The dust question: living in your house during a renovation, and how we keep it liveable
The part nobody tells you about a loft conversion is the dust. We hear that line at most first visits, usually second-hand from a friend's build: fine grey powder on every shelf, strangers in the house at 8am, a kitchen you cannot use, a toddler and a skip. It is a fair fear, and we would rather talk about it now than at week six. Living in the house during renovation is possible on most of the builds we do. Whether it is bearable comes down to how the builder plans it, so here is what we do, in the order it happens.
Why a loft is the kindest build to live through
A loft conversion is built from the outside in. Scaffold goes up, the roof is opened from above, steels go in through the roof, and the dormer is framed, felted and clad. By about week five it is weathertight. Until the stair opening is cut, our crew reach the loft by scaffold ladder, so the house below is barely touched: no trades through the hall and no dust down the stairs. That sequence is the single biggest reason most of our loft conversion clients stay at home for the whole build, and it is set out week by week in how long a loft conversion takes.
Extensions and whole-house renovations run the other way, because the kitchen or the ground floor is the site. They are still liveable, and we come to how below, but they need more planning and more honesty about the hard fortnight.
The one genuinely disruptive week, and how we plan it
On a loft it is the week the stair opening is cut. A section of ceiling comes out on the landing, the new stair goes in, and for the first time the loft and the house connect. There is no way to cut a hole in a ceiling quietly, so we plan around it instead:
- We agree the day with you in advance, and we suggest you are out for the cut itself if you can be.
- A zipped polythene dust door goes across the landing before the first cut. It stays until the stair is fitted and the loft is plastered.
- Rooms opening onto that landing are either emptied of soft furnishings or sheeted, at your choice.
- Cutting is done with on-tool extraction and vacuum, and the crew sweep, hoover and wipe down before they leave that evening.
- The stair itself is usually made and fitted within days of the cut, so the opening is not left raw. The regulations that shape where it goes are in our loft stairs guide.
On an extension the equivalent week is when the back wall opens up and the steels go in. The planning is the same: agreed dates, a sealed screen between site and house, and the kitchen already relocated before anyone picks up a breaker.
Protected zones, floor protection and the daily clean-down
Dust is a health risk before it is a nuisance. The HSE is blunt about it, and the people breathing it all day are our crew. So the routine that keeps your home clean is the same routine that keeps them well, and it is not optional on our sites.
Before the first tool comes out we agree one route from the front door to the work, and protect it: hardboard or corrugated plastic over floors, treads and risers covered on the stairs, door frames padded where materials will pass. The work zone gets zipped doors on every opening. Furniture that cannot move is sheeted; the photo at the top of this page is a kitchen on one of our sites, covered exactly like that. Windows in the work zone stay shut, and doors to the rest of the house stay closed.
Then, every day: tools away, walkways cleared, floors swept and hoovered, surfaces wiped in the areas we have used. Waste is bagged and taken out along the agreed route to the skip on set days, and rubble is never left inside overnight. At the end of the build the whole zone gets a builders' clean before you see it.
The clock matters as much as the sheeting. We start at 8am. Bristol City Council's standard planning condition for construction limits audible work to 8am to 6pm on weekdays and 8am to 1pm on Saturdays, with nothing on Sundays or bank holidays, and we keep to those hours whether or not a condition applies. Noisy tasks, breaking out or chasing walls, are booked for the middle of the day where we can, after the school run and before homework. If you work from home, tell us which days matter and we will plan around them.
Living in the house during renovation: kitchens, bathrooms and the things you cannot be without
At the survey we ask questions that have nothing to do with joists: how many of you there are, whether anyone is under five, works shifts or works from the back bedroom, and whether there is a dog. Those answers shape the programme.
If the kitchen is coming out, we set up a temporary one in another room before we start: worktop, hob, fridge, microwave, and a sink connection where the plumbing allows. We tell you how many days the main kitchen will be out of action before we begin, and we hold to it. If the family bathroom is part of the work, we sequence it so there is always a working toilet and a way to wash. Water is off for hours, never days, and never overnight. On a loft with an en-suite, the plumbing ties in during first fix and you will barely notice.
There are builds where moving out for a fortnight is the sane answer: a whole-house renovation with the floors up, or a rear extension where the only kitchen and the only bathroom are both in the work zone. We will say so at quote stage. Our FAQ page says the same in fewer words: it depends on the scale, the timescale, kitchen access, bathroom availability and who lives there.
What clients say about our sites
We could describe our sites all day, so here is someone else doing it. An FMB verified review reads: "They would begin work at 8am without fail, communicate the process to me at all times… The site was kept immaculately clean and organised. Most importantly, their attitude around the site made them a joy to have around."
Immaculately clean is the standard, and it is not a marketing line. Dan and Craig named the company after their grandfathers, both builders, with a stated aim of giving builders a better name. The state of the landing at 5pm is where that either happens or it does not. The founders' story explains why it matters to them personally.
Our site promises, in writing
These go into your quote, where they count for more than words on a website:
- We start at 8am and work within Bristol's standard construction hours, with no Sunday or bank holiday working.
- The route and the work zone are protected and sealed before the first tool comes out.
- Every working day ends with a clean-down. The house is left tidy each evening.
- Waste goes out on an agreed routine, and rubble is never left inside overnight.
- You have a working toilet and running water every night, and a kitchen plan agreed before we start.
- You have one named contact, Dan or Craig, and a short update every day.
- We tell you the disruptive days in advance, so you can be out if you want to be.
Frequently asked questions
Can you live in your house during a loft conversion?
Yes, and most of our clients do. A loft is built from the outside in, so until the stair opening is cut the crew reach it by scaffold ladder and the house below is barely touched. Once the stair goes in, the landing is sealed with a zipped dust door and cleaned down daily.
How much dust does a loft conversion make?
Some, and anyone who says none is not being straight with you. The worst of it is the week the stair opening is cut. We limit it with a sealed dust door, on-tool extraction, floor protection and a sweep, hoover and wipe-down every evening, so it stays in the work zone rather than in your bedrooms.
What hours do builders work in Bristol?
Bristol City Council's standard planning condition limits audible construction work to 8am to 6pm on weekdays and 8am to 1pm on Saturdays, with nothing on Sundays or bank holidays. We start at 8am and keep to those hours on every site, whether or not a planning condition applies.
Can we stay in the house during an extension or renovation?
It depends on the scale, the timescale, kitchen access, bathroom availability and who lives there. Many clients stay, with a temporary kitchen set up before work starts. On a whole-house renovation or an extension that takes out the only kitchen and bathroom, moving out for a fortnight is sometimes the sane answer, and we will say so at quote stage.
Who cleans up after the builders?
We do. Every working day ends with tools away, floors swept and hoovered and surfaces wiped in the areas we have used, and the work zone gets a builders' clean before handover. You should not need to hire a cleaner to make your own home usable during the build.
Come and see a site we're working on. That tells you more than any brochure. Ask us to arrange it and we'll call you back within one working day.
