FAQ - Renovating with small children on-site
- Thread starter Aceyducey
- Start date
My Dad is a builer, and when I grew up he built several of our house with mum as his 'brickies labourer", its amzing to think back at the thinhs I used to do.
Can't see it going on now because of OHS rules ect. But we used to get in and help, even when my Dad wasd building other peoples homes.
I was 5 and could mix cement for my dad in the wheel barrow, used to line up his brincks for him with my mum...slowly.
But it was great fun, I actually wanted to be a builer for a while, glad I'm not, but its great to look back and think how much fun I had, but as a mother to 3 (2,3,8) there is no way I would let my girls do what my Dad used to let me do...
Can't see it going on now because of OHS rules ect. But we used to get in and help, even when my Dad wasd building other peoples homes.
I was 5 and could mix cement for my dad in the wheel barrow, used to line up his brincks for him with my mum...slowly.
But it was great fun, I actually wanted to be a builer for a while, glad I'm not, but its great to look back and think how much fun I had, but as a mother to 3 (2,3,8) there is no way I would let my girls do what my Dad used to let me do...
Not the only crazy ones!
Hi there!
Glad to read your story on renovating with children! I've never seen it written or discussed anywhere else - there should be more of it. It IS possible, but gee it's hard! Our two little Boys are 3 and 5 and have 'done' one reno every year of their lives! We actually have a ball, because we're all together, but we're mostly down to one-effective-full-time-renovator because the other parent is pretty much full time babysitting! To avoid all of those disasters you've all been talking about!
Hi there!
Glad to read your story on renovating with children! I've never seen it written or discussed anywhere else - there should be more of it. It IS possible, but gee it's hard! Our two little Boys are 3 and 5 and have 'done' one reno every year of their lives! We actually have a ball, because we're all together, but we're mostly down to one-effective-full-time-renovator because the other parent is pretty much full time babysitting! To avoid all of those disasters you've all been talking about!
Hi Sonya,
Thankfully my 3YO son wasn't around when we finished our last development. We built our PPOR about 5-6 years ago now, and did a lot of the post lock-up stuff ourselves like laying floorboards and building internal staircases as well as all the easy stuff like painting, finishing. The same won't be true for our next MUH development though. We'll kick that off in about 12 months time, but hand it over to a professional builder as a turn-key job on a fixed price contract. But I know my, then 4YO, son will absolutely love the demolition phase and all of the "diggers".
I've already given him his hard hat with attached ear muffs so he can go on site with Mummy for their weekly check-ups with the builder. He's gonna love it. The photos will make for a good talking point for him in years to come too!
Cheers,
Michael
Thankfully my 3YO son wasn't around when we finished our last development. We built our PPOR about 5-6 years ago now, and did a lot of the post lock-up stuff ourselves like laying floorboards and building internal staircases as well as all the easy stuff like painting, finishing. The same won't be true for our next MUH development though. We'll kick that off in about 12 months time, but hand it over to a professional builder as a turn-key job on a fixed price contract. But I know my, then 4YO, son will absolutely love the demolition phase and all of the "diggers".
I've already given him his hard hat with attached ear muffs so he can go on site with Mummy for their weekly check-ups with the builder. He's gonna love it. The photos will make for a good talking point for him in years to come too!
Cheers,
Michael
We leave the baby in the cleanest, most finished room in a portacot (which never works, she invariably starts complaining loudly and I end up wandering around holding her instead of working, or spooging filler in with one hand and baby in the other). Finished all the renovating on the PPoR when I was pregnant, which made it very hard to drag my fat waddly self up to the top of the scaffold to paint the ceilings. The bathroom reno has been put off, but that's easy enough to do at home when the baby is napping. She can happily sleep through the sound of sledgehammers on stone. She only sleeps at home, as soon as we go somewhere else she'll go to extreme lengths to NOT sleep.
We usually make a point of renovating without the Other child. She is noisy, distracting, complains, gets bored easily, doesn't want to help and is generally unpleasant to have around, and this behaviour isn't limited to renovating, she's just one of those kids that always needs someone paying her attention. She'll only play by herself if she's backed into a corner and forced to do it, which is our usual modus operandi as we work from home - she has a LOT of toys and books, enough to amuse and educate an entire third world country, but she manages to avoid them at all costs. She also has a strange inability to feel pain so it is a good idea to keep her away from building sites, she only notices cuts and splinters when they are bleeding so much she can't miss them or when they get so infected she looks like she's about to get gangrene.
So we do PPoR renovations in school holidays when she's off at Grandma's and we've been working on the IP strictly during school hours. Does limit the time we have somewhat as the IP is 25 minutes drive away, but its better than having the prissy pink princess fussing around us. We're taking her with us today, I told her to pack some books and toys to play with and she refused, she says she'd rather do nothing
Any middle eastern princes wanna buy a very pretty but high maintainence queen brat? I'll take 6 goats, a camel and a Hilux thanks. She's been particularly irritating lately, can you tell?
We usually make a point of renovating without the Other child. She is noisy, distracting, complains, gets bored easily, doesn't want to help and is generally unpleasant to have around, and this behaviour isn't limited to renovating, she's just one of those kids that always needs someone paying her attention. She'll only play by herself if she's backed into a corner and forced to do it, which is our usual modus operandi as we work from home - she has a LOT of toys and books, enough to amuse and educate an entire third world country, but she manages to avoid them at all costs. She also has a strange inability to feel pain so it is a good idea to keep her away from building sites, she only notices cuts and splinters when they are bleeding so much she can't miss them or when they get so infected she looks like she's about to get gangrene.
So we do PPoR renovations in school holidays when she's off at Grandma's and we've been working on the IP strictly during school hours. Does limit the time we have somewhat as the IP is 25 minutes drive away, but its better than having the prissy pink princess fussing around us. We're taking her with us today, I told her to pack some books and toys to play with and she refused, she says she'd rather do nothing
Any middle eastern princes wanna buy a very pretty but high maintainence queen brat? I'll take 6 goats, a camel and a Hilux thanks. She's been particularly irritating lately, can you tell?
What a great thread.
I just had a flash-back to our first IP. It was a 50 min drive from home, and our son was about 3 months old when we started doing the renos.
When my wife was off work I'd go up alone and work in the IP, but when she was at work and I had the whole day off ( I worked part time) I would drive up there with all the gear packed - nappies, bottles of milk in an esky, kettle, baby food, bouncinette, portable playpen and cot etc, and son in the car.
He'd fall asleep in the car on the way and I'd be able to work for an hour or so until he woke up.
I'd have the play pen and cot set up, radio going, toys etc for him to play in while I hammered, sanded, painted (put him outside when the painting was being done to avoid fumes) tiled etc.
We'd take regular breaks for feeds and play, bum changes etc, and then I'd put him back down to sleep and back into the work.
Most days I'd put in 6-8 hours like this; he didn't mind at all, and drive back home.
It was weird going to Bunnings for supplies, to select wood, tools etc with the overalls on and a baby under the arm.
The things you do.
I just had a flash-back to our first IP. It was a 50 min drive from home, and our son was about 3 months old when we started doing the renos.
When my wife was off work I'd go up alone and work in the IP, but when she was at work and I had the whole day off ( I worked part time) I would drive up there with all the gear packed - nappies, bottles of milk in an esky, kettle, baby food, bouncinette, portable playpen and cot etc, and son in the car.
He'd fall asleep in the car on the way and I'd be able to work for an hour or so until he woke up.
I'd have the play pen and cot set up, radio going, toys etc for him to play in while I hammered, sanded, painted (put him outside when the painting was being done to avoid fumes) tiled etc.
We'd take regular breaks for feeds and play, bum changes etc, and then I'd put him back down to sleep and back into the work.
Most days I'd put in 6-8 hours like this; he didn't mind at all, and drive back home.
It was weird going to Bunnings for supplies, to select wood, tools etc with the overalls on and a baby under the arm.
The things you do.
tips
This is interesting! Thank you Acey!
This is interesting! Thank you Acey!
Great posts...make everyone smile
Being with kids is a real wonder, makes the hiding kid inside you alive and kicking as so as they say. It's a joy beyond comparison and this posts is one of them.
Thanks
Being with kids is a real wonder, makes the hiding kid inside you alive and kicking as so as they say. It's a joy beyond comparison and this posts is one of them.
Thanks
I'll have to find some photos of our renos. Bathroom done when daughter was 6 months, most ourselves and then extension and new kitchen when she was around 12-18 months. She learnt to climb a ladder, use a cordless drill and put nuts and bolts together.plus heaps more! Many things that were frowned upon by the mrs other new mum friends.i must say everything i taught her was safe and to her skills and ability at the time!
It's great fun and is better than throwing them out the back with plastic rubbish toys!
It's great fun and is better than throwing them out the back with plastic rubbish toys!
