Which Room You Should Start With To Survive Your Live-In Renovation

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Completing a home renovation while you're still living in it isn't a task for the faint of heart. Prepare yourself for a lot of dust, ruckus, and a heck of a lot of learning curves along the way. However, there's a way to make the experience a bit more manageable, and it's by being strategic about which room to renovate first.

While everyone may have different tricks and tips to help prepare you for a home renovation, there does seem to be one thing many experts and homeowners with live-in renovation experience agree on, and it's starting with the kitchen. Home improvement expert and founder of AllStar, Tom Nolan told Martha Stewart, "The kitchen is one of the best places to start when redoing your home." He explained that it's usually this part of the renovation that takes the longest, so getting a start there will help families get back to a sense of normalcy in no time.

Knocking out the kitchen, which is an essential hub in most homes, will help you return to your normal routine quickly, and you won't have to rely on an awkward makeshift kitchen or takeout for too long. Budgeting is another factor, kitchens often take up a lot of the budget in a renovation. Once the kitchen is complete, you'll have a better sense of how much flexibility you have for the rest of the project.

If you're thinking about what to tackle after the kitchen, or perhaps your kitchen doesn't even need a renovation, and you want to know what should be another top priority, it's the bathroom. It's another high-use room that's essential in an everyday routine. So, having at least one functional bathroom is critical in surviving a live-in renovation.

Similar to kitchens, bathroom renovations will likely require a lot of plumbing and electrical work. That alone can make it one of the most time-consuming and complicated parts of the project. With that in mind, you'll want to approach the bathroom with a lot of strategy and research. Make sure to look into the best bathroom renovation tips to make educated decisions and consider staggering the bathroom renovations instead of doing all at once. Not planning carefully and extensively for the bathroom renovation seems to be a major regret for many homeowners.

With the kitchen and bathroom completed first, you'll be able to get your key spaces back in working order, which will make the remainder of the project much more doable. Once these high-priority rooms are done, feel free to shift your focus to any of the other rooms you have such as bedrooms, living rooms, and dining rooms. These are rooms that, while under renovation, won't cause as much disruption to your daily life.

While it's difficult to create a makeshift bathroom, setting up other temporary spaces to do essential things like cooking and sleeping will make your live-in renovation a whole lot easier. For a makeshift kitchen, prepare essentials like a microwave, a slow cooker, and a portable cooktop like the Nuwave Gold Precision Portable Induction Cooktop. A mini fridge or a reliable cooler can help keep basic groceries and leftovers on hand, so you're not limited to takeout. A dedicated prep area would also be a great addition to your makeshift kitchen.

For sleeping and relaxing, opt for a space that's as far away from all of the construction chaos as possible. Setting up barriers by hanging up curtains will help prevent dust from entering the space and give you a decent sense of privacy. Planning and setting up these kinds of temporary living spaces will make your live-in renovation a little less challenging.

Often, the hardest question is whether you should stay or temporarily move out when renovating your home. Moving out may save you from disruptions, but it's not always realistic if you're working with a strict budget or schedule. Some research, strategic planning, and preparing temporary living spaces will give you a middle ground to work with.