces we tended to congregate in.

All that said, we definitely weren’t prepared for the very real toll it would take on us all, in varying degrees.there was no escape from the mess, dirt and cold, which my husband Bill and I found draining at times. All the work that needed doing was constantly staring us in the face made it hard to ever relax or even to feel able to justify days out or holidays.we couldn’t have people for dinner or to stay which made maintaining any kind of social life tricky at times.

The whole experience was one that the children look back on pretty fondly (using the scaffolding as a climbing frame, being able to dig great big holes in the bare earth that was our ground floor, and being allowed to use the walls as their own personal art space being highlights). However, at the time, they lamented not being able to have friends over for tea or sleepovers and got fed up with never having our full attention — our time was swallowed up by constant DIY.

With this in mind I thought that this month I would offer up some tips for any of you considering living on site, or who are currently struggling their way through, in the hope that I can make the experience a little easier.

THINK ABOUT STORAGE

Before we extended, the house was really quite small — the kitchen had just one unit, a tiny sink, a single oven and mini fridge. Elsewhere on the ground floor was a tiny dining space and living room — not forgetting the sage green downstairs bathroom. We’d been so excited about moving in that we didn’t think through where all our belongings were actually going to go, both in the immediate sense or while renovation work got underway. I remember panicking as the removal firm kept bringing box after box of our into the house and watching them stack up, filling every inch of what space we had — we had to tunnel our way from room to room. Another example, perhaps, of our lack of foresight.

We should have arranged for our stuff to be stored elsewhere — in a relative’s garage, a shed or storage facility.this would have given us space to live in and would have protected our more precious items from the dirt that still covers much of it in the loft.

HAVE A SCHEDULE OF WORKS

I’ve said it before, and I will keep on saying it — a good schedule of works is the key to a happy renovation. It will tell you what is happening and when, and allow you to prepare yourself for the more disruptive jobs, both mentally and from a practical perspective. Had we had one, we would have sought childcare to support us during the most messy jobs, like when we were screeding the ground floor and bashing down loadbearing walls.

PLAN AROUND THE WEATHER

Which brings me nicely on to this point. Avoid tackling tasks that will leave your home exposed to the elements in the depths of winter. We found that being able to sit in the garden for meals or to be able to let the children outside to play made a huge difference to how we felt about the project when there was no space inside to eat or play.

TAKE A BREAK FROM TIME TO TIME

We used to feel guilty at weekends or in the evenings if we were doing anything but working on the house, as this was when the bulk of the progress would happen. However, when we did take time away to see friends or go for a day trip we all returned feeling refreshed, energised and it did our motivation the world of good.

KEEP ONE ROOM CLUTTER FREE

There were times when there felt like there was no escape from the mess, noise and dirt. I used to be a regular in our local coffee shops where I would sit working in a corner trying to make my third cup of coffee last longer than the first two — I also got a fair few parking tickets. In hindsight, it would have been a good idea to have constructed a garden office before work began. It was also hard to find anywhere to relax in the evenings or for the children to play. Plan so that you always have one clear room that is free from dirt and rubble so you have somewhere to spend time relaxing at the end of the day.

HAVE A DECAMPING PLAN

There will be times when having no roof, no floor, no walls, no water, no power gets to be just too much. Have a sanctuary with friends or family on hand for these times. Once again, a schedule of works will let you plan ahead.

CREATE A NICE OUTDOOR SPACE

When we moved in, our garden was completely given over to spiky fruit bushes — it was a thorny maze.we cleared it all while we came up with designs and applied for planning permission for our extension.this was a great idea as it meant we had somewhere to escape when the weather allowed and the children could play out there safely too.

ALWAYS HAVE A BATHROOM

If you plan to move a bathroom or rip out and replace an out of date one, make sure that you always have somewhere to wash and go to the toilet. Keep the old bathroom functional as long as possible, get the new one up and running as soon as is practical, and plan alternatives in advance. Hauling the kids to the leisure centre for a shower is no fun — but it may be a little better than using the garden hose...

"The fact that all the work that needed doing was constantly staring us in the face made it hard to ever relax"