I would do the apartment!! When we were renovating our house we had a 30 minute commute between our apartment and the house, and what I would have given to have been closer! After days of working all I wanted to do was shower and relax… and that drive was just so daunting. Plus, it’s 3 months! Not that long to deal with the extra money going out, and it’ll be in the school district for the kiddies. :)

I spent 15 months in a 2 bedroom 1 bath 950 sq ft apartment with my two boys as we went from our 2000 sq ft house to our own Underdog. My best advice is, make sure you rent first floor because we were on the 2nd floor and EVERYONE hated us who lived below us AND do not stay with family no matter how great free sounds. Your sanity is worth so much more! HH has the right idea, two bedrooms during these next few months are needed!

RENT AN APARTMENT OR SUBLET A HOUSE!!!!

Rent the apartment. Being closer to the Underdog and work is worth it. It is super sweet of your dad to offer his basement and things would work out well there, but you will feel more relaxed (ha ha- relaxed and renovation don’t really jive, but you won’t feel so pressed for time during the day because you are spending time on the road)
Is it really the money that is keeping you from going for the apartment, or is it emotional ties to your dad? Seriously the apartment wins for me.

I would definitely go with the apartment for the commute alone! Not sure what types of vehicles you guys have, but my husband and I both have SUVs and the cost of gas alone would make it worth going the renting route.

I’ve never been in your predicament, but when I was 3 my parents were building the house they’re in now and we lived with my mom’s parents. I vaguely remember it, and have to say I had fun while we lived there. I loved playing with my grandparents everyday. Granted, I was 3, so I didn’t see the whole big picture. Anyways, that’s my 2 cents. Best of luck with everything! I love following you and your family on this journey! You guys are so great!

@ everyone – Loving all the advice! Keep it coming…I haven’t looked for an apartment since college and back then all I was concerned with was floor space for a mattress, a toilet and a shower. Never thought about the apartment living needs {i.e. first floor} for a family of four!

if it were me, i would choose the apartment because i truly cannot deal with long commutes. it would wear on me which would in turn wear on our family! i know it wouldn’t save as much money, but since you’re still saving money once you lose the big mortgage, saving my sanity would be worth the extra money spent each month! hope you figure out the solution that works best for your family!

We just finished renovating our new home and for a large part of the renovation we lived an hour away…..it totally sucked…sorry for the language but there is no nice way to put it. It was so miserable that we decided to move into the new place two weeks before the carpet and laminate were installed. We set up a bed and a breakfast table and left everything else in storage and lived with the concrete floors and the dusty mess for for two weeks straight…this was also miserable but much better than spending all day in the mess and then driving an hour home. So, my vote is to save your sanity and GO WITH THE APARTMENT!!!!

Apartment. The cost is worth your sanity and the better commute@

Definitely rent the apartment. We had to rent for 4 months while building our current house. The situation wasn’t ideal, but we were just a few minutes away from the construction site and were able to visit frequently and remember how temporary the situation was! I think it is also so important to start and stay in those new schools, and sometimes apartments have good playgrounds and such you can enjoy since the weather won’t be too cold yet. And you can get used to your new neighborhood a bit. The downside to apt living when we did it was that the people living below us complained about our noise… and at the time we had ONE 18-month old who went to bed at 7 PM every night! Some places are better with noise than others.

apartment..or maybe even a small house in the area for rent (so you have a yard for the boys…if you can find a house that would do a short term lease).

I’m as frugal as they come (ikea would be a $plurge for me too:), so IF it wasn’t such a commute for you and your hubby (who will be working his tail off for weeks on end), I’d say stay with your dad. BUT a commute like that, with kiddos, for more than a week or so would not be worth the savings. Time and energy (and sanity) are too precious.

I tried to talk my hubby into staying in my deceased grandmother’s house for 6 months for FREE while we saved for our house purchase, but the 45 minute commute (w/ high gas prices, etc.) made us turn it down.

hooray, for moving to the next step! God bless!

Another vote for apartment! There will be so many factors that you cannot control and simplify in this renovation process, so with the factors that you can- take advantage. Living in the apartment sounds like it will add a little more rest for HH and might help your sanity, too.

We live in a second floor apartment with beautiful hardwood floors and our downstairs neighbors totally hear our noise as a result. Trying to keep two kids playing only on the rug areas is a lost cause sometimes. Also, hauling kids plus groceries from our parking spot across the street can be a nightmare. The plus side of the second floor is lots of natural light and sleeping with our windows open at night (which we wouldn’t do on the first floor of our somewhat shady neighborhood, for safety reasons). So, pros and cons.

Good luck!

apartment for sure. living in even a nice basement with that commute would be a deal breaker. the money will be worth your sanity!

We sold our first house really quickly to a family who were eager to move in after just having twins, but we were 3 months away from our move to Ohio. So we rented a place for the interim, calling it “the cottage”, and it was great!

For our latest move, we also sold more quickly than expected, and so had to “reverse commute” for two months (driving the kids back to their old school, then driving back to work,then back out to pick them up and then back to our new place.) Some days, I spent 3 hrs or more driving. Nobody took our whining about selling too quickly very seriously,mind you, but it was really hard to drive that much every day, especially when the reason we moved was to be closer to work!

I second he suggestion to look for a small house for a short term lease, so the boys could mess around without worrying about the neighbours…craigslist might be a good place to look…

Good luck with your decision!

I’ve been in your situation and I would also go with the apartment. We lived in a small 3 bedroom apt. with 4 kids while our house was being built. Yes, it was cramped, but the it gave us the chance to acclimate to our new community several months sooner than we would have otherwise, so by the time our home was built, we already felt at home in the community. It was great for our kids to have made that transition that much sooner and get on with their new lives.

Oh, and you are sooo right about the Swedes and their apartments! My daughter plays pro basketball in Sweden and I was just over there in January. Her apartment was so cool and so were all of her friends places.

I’m with the majority of votes thus far – APARTMENT!! The kids can start this year in their new school, you can all get acclamated to the new community, no commute necessary, and separate bedrooms!! I’d look at all the apartment complexes in the area, and like others, try to find one with a playground to help keep the kids occupied outside. Your dad should understand once you weigh out all the Pros & Cons. YAY for moving one step forward :)

I actually sacrificed commute for our house. I went from a 40 minute commute to an 1.5 hour commute when we did finally move into our very own home. I don’t mind the commute, but then, it’s all by public transit which is a lot different than spending an hour and a half on the road. The thing that did wear us down in the couple months that we had both the house and the apartment was the drive between. It was half an hour, but we also had to meet up at the apartment first, so really, it was both of our commutes, plus a half an hour. In terrible rush hour traffic.

That said, budget is big for us, so for 2 or 3 months, I’d probably make the sacrifice and live at your dad’s. As long as you can get along! Are there ‘camping out’ options at the Underdog for weekends that you’re working on it? How easy will it even be to find an apartment for such a short period of time? It is certainly a conundrum! Good luck with whichever you choose.

(And that… is a gorgeous apartment!)

I have lived in a one bedroom hotel room for 3 months with 2 kids and it was not pleasant! My husband was doing some training in Alabama and we were allowed to go, but had to stay in the hotel with him and it was just awful. We made sure we got out of there every single day because it was just too crammed with all of us in there. If you go with an apartment, go with a 2 bedroom. You’ll have more space and be able to spread out more. Living at your dad’s would not be very practical with all the driving you’d have to do. That makes for an even longer day when you’re working.

you might want to look for a place that has executive housing. they usually specialize in short term leases and are often furnished, which is a benefit when moving so you don’t have to pack twice. plus they usually have great amenities like gyms and pools and sometimes a playground area for kids. just a thought. :) good luck!

Rent, for sure. it will be an adventure for the kids and you won’t be aburden on anyone and you will be much happier having your own space!

Since the apartment has a better location I would go for that living arrangement. Just think it is only a couple of months. Good luck with the decision!

Apartment, absolutely! We were lucky to rent a 2 bedroom apartment 8 doors away from our gut renovation project so that hubby could oversee all the work. We took only the things we would need for the 3 months and packed everything else into our garage. Living in the rental apartment made me realize how many items we could do without (and thus purge!) and how we, as a family realistically use space. I think you’d enjoy it. Your father is very kind and generous, but I’ll bet you will be so much happier with less commute/$ spent on gas, and anything to keep your HH happy and productive sounds like the way to go!

I say Apartment! In the end, I think you and your family would be much happier and less stressed. I also agree on a 1st floor apartment. You want your kids to run, jump and play without complaints or constant worrying over whether or not they are too loud. You can hear EVERYTHING in apartments!

Just found your blog. Your home is beautiful!

Definitely the apartment. It’s great that your dad offered his place, but you might end up taking longer to finish the Underdog with all the extra travel time. I do understand the conundrum. If I get my wish when we move, we’ll buy a fixer upper. It’s tempting to also be cheap and renovate while living in the house, but I know it will be safer and less stressful renting an apartment.

Good luck! I’m so excited to watch you decorate the Underdog.

Another vote for the apartment. The offer from your dad might be good for things you could store until the move. If you could figure out the bare minimum you could live with, it could save some packing/unpacking/packing again/ unpacking again between moves.

definitey rent the apartment! youll save your self triple in sanity whatever you would save in dollars staying at your dad’s. Sweet of your dad to offer though. and when we were in a similar situation, we rented a furnished/corporate apt which was a bit more expensive, but easier to put the furniture in a ground floor storage unit, than moving it all in the apt to just turn right around and move it all again. not sure what your furniture storage situation is though.

and my girls LOVED the apt. cant tell you how nice it was to have the pool right outside our door! i also think your boys starting school in the neighborhood where yall will live is a benefit too!

I agree with everybody, go with the apartment. We are renting right now while our house is under construction. It is a one bedroom for 4 of us, but it has a sunroom that we use as a bedroom with cheap Ready Shades from Amazon.

We spent three days with my mother-in-law last week. Every day after coming home, she was just full of questions. How is the house? What are they working on? Did you make some decisions today? I love her and she is nice and excited, but after a long day all of us just needed some rest and distraction from the house. I was so glad to come home to the apartment.

If it were me (and, granted, it is not me, so totally your call, obv.!) I’d go with the appartment route too. On top of what you mentioned, imagine how much earlier you’ll have to wake the kids to get them to school on time. Plus, if they’re starting in a new school district, it might make it a lot easier for play dates if you’re nearby during those first few months.

rent rent rent! Nothing is worse than commute eating away at your productive time. Good luck :)

Sounds like I am one of the few that would move in with Dad. Here’s the thing, while the drive would drain on you, we can all do anything for a short period of time. Think of it as fun time to spend with the kids talking or listening to books on tape. I’d spend the time thinking of all the things I could do with the money we saved, and use it as a bonus. (i.e. maybe purchasing a high model appliance or springing for a more expensive light fixture since you saved the money on rent.)

Plus, there is something pretty cool about giving your kiddos the chance to live with their grandpa for a few months. Even though they may already see him often, there is nothing like living in the same space to really bring a family even closer. What fun memories they’ll have of this time. There’s also something to be said about coming home to a comfortable house, instead of a cramped and not near finished apartment. The drive might be long, but you’ll come home to a much more comfortable and welcoming space. Just my two cents anyway…

Stay with your dad! A familiar face and surroundings will do everyone good during such a stressful time! The driving time will give you time to get your thoughts out!
And remember..”this too shall pass”!
Best of luck!

APARTMENT! We recently house sat at my parents house while they were at their summer cottage and were building. Although nothing disasterous happened I felt stretched to the max trying to keep up with things on our new construction and help out at my parents. They never had any expectations that we would do work around the house but living for free had me feel obligated to go the extra mile and keep the yard and house in the same tip top shape my mother would have it. Adding 3 kids to the mix and driving to schools was a lot. And I am a stay at home mom without having to add my own job to the mix.

Rent the apartment with 2 bedrooms! We decided to live in our old farmhouse while it was under renovation. We reduced our living quarters to one room. How we survived that ordeal I will never know. It would have been much wiser to have rented a small place near our farmhouse project. Of course, we opted to stay in our house to “save money”. That decision probably cost us more money in the long run since we had to shut our kitchen down during the renovation and eating out became expensive. Good luck with your decision!

We lived with my mom for the majority of our latest renovation. She was 30 min away from our house in one direction, and 30 min away from Hubby’s work in the other direction. This meant that Hubby had to sit in traffic on the way home from work, pick me up, pick up dinner (since Mom’s stove was on the fritz), and then head 30 more minutes to the house to work. We would exhaust ourselves and then drive 30 min back to mom’s house to crash. Needless to say, it was super exhausting. I would have given anything to live right by our house during renovation if we could have afforded it. Also, sometimes it was difficult living with my mom and brother and sharing bathrooms, kitchens, etc. and we didn’t even have kids at the time.

Go with the apartment. It’s an investment in your sanity.

My vote is totally selfish. Rent the apartment, I want to see your temporary design ideas! But for your sake, living in a tiny apartment might give you some ideas for what you MUST have in your underdog and what you can totally live without. But do it for me ;)

You mentioned that gas + utilities + groceries at your dad’s would be almost as much as renting, but you’re going to have to pay the utilities and groceries at the apartment too. I still think it’s worth it so HH can get more done on the Underdog.

Here’s hoping that tomorrow morning you walk into an open, airy white unit with a beautiful fireplace and crown molding!

Rent! – Those commutes are going to be brutal for you, HH and the kids. You will all be exhausted and will effect your renovations.

Just my personal vote.

I’d rent the apartment. We were out of our house for 6 weeks when we renovated 2 years ago and spent part of the time at the cottage and part with my in-laws (we are a family of 5). It was hard being far away from the renovation and made communication, being onsite tricky. You can use your Dad’s place as a get away from the apartment!

We lived with my mom during a relocation for 4 months and with my in-laws for 3 months during another relocation. We were very fortunate to have had that option available as it did save us a lot of money. We had not sold our house yet when we moved in with my mom, so we still had a house payment. We also paid some of the utilities and all of our own groceries while we were there. Though we had our own space, it was very difficult to transition to living at home again after being on our own for so long. Definitely made us much more appreciative when we got back into our own space!

I vote apartment. Here would be my reasons if it was me. The cost is about the same. You would be close to the Underdog to get over there quick when able. As time goes on with long commutes you would get worn out- aka tired- aka potential for longer time to renovate due to exhaustion. And here would be another big reason for me. You kids would be near the school they are starting. They would be near their friends. So if one day after school they wanted to have a play date, you could drop them off and go to the Underdog and then get them. Allows for the most normalcy with a chaotic situation. Hope that helps!

I don’t have children, but I would still go with the apartment. It will keep both of you sane in the end. Less commute & living with family after awhile can be hard. And get a 2 bedroom apartment for sure. You won’t have 2 mortgages anymore, so putting some money out for 2-3 months for an apartment will be less money anyway. I’m still really excited that you sold your first home already. ;-) Good Luck!!!

I vote for apartment. If it’s still less than what your house payment was you’re still on the winning side. It’s only a 3 month commitment and it’s rare to find a 3 month lease so I would jump on it.

My family had a similar situation when I was 8 my parents sold our house and the new one wasn’t ready yet. We lived in a camper on the vacant lot next door… for 2 months… in Janruary…in Minnesota…while my mom was 7 months pregnant. One word: Brrrrr!

Rent the apartment, and my goodness you are a pretty woman!

What is it with all the white-white-white? It looks like a laboratory! I’m expecting to see test tubes and petri dishes. Way to sterile for my taste, but I guess each to his (or her) own.

And if you’re counting, I vote for the apartment. It’s hard to put a dollar amount on the value of a shorter commute, but it’s worth a lot!

I say go for the apartment because all that driving is going to make you unhappy – at least it does for me and is the number one reason why I live in the city 20 minutes from my workplace. Time is money!

Have you tried to rent your own house for 3 months from the new owners? I bought 4 years ago an apartment that came along with a big storage room/garage on the ground floor. Since I don’t want to use it (the house has another 2 parking spaces) I am more than happy to rent it to the former owner. You can just make an offer! If it doesn’t work I would definitely prefer to rent an apartment. Good luck with everything. Greetings from Greece!

I agree with most everyone else, go with the apartment! Your sanity is important, but also, it will be MUCH easier on the kiddos. I moved around a lot when I was their age, so I can tell you from personal experience, the more “normal” their crazy little lives seem, the better. Especially since they will be starting at a new school, it’ll be important for them to build new friendships and have play time after school with their new friends. We all know kids can be cruel, and when you’re that age, it really sucks to be labelled “the weird new kid” because they can’t do anything with their friends after school (that happened to me in middle school….of all the crappy times in life, why did it have to be then?!).

I think it’s exceptionally sweet of your dad to offer up his place for you all to share. It’s definitely a good option, but again, from personal experience, it’s really really strange to go from being on your own to suddenly living with family again. For me, there was never that chance to get away for a couple minutes to myself each day and just…..decompress. I also think it might take you guys a little longer to complete work on the house because of how exhausted you’ll be from that drive. The gas money for all that driving alone would be enough for me to say “Thanks, Dad! I love you but we’re going with the apartment!”

I’m going to have to go against the grain here and say to stay with your dad. I know it is a lot of driving but the money saved plus the added benefit of having your kids spend so much time with their grandfather is well worth the sacrifice of extra driving.
You mentioned that food and utilities at your dad’s would reduce the overall savings of staying there versus the apartment. Is this factoring in the utilities and food that you would paying while living in the apartment. Just curious if you’ve considered it from that angle. If not, then your savings would be even greater than originally anticipated by staying with your dad.
Then, you use the money you saved to reward yourselves for all the added driving and work!

We are in this situation right now. We close on our current house in 2 weeks, but have no idea where we want to live in our town. We will probably do new construction this time around so we’re looking at at least 3 – 4 months once we break ground. We have rented an apartment that is central to everything – my husband’s office, grocery stores, nearby cities, etc. One thing we discovered was we had to rent a 3 bedroom b/c we have 3 kids. I don’t know if it is specific to our area, but we were consistently told that by law, only 2 heartbeats are allowed per room, so a 1 bedroom might not be an option for you. The other thing I learned is that I ended up wanting a 2nd level because my husband travels a lot. Let’s hope that doesn’t come back to bite me!! Good luck!

Your story is reminding me of my own. My husband and I have been married for two and a half years and have lived in 5 places – 2 of them interim. We lived with his parents for 2 months, then moved into an apartment for 6 months. Then we moved to a condo owned by a family member for four months before moving into the home we own now. We basically lived out of boxes for 6 months… not the most fun thing in the world. I can’t imagine doing it with two kids too. I definitely vote for renting the apartment. It is so nice to at least have your own space when you’re doing the in between thing.

I’d say go with the apartment- The farther away you live from the worksite ( the underdog) the longer your work day will be when ever you’re going there . It’s hard to break & go home (for dinner say) if that means driving a half an hour each way. Most of us will decide to skip whatever the break was & try to push on. This is a good way to burn out . Especially if you already have a family & full time jobs ( which won’t usually benefit from even more stress). I disagree that living with family “is a good way for your kids to get to know them”. I think a lot of parents of adult children (grandparents or not) are used to having their quiet house to themselves. ( At least the ones I know are) Having a visit is great. You are coming to spend time with your host. It’s usually short, possibly relaxing & most of us plan activities to keep things fun. Having kids living there is a different matter. You won’t be visiting- you’ll be living your life +++. Lots of running in & out – lots of crazy back forth- coming & going. Not at all like visiting when the focus is on reconnecting with the family you’ve come to see. Kids (my kids anyway ) don’t behave better when the stress levels rise- they melt down more . At least if this happens in an apartment , you are in your own ( however temporary) home. You won’t need to feel badly for further disturbing the routine of family who were kind enough to take you in.This is naturally based on my extended family situation- so feel free to take or leave any advice. Good luck either way!

Hi Dana! I came to your site a while back to follow HH’s work mostly but also enjoy your posts immensely. I normally don’t chip in, but I had to on this one! ;-)

Having been in a similar situation, and thinking from your Hubby’s point of view mainly (though I think it’ll be best for the kids as well to be in the same area), I say move as close to the Underdog as possible whether it’s an apartment of a house. We’re in the Cincinnati area so I’m not sure where it is exactly, but for me who also did some rehab work on our new house after we sold our old house, being close to run there and get things done made a great difference. It gave me time to do small things and then get back home to wifey and kids. When I had contractors, I could easily run over and check on them. When I had big jobs, I would run home and eat and spend time and then head back. It’ll be better for your relationship, sanity, and Hubby will appreciate it. The money saved is not worth it.

Also, I know you say 2-3 months but trust me, plan for extra time just in case. My two cents, good luck to you.

Hey Dana. My vote is for the apartment!

Apartment for sure. If you look as time as money, renting is the best option for your family.

I vote for apartment — it will pay in the long-run with saved time/hassle and reduce the lost time availability to worksite.

ONE OTHER THING YOU SHOULD THINK OF, IS ALL THAT TIME YOU’LL SPEND PACKING & UNPACKING FOR ONLY 2-3 MONTHS. THAT’S A VERY GOOD REASON FOR ME TO MOVE IN WITH MY DAD AND ACCEPT DRIVING FOR AN EXTRA HOUR. I’M SURE THAT YOUR DAD HAS EVERYTHING YOU NEED FOR A 2-3 MONTHS STAY.
BESIDES, TIME PASSES SO FAST THAT IN ZERO TIME YOU’LL BE HOME…..
MAYBE I’M WRONG, BUT THINK ABOUT IT!
KISSES FROM GREECE,GOOD LUCK AND KEEP UP!