One of the most common questions homeowners ask before a remodel is this: Can you live in your house during a renovation? On paper it seems like the cheaper path. Why spend money on rent when you already have a place to stay?
According to Quality First Builders, a leading Los Angeles home remodeling and construction firm based in Sherman Oaks, the answer is more complicated than most people realize. Living in your house during a remodel often ends up costing more. It stretches timelines, creates stress, and disrupts daily life in ways that are easy to underestimate.
You can live in a house while renovating, but that choice carries hidden costs that reveal themselves quickly.
When you live in your home during a remodel, crews cannot move as quickly. They have to phase the work so that part of the house remains usable. A bathroom stays open while another is under construction. The kitchen is delayed until plumbing rough-ins are complete.
This slower pace stretches the calendar. Inspections are scheduled twice instead of once. Crews spend more hours on site. The longer timeline means more labor, more project management, and a higher bill in the end. What could take three months if you moved out may take five months or more if you live in your house during a renovation.
Living in a house during a remodel adds extra work for the crew every single day. They must cover floors, seal off spaces, and haul tools in and out while you live in your home during construction. At the end of each shift, everything has to be cleaned so you can use the space.
That extra effort is time. And time is cost. Contractors may charge more to cover the slower pace and the added complexity of keeping your home functional. Project management fees also climb as the weeks drag on. Even if you think you are saving money by staying, you are paying for it in hidden ways.
Plastic barriers help, but dust still travels. It finds its way into closets, cabinets, and every surface. Living in your house during a remodel means breathing it, cleaning it, and watching it come back day after day.
Noise is unavoidable. Hammering, drilling, sawing, and constant foot traffic fill the house. If you work from home during a renovation, productivity suffers. Families with kids or pets find routines breaking apart. Even finding a quiet place to rest is a struggle when the entire house feels like a job site.
When you live in your home during a remodel, crews end up repeating work. A bathroom may be remodeled first, sealed, and protected. Later, when another part of the house is started, workers return, reseal everything, and redo protection.
This cycle is called double duty. Each repetition adds more hours and more cost. Instead of moving through the house in one clean sequence, workers are stuck phasing around you. What feels like a practical way to stay home while renovating often creates inefficiencies that slow everything down.
Not every expense shows up on an invoice. Some costs hide in your daily life.
When you cannot use the kitchen, you eat out more often. When bathrooms are shut down, you may buy a gym membership just for showers or even rent a temporary RV. Families sometimes set up makeshift kitchens in garages or bedrooms, which still adds cost and stress.
Then there is the emotional side of living in your house during a remodel. Dust, noise, and the loss of privacy add pressure that wears on everyone in the home. Sleep is interrupted. Work suffers. Kids and pets struggle to adapt. These hidden costs are just as real as the financial ones.
Can you live in your home during a remodel? Yes. Should you live in your house during a renovation? Not always.
Think about the numbers. A remodel that would take three months if you moved out may take five months if you stay. Renting a small apartment for three months may cost around $8,000. Compare that to two extra months of labor, which can easily add $10,000 or more. Staying in your home during a remodel often ends up being more expensive.
When the house is empty, everything moves faster. Demolition, plumbing, electrical, inspections — all flow in one smooth sequence. Crews work without interruptions, and you get your house back sooner. Moving out may feel inconvenient, but in many cases it saves money, reduces stress, and shortens the project timeline.
Living in a house while renovating seems like a way to save. But the hidden costs appear everywhere. Longer timelines, higher labor costs, daily inconvenience, and constant disruption add up quickly.
Add in meals out, gym memberships, and the stress of living on site while construction is happening, and the savings disappear. Moving out may look like an extra expense, yet in many cases it leads to a faster, cleaner, and less expensive remodel overall.
As Quality First Builders, a Los Angeles home remodeling and construction firm, reminds clients, sometimes the best way to live in your house during a renovation is not to live in it at all.