Where to stay during home renovation usually comes down to three choices: a short-term rental, a stay with family, or an extended-stay hotel near your home. The right pick depends on how long the work takes, whether your kitchen or bathroom is out of commission, and what your budget allows. Most homeowners decide within the first week of getting a contractor’s timeline.
Insurance rules and permit requirements vary by province and state, but the underlying decision is the same everywhere: can the house still function as a home right now, or not.
Do You Need to Move Out for a Home Renovation?
Not every project forces you out. If the work is contained to one room and you still have a working kitchen and bathroom elsewhere, staying put is often fine. We noticed that homeowners tolerate one-room jobs reasonably well, even with a bit of dust sheeting in the hallway.
The calculation changes once demolition starts, or once your only kitchen or bathroom goes offline. A gut renovation, a foundation repair, or anything involving asbestos abatement usually means the house is not liveable for weeks at a stretch. At that point, figuring out where to stay during home renovation becomes a budget line item, not an afterthought.
What Are the Best Places to Stay During a Home Renovation?
There is no single correct answer here, but a handful of options cover almost every situation Canadian and American homeowners run into.
Short-Term Rental Apartments
Furnished apartments booked on a month-to-month basis are the most common answer to where to stay during home renovation for projects lasting three to eight weeks. They come with a full kitchen, in-suite laundry, and no long lease to break. In our experience, these units book up fast in cities like Toronto and Calgary, so reserving four to six weeks ahead makes a real difference.
Extended-Stay Hotels
For anything under thirty days, an extended-stay hotel is hard to beat for convenience. Rooms typically include a kitchenette, weekly housekeeping, and free parking, and many chains offer a renovation or insurance rate if you ask directly at the front desk rather than booking online.
Staying With Family or Friends
The cheapest route, and often the fastest to arrange. It works best for stays under two weeks. Offer to cover groceries or a portion of utilities; a small gesture like this keeps the arrangement pleasant rather than awkward by week two.
RV, Trailer, or Camper on Your Own Property
Parking a camper in your own driveway is an underused option. You stay close enough to answer a contractor’s questions on the spot, and you skip nightly accommodation costs entirely. It requires a power hookup and, depending on your municipality, sometimes a temporary permit, so check with your local building department before towing one in.
Corporate Housing and Serviced Apartments
Corporate housing sits between a hotel and an apartment: fully furnished, utilities bundled into one bill, and no lease required. It suits renovations running two months or longer, particularly for families who need more than one bedroom and don’t want to sign a residential lease for a project with a moving end date.
How Much Does Temporary Housing Cost During a Renovation?
Costs vary widely, but a reasonable rule of thumb for a mid-sized Canadian city puts a furnished one-bedroom short-term rental somewhere in the 2,200 to 3,200 CAD range per month, utilities included. Extended-stay hotels often land close to that figure once nightly rates are added up over thirty days, though they include housekeeping and don’t require a damage deposit. Staying with family costs the least in dollars but often the most in patience, which is worth factoring into any honest budget.
Whatever you choose, build in a buffer. Renovation timelines slip more often than they hold, and a contractor’s six-week estimate frequently becomes eight. Anyone pricing out where to stay during home renovation should ask for a written estimate range from the contractor before booking a fixed-term lease, since a rental locked in for exactly six weeks leaves no room for delays.
Is It Safe to Live in a House While Renovating?
Sometimes, but not always. Painting, flooring in an unused room, or a cosmetic bathroom refresh rarely pose real risk. Structural work, old wiring exposed during demolition, or lead paint disturbed in a pre-1980s home are a different story entirely. Dust from drywall and old insulation can aggravate asthma and other respiratory conditions, particularly in children and older adults.
If you’re unsure, ask your contractor directly whether the work will affect air quality, structural stability, or your access to a working bathroom. A contractor who has done this work before will give you a straight answer rather than a vague reassurance.
How Do You Choose the Right Temporary Housing?
Weigh four things before booking anything: how long the renovation will realistically take, what you can afford per month, whether pets or kids narrow your options, and how close you need to be to check on progress. A short-term rental ten minutes from your house beats a cheaper one across town if you’re planning to drop by after work most days.
Deciding where to stay during home renovation early, rather than scrambling once demolition starts, tends to save both money and stress. Homeowners who book accommodation before signing a renovation contract typically get better rates and more availability than those who wait until the crew shows up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where to stay during home renovation reddit
Most homeowners suggest temporary accommodation close by, whether a short-term rental, Airbnb, or staying with family comfort matters when your home is in chaos.
Temporary accommodation while renovating
Options range from extended-stay hotels to furnished rentals, chosen based on renovation length and budget.
Living in house during renovation
It’s possible for light projects, but dust, noise, and blocked utilities make it exhausting for major remodels.
Is it safe to live in a house while renovating
Safety depends on the scope structural work, exposed wiring, or air quality risks often mean it’s safer to relocate temporarily.
Temporary mobile home rental while building
A mobile home rental offers a flexible, on-site living solution during new builds, keeping you close to the project without daily commutes.
Airbnb
A popular short-term stay choice for renovation displacement, offering flexibility without long lease commitments.
Do I need to move out during renovation
Not always but for kitchen, bathroom, or whole-home projects, moving out keeps you safer and the work faster.
Vrbo
Like Airbnb, Vrbo provides temporary housing options, often better suited for families needing more space during renovation.
