Quick answer
Yes, you can often live in your home during a whole-house remodel in the Twin Cities, but only when the work is phased so that at least one bathroom, a place to sleep, and a basic food-prep area stay usable at all times. For focused projects that tackle the house one zone at a time, many families stay put. For comprehensive remodels that take the kitchen and every bathroom offline at once, moving out for the core construction period, typically 3 to 8 months, is usually safer, less stressful, and faster.
The right answer depends less on your tolerance for dust and more on three practical questions: Will you always have a working bathroom? Will your heat, water, and power stay on? And is anyone in the household especially vulnerable to dust, noise, or lead from older paint?
Staying vs. moving out: how to decide
Every whole-house project is different, but the decision usually comes down to scope, phasing, and who lives in the home.
Staying usually works when…
- The project can be phased. Your design-build team can finish the upper level while you live on the main floor, then swap. Each phase adds some time but keeps the house livable.
- You have a second bathroom that stays untouched until another one is finished.
- Mechanical systems stay in service. If the furnace, water heater, and electrical service are not being replaced at the same time, daily life is far more manageable.
- Your household is flexible. Adults who work outside the home or travel often handle construction better than families with toddlers or a parent working from home full-time.
Moving out usually makes sense when…
- The kitchen and all bathrooms are under construction at the same time. A kitchen alone can be out of service for 7 to 12 weeks of active construction, and you can't work around having no bathroom.
- Walls are being removed or the floor plan is opening up. Structural work, new beams, and stair relocations create dust, vibration, and safety hazards that containment can only partly control.
- Systems are being replaced. Planned shutoffs for water, power, or heat are disruptive any time of year, and in a Minnesota winter they can be a real problem.
- Your home was built before 1978 and painted surfaces will be disturbed. More on that below.
- Someone in the home is very young, elderly, or sensitive to dust.
There's also a schedule argument. Crews can work faster when they don't have to set up and tear down a clean path every evening. On comprehensive projects, moving out can shorten the overall timeline, which helps offset what temporary housing costs.
If you stay: how to make it livable
Living through a remodel takes planning. These are the steps that make the biggest difference.
Agree on a phasing plan before construction starts
Ask your contractor to map out which rooms will be offline in each phase, and for how long. A good phasing plan also spells out the order of the "must-haves": which bathroom stays in service, where the temporary kitchen goes, and where everyone sleeps. If you're staying, phasing should be built into the design, not improvised halfway through the build.
Set up a temporary kitchen
Most families set up a temporary kitchen in a dining room, laundry room, or basement with a refrigerator, microwave, coffee maker, and a countertop induction burner or electric skillet. A utility sink or laundry tub makes dishwashing much easier.
Insist on dust containment and a clean path
Zip-wall barriers, floor protection, negative-air machines, and sealed HVAC returns keep construction dust from reaching the rest of the house. Agree on a separate entrance for the crew if possible, and on a daily cleanup standard for the areas you walk through.
Know the work hours and shutoff schedule
Ask for advance notice before any planned water, power, or gas shutoff, and make sure you know the crew's typical hours. Construction usually starts early in the morning, which matters if anyone in your household works nights or has a baby who naps.
Protect pets and valuables
Open doors, loud tools, and strangers coming and going are hard on pets. Our guide to keeping pets comfortable during a whole-home remodel covers that in detail. Move fragile items, artwork, and important documents out of active work zones before demolition.
If you move out: planning temporary housing
- Book for the realistic timeline, plus a buffer. Most Twin Cities whole-home remodels involve 3 to 8 months of construction, and complex projects can approach a year. A furnished rental with a flexible month-to-month extension protects you if hidden conditions add weeks.
- Stay close. A rental in the same school district or within a short drive makes site visits, design decisions, and walk-throughs much easier.
- Put housing in the budget. Temporary housing is a real project cost. Plan for it alongside your contingency instead of treating it as an afterthought.
- Talk to your insurance agent. Homeowners policies' "loss of use" coverage is generally tied to damage from a covered event, not a planned renovation, so don't assume it applies. Ask, too, whether your policy needs a change while the home is under construction and unoccupied.
- Forward mail and secure the house. Arrange key or lockbox access for the crew, and decide who will check the property after storms or deep cold snaps.
What Twin Cities homeowners should know
Local housing stock and Minnesota rules shape this decision more than many homeowners expect.
Older homes and lead-safe work
Much of the housing in Minneapolis and St. Paul dates to the early 1900s, and many homes in Edina and Minnetonka were built between the 1940s and 1970s. In any home built before 1978, federal EPA lead-safe rules (the Renovation, Repair and Painting rule) require renovation firms to be certified and to use trained renovators when they disturb painted surfaces. The Minnesota Department of Health is currently working on rules to take over that program at the state level. Containment and cleanup protect everyone, but if there are young children or a pregnant family member in the home, staying somewhere else during demolition and sanding is often the more cautious choice. Ask your contractor about lead-safe practices before work begins.
Smoke and CO alarms during and after the work
When a building permit is required, Minneapolis requires smoke alarms in each sleeping room, outside each sleeping area, and on every level, including basements. Homes with fuel-burning appliances or an attached garage also need carbon monoxide alarms within 10 feet of each sleeping area. If you're living in the house during construction, make sure working alarms stay in place near every room where people sleep, even while walls are open. Suburbs such as Edina and Minnetonka follow the same Minnesota State Building Code alarm requirements.
Winter changes the math
Interior work continues all year in Minnesota, but living through a remodel in January isn't the same as in June. Heating shutoffs, open exterior walls, or window replacement in cold weather push many families toward moving out during the core phase. Others plan their most disruptive phase for late spring or summer, when the windows can stay open for ventilation and the kids can spend more time outdoors.
Permits and inspections still apply
Whether you stay or go, a whole-house remodel needs building permits and separate trade permits for electrical, plumbing, and mechanical work. Minneapolis and St. Paul run their own permit and inspection departments. Our Twin Cities remodeling permits guide explains what's typically required. If you're staying, plan to be available, or have someone at the house, when inspectors need access.
Frequently asked questions
Can you live in a house without a kitchen during a remodel?
Yes. Most families manage with a temporary kitchen set up in another room. The kitchen is the room you can work around most easily. A household without a working bathroom is the real deal-breaker.
Is it cheaper to stay in my home during a whole-house remodel?
Staying saves on rent, but phasing the work around occupants usually adds time and labor, and that cost can offset some of the savings. On comprehensive projects, moving out often lets crews finish faster. Ask your contractor to price the project both ways.
How long would I need temporary housing?
Plan around the construction phase rather than the full project, since design and permitting happen before you need to leave. For most whole-home remodels, that means roughly 3 to 8 months, with a buffer for surprises in older homes.
Is construction dust dangerous?
Ordinary drywall dust is mainly an irritant, but disturbing paint in pre-1978 homes can release lead dust. That's why certified lead-safe practices, containment, and thorough cleanup matter, and why families with young children often choose to move out during demolition.
Plan your whole-house remodel with Executive Remodeling
Whether you plan to stay or move out, the best outcome starts with a clear phasing plan and an honest timeline. Executive Remodeling is a design-build firm serving homeowners throughout the Twin Cities metro, including Edina, Minneapolis, Minnetonka, and St. Paul. We'll help you decide which approach fits your home, your family, and your schedule before demolition begins. Contact us to schedule a consultation and start planning your whole-house remodel.
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