The short answer: Many families do stay home during a remodel, especially when the work is limited to one or two rooms and there’s still a working bathroom, a place to sleep, and a way to make simple meals. Moving out makes more sense when most of the house is torn up at once, when you’d lose your only bathroom for a long stretch, or when painted surfaces in an older home will be disturbed and young children or a pregnant family member live there. Your scope, your household, and how the work is phased decide it.
A common mistake: homeowners spend months choosing cabinets and tile, sign the contract, and only then ask, “Wait, where are we going to shower?” By then the schedule is set, and the answer can mean last-minute hotel bills or weeks of frustration.
Whether you stay or go is a planning decision, just like your budget. Below: a quick way to judge your project, what daily life looks like with a crew in the house, the extra rules for older homes, and the questions to ask before demolition.
Do most people stay home during a remodel?
For a kitchen remodel, most do. In a U.S. Houzz kitchen study published in 2019 (a survey of Houzz users, not a national sample), 66 percent of homeowners stayed home during their kitchen remodel, 26 percent moved out for part of it, and 8 percent moved out entirely. The data is a few years old, but the pattern makes sense: a kitchen is one room, and the rest of the house stays usable.
The same study found that people who moved out for only part of the project reported the most regret. The takeaway: if you’re going to leave, plan the move around the loudest, dirtiest phases on purpose.
How do I know if staying home will work for us?
Start with your scope. This table is a general guide, not a promise. Every house and every project is different.
| Type of project | Can you usually stay? | What to plan for |
|---|---|---|
| Bathroom remodel, with a second bathroom | Usually yes | Sharing one bath, dust near the doorway |
| Remodel of your only bathroom | Hard | Phasing to keep a toilet working, a gym or family shower, possibly moving out for the middle weeks |
| Kitchen remodel | Often yes | A temporary kitchen and several weeks without a sink or cooktop |
| Flooring in several rooms | Depends | Furniture moves and rooms going out of use in turns, which is harder when bedrooms are included |
| Room addition | Often yes, until the tie-in | Noise and dust when the new space is opened into the house |
| Whole-house remodel, or major plumbing, electrical, or structural work | Often no | Repeated shutoffs and no clean, quiet zone to retreat to |
| Pre-1978 home where painted surfaces will be disturbed | Possible, with strict limits | Work areas closed to the family; worth extra thought with young kids or a pregnancy |
Then ask five quick questions as a household:
- Bathroom: Will a toilet and shower work every night?
- Sleep: Will the bedrooms stay out of the work zone?
- Food: Can you make simple meals and wash dishes somewhere?
- Work and school: Does anyone need quiet at home during the day?
- Health: Is anyone very young, pregnant, elderly, or sensitive to dust? What about pets?
Two or more “no” or “not sure” answers? Talk with your contractor about phasing the work or moving out for part of it.
What is daily life like with a crew in the house?
Expect early starts. Cities set the hours when construction is allowed, and crews often start at the beginning of that window.
| City | Allowed construction hours |
|---|---|
| Los Angeles | Monday to Friday 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; no work on Sunday (per the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety) |
| Long Beach | Weekdays 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (per Long Beach Building and Safety, outside the Harbor District) |
Other cities and many HOAs set their own rules.
Beyond the noise, here’s what usually changes:
- Utility shutoffs. Water, power, or gas may be off while new lines are connected. Ask for advance notice and a rough length for each.
- Dust. Even good containment lets some escape. Fine dust travels through forced-air heating and cooling, so ask how your system will be protected.
- Access. Decide which door the crew uses, where materials go, and how the house gets locked up each day.
- Pets. Open gates, loud tools, and strangers stress animals out. Plan where they’ll stay.
What if our house was built before 1978?
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), homes built before 1978 are likely to contain lead-based paint. Sanding, cutting, or demolishing painted surfaces can create lead dust you can’t see.
Under the EPA’s Renovation, Repair and Painting rule, contractors who disturb paint in pre-1978 homes must be Lead-Safe Certified firms that use trained renovators, contain the work area, clean up daily, and follow a specific cleaning check at the end. The EPA’s “Renovate Right” pamphlet, which contractors must give you before work begins, is direct about living at home during the work:
- The work areas “should not be accessible to occupants while the work occurs.”
- “You may even want to move out of your home temporarily while all or part of the work is being done.”
- Plan a safe place for pets, because they can be poisoned by lead too.
The EPA notes that children under 6 are most at risk, and that lead is dangerous to a developing baby during pregnancy. If that describes your household, moving out during demolition and sanding is worth serious consideration.
Older homes can also contain asbestos in materials like some flooring, textured ceilings, and duct wrap. Ask whether anything should be tested before demolition, and don’t disturb suspect materials yourself.
How do we live without a kitchen?
A kitchen remodel is where staying home takes the most planning. In that same Houzz study, setting up a temporary cooking station somewhere else in the house was one of the most common arrangements homeowners made.
A simple setup in a dining room, laundry room, or garage might include your refrigerator, a microwave or toaster oven, an electric pressure cooker, a coffee maker, a folding table, bins for dishes and pantry staples, and a plan for washing dishes (a laundry sink or a dish tub).
Ask your contractor when the sink and cooktop come out and when they’ll work again. There’s often a gap after cabinets go in while countertops are measured and made, and it surprises a lot of families. If you’re still sorting out scope and budget, our guide to what drives the cost of a kitchen remodel in Los Angeles explains how scope choices change the price.
When does moving out make more sense?
Consider moving out, at least for part of the job, when:
- Most of the house is being worked on at once
- Your only bathroom will be out of service for more than a few days
- Painted surfaces in a pre-1978 home will be disturbed and young children or a pregnant family member live there
- Someone in the house has a health condition made worse by dust
- You work from home and can’t move your workspace
- The project includes long or repeated utility shutoffs
What does moving out cost, and who pays for it?
Temporary housing is usually the homeowner’s cost, so budget for it from the start. Don’t count on insurance: the National Association of Insurance Commissioners describes additional living expense coverage as help after a covered disaster, and a planned remodel isn’t one. Still, ask your agent whether your policy should change while the house is under construction.
Keep temporary housing as its own budget line, separate from the cushion for surprises behind the walls. Our post on how much contingency to keep for a remodel explains why that cushion should be protected for the unexpected.
What can we handle ourselves, and what should the contractor handle?
You can usually handle: clearing the work rooms, moving valuables, setting up a temporary kitchen, and arranging pet care.
Leave to your contractor: dust containment, utility shutoffs and reconnections, lead-safe work in older homes, testing for suspect materials, and final cleanup.
Questions to ask before demolition starts
- Which rooms will be off-limits, and for how long?
- When will water, power, or gas be shut off, and for how long?
- How will you contain dust and protect our heating and cooling system?
- Is our home pre-1978, and is your firm Lead-Safe Certified?
- Could the work be phased so a bathroom and some kind of kitchen stay usable?
- What time will the crew arrive and leave, and will anyone work Saturdays?
- Where will materials, a dumpster, and any crew restroom go?
- How will the house be secured at the end of each day?
- Who is our daily point of contact?
With those answers, you’ll know before day one whether you’re staying, going, or a bit of both.
Frequently asked questions
Can you live in your house during a kitchen remodel? Usually, yes. Most people set up a temporary kitchen with the refrigerator, a microwave or other small appliances, and a dish-washing plan. Expect several weeks without a sink or cooktop.
Should we move out during a bathroom remodel? If you have another bathroom, most families stay. If it’s your only bathroom, ask about phasing the work to keep a toilet working, or plan to stay elsewhere for the middle of the job.
Is it safe to stay home during a remodel of an older house? It can be, with strict limits. In pre-1978 homes, the EPA says work areas should not be accessible to occupants during the work and suggests some families move out temporarily. Children under 6 and pregnant family members face the greatest risk from lead dust.
Does homeowners insurance pay for a hotel during a remodel? Generally not for a planned remodel. Additional living expense coverage is meant for when a covered disaster makes your home unlivable. Ask your agent about your specific policy.
Planning a remodel you’ll live through?
The best time to decide whether to stay or go is before the schedule is set. Knowing which rooms close, when utilities go off, and how dust stays contained makes the whole project calmer, whether you’re sleeping down the hall or across town.
De Sisto Construction, Inc. is a California licensed general contractor (CSLB #803545) serving greater Los Angeles and Orange County since 2001. We put together step-by-step outlines and line-item project costing, so you can see the sequence of the work and plan your household around it. Take a look at our residential remodeling services, including kitchens, bathrooms, room additions, and full home renovations.
Ready to talk through your project? Give us a call at 562-425-1050 or email us at info@desistogc.com (dcidirect.net)