Remodel in winter months

12 years ago

We will be remodeling the first floor of the house, including the kitchen. Since we are taking down walls, and adding support beams, the job will take 2-3 months. We would like to start in January. Can anyone tell us their experience, if they have remodeled in the winter months? We have a gas grill on the deck to cook some things, but are concerned about snow.

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Comments (3)

User
12 years ago
Turn off the water, drain the pipes, and move into a relative or friend's basement. It will take a lot more time than you think it will, and it will be very difficult to keep the living portions heated at all comfortably or economically using space heaters. If you are having to do any roof work done and live in a location where snow is common, you may end up having moisture damage to your interior.

It may be more expensive to wait until better weather to schedule your remodel, but it will be easier on you, and you won't have to worry about you or your pipes freezing because the HVAC being turned off.
worthy
12 years ago
Attempting to live in a house being so extensively remodelled is a sure route to divorce. (I wanted to divorce myself the first--and only--time I renovated while living in my first home.)
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la_koala
12 years ago
SusanZ, what part of the country are you in?

My story (still in progress!):
We started our kitchen gut remodel in mid-September, and it will still be in progress going into November. It also involved opening a doorway and a wider header. The kitchen is currently down to the studs, and awaiting insulation. This is an old house, so the doorways into the kitchen are the standard sized (meaning it's not an open floor plan) and we've got the doorways covered in plastic to seal off the dust from the rest of the first floor rooms. We are using the living room downstairs, and the whole upstairs. Our temporary kitchen is one of the bedrooms upstairs (no carpet, it's actually my exercise room).

The weather is turning colder (we're in New England) and it is noticeable that the house is colder. While I consider us good New England stock, I think we'd be less grumpy if we didn't feel a breeze coming from the gutted kitchen. :-)

I have to agree with GreenDesigns's comments about the heating and the moisture. I admit that I am a bit worried on the days it is raining, thinking that's postponing getting the insulation in, and delaying the schedule. Not to mention feeling depressed because of the less daylight hours on top of looking at all of the chaos around us. :-)

While it's just the two of us here, and our second floor is big enough to not feel claustrophobic, I imagine it would be worse if we had kids and a smaller house.

Can you delay the start until March? At least then, the weather is turning warmer, and it's easier to feel optimistic just as the project is getting into the hairiest, chaotic parts.