J
JahneKess3 Jan 2017 10:54Hello,
we are currently buying a house built in 1900, last extensively renovated in the 1960s. After an inspection with an architect, it’s clear that the building structure is good, but the typical work needs to be done: water pipes, electrical system, bathrooms, kitchen, floors (and their insulation, there is no basement), walls, windows, heating... Fortunately, the layout will remain the same.
We are under time pressure because we are currently renting, and the landlord has announced personal use. Ideally, we would like to rent a small apartment during the renovation period and then move in comfortably. This idea is now fading away, as we simply cannot find anything (with 2 children and a cat). We have been searching for 3 months with no success. The prospect of only short-term renting is not attractive to landlords, vacation rentals and temporary worker accommodations don’t exist here or are mostly fully booked for the spring or prefer “real” holiday guests.
What now?
Our current considerations:
- Temporarily prepare 1-2 rooms in the house for living and place a mobile bathroom unit with a shower and toilet in the garden. Disadvantage: living in the middle of the mess, which is terrible, especially if a child is sick and next door tiles are being broken up :-(
- A construction trailer or camper in the garden. Disadvantages: where to dispose of the wastewater? No usable shower (told by an experienced camper). No idea how to connect such units!?
What alternatives are there? How did you manage this? Surely there are people who renovate a house completely while already living in it... do they all move out? Is it possible to live like this for 3-4 months? Where do you do laundry (no laundromat nearby!), how do you shower? Where does the power come from when the electricians dismantle the wiring?
Thanks for any advice!
we are currently buying a house built in 1900, last extensively renovated in the 1960s. After an inspection with an architect, it’s clear that the building structure is good, but the typical work needs to be done: water pipes, electrical system, bathrooms, kitchen, floors (and their insulation, there is no basement), walls, windows, heating... Fortunately, the layout will remain the same.
We are under time pressure because we are currently renting, and the landlord has announced personal use. Ideally, we would like to rent a small apartment during the renovation period and then move in comfortably. This idea is now fading away, as we simply cannot find anything (with 2 children and a cat). We have been searching for 3 months with no success. The prospect of only short-term renting is not attractive to landlords, vacation rentals and temporary worker accommodations don’t exist here or are mostly fully booked for the spring or prefer “real” holiday guests.
What now?
Our current considerations:
- Temporarily prepare 1-2 rooms in the house for living and place a mobile bathroom unit with a shower and toilet in the garden. Disadvantage: living in the middle of the mess, which is terrible, especially if a child is sick and next door tiles are being broken up :-(
- A construction trailer or camper in the garden. Disadvantages: where to dispose of the wastewater? No usable shower (told by an experienced camper). No idea how to connect such units!?
What alternatives are there? How did you manage this? Surely there are people who renovate a house completely while already living in it... do they all move out? Is it possible to live like this for 3-4 months? Where do you do laundry (no laundromat nearby!), how do you shower? Where does the power come from when the electricians dismantle the wiring?
Thanks for any advice!
I wouldn’t recommend that. I would only move in once the renovation is completely finished.
We took 14 months for our full renovation. We also lived in the house beforehand.
During that time, we moved in with our parents-in-law and had just one room of 16 cm² (172 ft²). That worked quite well since we didn’t have children yet.
It worked out pretty well, but you first need to have that option.
And forget the idea that a full renovation can be done in just a few months. Being pressured by time is a very bad adviser.
You’re in a tight spot. First, make sure you have somewhere to live.
Why would you inform your future or potential landlords that you only plan to stay there briefly? Usually, you don’t have to disclose that information.
We took 14 months for our full renovation. We also lived in the house beforehand.
During that time, we moved in with our parents-in-law and had just one room of 16 cm² (172 ft²). That worked quite well since we didn’t have children yet.
It worked out pretty well, but you first need to have that option.
And forget the idea that a full renovation can be done in just a few months. Being pressured by time is a very bad adviser.
You’re in a tight spot. First, make sure you have somewhere to live.
Why would you inform your future or potential landlords that you only plan to stay there briefly? Usually, you don’t have to disclose that information.
Hello,
I would suggest something along those lines as well. Apart from the fact that it probably won’t be such a short stay after all. I would comfortably plan for a good year.
Regards,
Andreas
Koempy schrieb:
Why do you inform your future and potential landlords that you only intend to live there briefly? You usually don’t have to disclose that information.
I would suggest something along those lines as well. Apart from the fact that it probably won’t be such a short stay after all. I would comfortably plan for a good year.
Regards,
Andreas
J
JahneKess3 Jan 2017 12:20Thanks for your responses!
As I said: we are looking for an apartment, which is the best and easiest solution for us. But where are we supposed to find one? The kids need to attend kindergarten and school, we both work in different locations (in opposite directions), so naturally, we don’t have an unlimited search radius. Especially since we will also have a construction site to manage ;-)
We have been searching for an apartment for 3 months! We read listings every day, have put up notices ourselves, and constantly ask all our friends and acquaintances... but what can you do? When 14 people show up for a viewing and half of them have better income and no children or pets, the chances are simply low. And of course, it’s not written on my T-shirt that we plan to move out after X months. But if you’re told upfront that you have to sign a 3-year lease, there’s no point in even considering it.
And precisely because of this location, we are looking for an alternative. We have to find somewhere to go!
As I said: we are looking for an apartment, which is the best and easiest solution for us. But where are we supposed to find one? The kids need to attend kindergarten and school, we both work in different locations (in opposite directions), so naturally, we don’t have an unlimited search radius. Especially since we will also have a construction site to manage ;-)
We have been searching for an apartment for 3 months! We read listings every day, have put up notices ourselves, and constantly ask all our friends and acquaintances... but what can you do? When 14 people show up for a viewing and half of them have better income and no children or pets, the chances are simply low. And of course, it’s not written on my T-shirt that we plan to move out after X months. But if you’re told upfront that you have to sign a 3-year lease, there’s no point in even considering it.
And precisely because of this location, we are looking for an alternative. We have to find somewhere to go!
J
JahneKess3 Jan 2017 13:03Our landlord is my husband’s uncle and needs our house for personal use because his wife has multiple sclerosis and is finding it increasingly difficult to climb the three floors in their old apartment. They gave us nine months’ notice, during which we needed time to figure things out (buy or rent a house? Where? What do we want?) and to find a property (which we have now). And even if they were just moving for fun, I wouldn’t be that unpleasant as to push things to the extreme, because I can’t accept an uncomfortable solution for myself. Likewise, I wouldn’t lie to a private landlord if they asked whether we intend to rent long-term... everything has to be handled without being unpleasant :-)
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