Has anyone had major home/apartment renovations done?

My apartment will undergo major renovations starting soon. Gonna be a pain the ass frankly for at least a month.
If you had renovations done, how long did it take?

Icy, I've had some work done through grant money, so I have a little idea, but you know there are so many factors to consider like what you want (or has to be) done, and if any hidden problems are uncovered while renovating that you need to deal with, and the contractor's work pace and how much help he has.

I think a minimum of 6 weeks is a safe bet, no more than 12 for sure. Try to get it on contract even if allowances for unforeseen problems is made and do not pay in full up front. Ever. Many will say don't pay anything at all up front. I wouldn't in most cases pay a dime up front.

Thanks for the tips, July. It's just more stress in my life that I don't need.

Thanks for the tips, July. It's just more stress in my life that I don't need.

You're welcome. I felt bad because no one else answered you.

I've actually had work done twice, I forgot that I'd hired someone to enclose my 30 foot front porch years ago. That was the 12 week job. The first guy I hired was a friend, who I didn't know couldn't read and was dyslexic. There were a dozen windows I wanted framed in at equal, measured out spaces. They were being put in scattered, willy nilly. I didn't know he couldn't work with a measuring tape or do math, so he was gone. Can you imagine?

The second guy was recommended and was a relative of another friend. This should have been a 3 weekend job, but he only came out when he felt like it. He had to redo the mess the other guy left and then do the siding. It took him forever working maybe 6 hours a week. He didn't do such a good job either.

The fire department that came when my smoke detectors were going off found that he hadn't capped off any of the wiring splices he'd made. I had several outlets wired in, some down through the porch floor into lights wiring in the basement. Spliced copper wires very close to touching the plywood porch floorand left bare. Such a simple job to put the required caps over the wire ends even I could have done it - If I had inspected, my bad for not knowing any better~Plus, when I told them who'd done it, they shook their heads and said "no wonder". Get references other than relatives of the contractor!

Hopefully you won't run into any idiots, Icy. just stay on top of them but don't let it stress you, just keep imagining how nice the renovations are going to be. I'm really curious about what you're having done!

Well, I apologize for not jumping right in and answering. My ex renovated our house in Illinois and it took him 10 years to redo the bathroom. I didn't think anyone wanted to or needed that information so I didn't say anything about it. Apparently I was wrong.

Thanks for the tips, July. It's just more stress in my life that I don't need.

You're welcome. I felt bad because no one else answered you.

I've actually had work done twice, I forgot that I'd hired someone to enclose my 30 foot front porch years ago. That was the 12 week job. The first guy I hired was a friend, who I didn't know couldn't read and was dyslexic. There were a dozen windows I wanted framed in at equal, measured out spaces. They were being put in scattered, willy nilly. I didn't know he couldn't work with a measuring tape or do math, so he was gone. Can you imagine?

The second guy was recommended and was a relative of another friend. This should have been a 3 weekend job, but he only came out when he felt like it. He had to redo the mess the other guy left and then do the siding. It took him forever working maybe 6 hours a week. He didn't do such a good job either.

The fire department that came when my smoke detectors were going off found that he hadn't capped off any of the wiring splices he'd made. I had several outlets wired in, some down through the porch floor into lights wiring in the basement. Spliced copper wires very close to touching the plywood porch floorand left bare. Such a simple job to put the required caps over the wire ends even I could have done it - If I had inspected, my bad for not knowing any better~Plus, when I told them who'd done it, they shook their heads and said "no wonder". Get references other than relatives of the contractor!

Hopefully you won't run into any idiots, Icy. just stay on top of them but don't let it stress you, just keep imagining how nice the renovations are going to be. I'm really curious about what you're having done!

Yikes, especially at the smoke detectors.
There was flooding to do with busted pipes in January. Quite hairy for a couple of days. Mess was thankfully cleaned up pretty quick. Some clothes and books had to be discarded, the books gave me a pang.
I rent an apartment, maybe I should have clarified. My landlord wants to completely redo this place as he did with other his other apartments. No money out of my pocket to pay for renovations, but it's stressful nonetheless. I'm the one packing and storing my belongings, pretty hard to do with my back issues. I will stay with a family member, which I'm not happy about. I would have preferred to stay in another apartment, too late now I guess. It will take at least a month i was told earlier today. So there's that.

(Thanks for letting me ramble here. Wasn't sure if this type of thread belonged in Save Me or not, but I hope it's alright here. )

Well, I apologize for not jumping right in and answering. My ex renovated our house in Illinois and it took him 10 years to redo the bathroom. I didn't think anyone wanted to or needed that information so I didn't say anything about it. Apparently I was wrong.

Inny, I'm surprised I got any replies at all. That said like any thread/post people will reply if they want to.
Well, you know how I feel about my landlord. And with everything else in the last few months, it's more stress I don't need. It's stress on top of stress constantly.

Icy, I thought you were renting since you said apartments, but in some parts of the world people buy them, so I wasn't sure.

Well, for sure your landlord will make it as quick as possible, since it's coming out of his pocket he won't want to be paying help for any longer than necessary, plus he will be out rent money until you can be back in. If he thinks it's a month, that sounds like a heck of a long time, but that's 4 weeks, and really not so long.

Packing your stuff is a pain for sure!

I couldn't move unless I left everything behind and just took what I could carry, and even that would have to be less than 10 pounds. What a job ahead for you!

Are you going to try to take everything with you or keep a lot of it in storage? Moving one's belongings into someone else's belongings is never fun and I know it must feel awkward.

My one excellent landlord I had when I lived in 'the city' renovated things a little at a time, so I never was inconvenienced, except for when he renovated the bathroom and I had to put my "not allowed" cat in the car while I was at work, because her favorite hiding place from his was in the bathtub. So in the car she went, and she got out, bit a neighbor for picking her up and oh God that's a long story and kind of funny...remind me to tell you sometime.

I take it you don't have any little pets anymore? :'(

For what it's worth, my parents had their kitchen completely redone last fall, and I think it took about two months, more or less. But it does look REALLY nice, though. The funny part was that they found four layers of flooring when they tore it up to put a new floor in. I wondered if they found that everything in the kitchen seemed a little higher-up afterwards.

What works out pretty good for them, and even for me sometimes at that matter, is that they're members of a few boat clubs in the area, so it's like whenever they need something done like that, they always seem to "know a guy". Like for one example, I think I might, at some point in the kinda-near future, need the services of a lawyer, and they already told me that if their lawyer friend doesn't deal with the kind of thing I'm dealing with, he'll know someone who does. Sometimes it's good to have connections, I guess!

Icy, I thought you were renting since you said apartments, but in some parts of the world people buy them, so I wasn't sure.

Well, for sure your landlord will make it as quick as possible, since it's coming out of his pocket he won't want to be paying help for any longer than necessary, plus he will be out rent money until you can be back in. If he thinks it's a month, that sounds like a heck of a long time, but that's 4 weeks, and really not so long.

Packing your stuff is a pain for sure!

I couldn't move unless I left everything behind and just took what I could carry, and even that would have to be less than 10 pounds. What a job ahead for you!

Are you going to try to take everything with you or keep a lot of it in storage? Moving one's belongings into someone else's belongings is never fun and I know it must feel awkward.

My one excellent landlord I had when I lived in 'the city' renovated things a little at a time, so I never was inconvenienced, except for when he renovated the bathroom and I had to put my "not allowed" cat in the car while I was at work, because her favorite hiding place from his was in the bathtub. So in the car she went, and she got out, bit a neighbor for picking her up and oh God that's a long story and kind of funny...remind me to tell you sometime.

I take it you don't have any little pets anymore? :'(

Thanks again July.
I have storage but it's already filled and no other ones are available. So it's going in a family member's basement, but it's nearly filled already.
I haven't had a pet since 2015. First time in my life without having one. Tell me about your cat story, I could use a distraction right now.

For what it's worth, my parents had their kitchen completely redone last fall, and I think it took about two months, more or less. But it does look REALLY nice, though. The funny part was that they found four layers of flooring when they tore it up to put a new floor in. I wondered if they found that everything in the kitchen seemed a little higher-up afterwards.

What works out pretty good for them, and even for me sometimes at that matter, is that they're members of a few boat clubs in the area, so it's like whenever they need something done like that, they always seem to "know a guy". Like for one example, I think I might, at some point in the kinda-near future, need the services of a lawyer, and they already told me that if their lawyer friend doesn't deal with the kind of thing I'm dealing with, he'll know someone who does. Sometimes it's good to have connections, I guess!

Connections are good. I wish I had that. It reminds me of home how everyone came together to pitch in and help. It's not like that here. I wish it was.

Icy, I thought you were renting since you said apartments, but in some parts of the world people buy them, so I wasn't sure.

Well, for sure your landlord will make it as quick as possible, since it's coming out of his pocket he won't want to be paying help for any longer than necessary, plus he will be out rent money until you can be back in. If he thinks it's a month, that sounds like a heck of a long time, but that's 4 weeks, and really not so long.

Packing your stuff is a pain for sure!

I couldn't move unless I left everything behind and just took what I could carry, and even that would have to be less than 10 pounds. What a job ahead for you!

Are you going to try to take everything with you or keep a lot of it in storage? Moving one's belongings into someone else's belongings is never fun and I know it must feel awkward.

My one excellent landlord I had when I lived in 'the city' renovated things a little at a time, so I never was inconvenienced, except for when he renovated the bathroom and I had to put my "not allowed" cat in the car while I was at work, because her favorite hiding place from his was in the bathtub. So in the car she went, and she got out, bit a neighbor for picking her up and oh God that's a long story and kind of funny...remind me to tell you sometime.

I take it you don't have any little pets anymore? :'(

Thanks again July.
I have storage but it's already filled and no other ones are available. So it's going in a family member's basement, but it's nearly filled already.
I haven't had a pet since 2015. First time in my life without having one. Tell me about your cat story, I could use a distraction right now.
Connections are good. I wish I had that. It reminds me of home how everyone came together to pitch in and help. It's not like that here. I wish it was.

Okay! Well, this was about 38 years ago, maybe one or two more. My mom had talked me into getting this black and white kitten domestic longhair, Tigger, even though it was a no pet place. The landlord was a wonderful guy and I don't know if he ever knew she was there (cat box odors?). I had had her for over a year. Tigger would get into the bathtub when anyone knocked on the door, so all I had to do was close her in.

The landlord was putting a new tub surround in that day so I stuck her out in the car, with food and water, and went to work. I can't remember where or what my ex was doing or what I was driving or if he took me. He did drive me when I was pregnant with our daughter because he was driving the day he had to stop and let me throw up on the sidewalk in front of the Catholic Church. (another story).

This paragraph is full of anecdotes.

Anyway, he said Tigger had gotten out of the car, and a neighbor lady tried to pick her up and got bit. She called animal control and they took her to the pound. Well, I was devastated my fur baby was locked up so my ex took me to the dog pound and I pleaded such a pitiful story the attendant let me take Tigger home.

Not too long after that, like the next day, two dudes in official uniform knocked at my door insisting I give back the cat, or face being arrested myself. Honestly now I can see their point, she was being held for the 10 day rabies quarantine. She had had her shots, I lived in the city limits and there were laws about that. Apparently that didn't matter.

I didn't "hand" her over, I just stood out of the way and let them find her. I or one of us went to visit her every day until the quarantine was up and I was able to bring her home. When my mom used to come and visit, Tigger would get into her suitcase on packing day, like she wanted to go. We took her with us when we moved to the country, and she lived several years until getting Cancer. It was a large long lump between her front legs. I had the Vet remove it, but it came back which on animals they always do, and I lost her.

Oops, sorry that ended on a sad note. She was a great little girl, never even bothered my parakeets and never bit anyone again either. (I think that neighbor lady lied)

Aww. Cats sure give lots of memories!

Instead of making a curse filled post, I'm gonna leave this here