Where should I live during my home build?

Where should I live during my home build? This is a common concern amongst our clients. While the choice is ultimately yours, we do have some insight worth considering before making a final decision.

When deciding where to live while building a new home, clients often state, “This is only temporary.” While this statement is true, we want to remind you that building a custom home often takes a year. Let’s think about that…

Twelve months. Birthdays. Anniversaries. Easter. Fourth of July. Back to School. Halloween. Thanksgiving. Christmas. 365 days…

Where do you want to spend those 365 days? Where do you want to celebrate an entire year’s worth of special occasions?

Temporary / Short-term Housing?

When we moved to California way back in 1999, we lived in an extended stay hotel for six weeks because the apartment we wanted to rent was not available. In our 20s, we stayed in a rental condo, only unpacking the necessities, for four weeks until we closed on our first home. Those were temporary.

Living in a hotel. Leaving most of your personal belongings packed and in storage. Well, that’s okay short-term. But is an entire year really short-term?

Saving Money?

We completely understand that finances must be taken into consideration when choosing where to live while building a custom home. Because of that, some clients choose to rent a smaller space in an effort to save a bit of money. And often because they say, “It’s temporary.”

Let’s go back to the extended stay we lived in for six weeks… It was like a studio apartment—one open room with a separate bathroom. If Brandi wanted to watch TV and Dane needed to work… Well, hopefully the noise didn’t bother him. It was less than ideal.

Think about the space you are considering living in. A two-bedroom apartment with you, your spouse, kids, and the dog. An Airbnb so you don’t have to unpack all the boxes. Your in-law’s guest bedroom.

Will the space you are considering work for a year? Will it even work for a few months? A few weeks?

Building is a process…

Building a custom home is a process. There are fun parts. And there are not so fun parts. If you will allow us to be 100% honest, there will be some stressful days. And on top of building a new home, you will still have to go to work, run the errands, take care of the family…

So, where should I live during my home build?

So, our suggestion about where to live while building your home…

If you can stay in your current home, do that! You’ll be comfortable, have all your personal belongings, and will only have to pack once!

If you need to sell your current home before closing on your new one… Well, we get it. We do suggest that you move into a space that will comfortably house your entire family. And we suggest that you go ahead and unpack your stuff. Because leaving boxes in storage… It’s quite inconvenient, as you always seem to need something that’s packed away.

We strongly discourage you from staying in a hotel, Airbnb, tiny home, or any space that isn’t really big enough for your family. Speaking of family… We do not recommend living with extended family while building.

Ultimately, whether you are needing somewhere to stay for the entire 12-month build or just four weeks because your current home sold and your new home isn’t quite finished, we encourage you to move into a space where your entire family will be comfortable, with a bit of elbow room!

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