WWYD?

Fizzy8

It's 5:30 here in the UK, and I've been awake for nearly 2 hours now agonizing over a decision I have to make... We currently live in a 1 bedroom property but have the opportunity to move to a 2 bedroom place, only problem is it will need completely gutting and a lot of hard work to bring it up to a livable standard. With only 4 months left until the big L day do I stay where I am comfortable, be a bit cramped and do without a nursery for now or move and work like an absolute maniac calling on all family members to try and set up a more permanent family home before Xmas? Help!

ReggieLou13

Move! It will be worth it in the end!!

littleviolets

I'm sure it will be a bit stressful, but you'll be so happy with it once it's finished. And while it's going to be difficult, it's a lot easier to move now, pre-baby, than when you have a newborn or young child!

notthecheat

If you are feeling up to it, I say go for it! I'm a FTM but I have a feeling that once that baby comes it will be much harder to move and get things done in general. My FTM friend redid her bathroom while working full time, going to school and pregnant and she hasn't regretted it. Myself I am way too tired and nauseous still to even think about extra work. But if you CAN, and will have support you need, do it! As long as you feel that this is the right house and you are not just "settling" for something in order to move in sooner, because I would recommend against doing that. But otherwise, go for it! Best of luck to you in your decision and following preparations for your little one's new home outside the womb!

notthecheat

No matter what happens remember that the most important home for your baby is a loving family, and the rest is just icing on top. If its a small place or an unfinished place, your baby will not remember as long as he or she is loved and cared for. Try to get some sleep!

Fizzy8

Thanks I would absolutely love to decorate a little nursery, its just the amount of work that needs doing is insane. Don't know whether to wait until after Xmas and then move once baby is a few months old or like you said that will be even harder to get things done? I love the place I'm in now, its just not big enough longer term

itsaleedanielle

It's entirely what YOU feel you have the strength for. If you work a little every day, you can fix it up. It doesn't have to be perfect. In the end at Christmas all that matter is that you're happy; together; and safe. Baby will not register even for a second if it's in a nursery or a crib in the corner of the room. And to you guys as well, you won't really care if the home is small or unfinished. All you will care about is the joy of the season and your new LO.

Best of luck!

MelAnnDi

What kind of work? If it needs gutted and work to make it livable, is that something you would do, or would you hire contractors?

If you can get someone to fix it while you live where you are, you won't even notice the hard work going on .

Fizzy8

MelAnnDi said:

What kind of work? If it needs gutted and work to make it livable, is that something you would do, or would you hire contractors?

If you can get someone to fix it while you live where you are, you won't even notice the hard work going on .

That would be ideal, but its not an option. It would be down to us and our family for the bulk of it, only getting people in for the stuff we can't do because of cost. Can't afford the payments on 2 places at the mo either

sporklemotion

Given your update, I might wait, depending on how you're handling pregnancy and how much help yourbfamily can be. I'm usually very active, but this week my DH and I are working on fixing up a vacation house (nothing close to a gut rehab, but a major clean out w/some repairs), and I am surprised by how little I can do before I lose steam and need to rest. We have a budget that allows us to outsource some of it, but if we didn't, it would be hard to get it done in our short timeline because I am not helping nearly as much as I normally could. In your situation, it's kind of an all or nothing situation, and you could get stuck in crappy conditions when LO arrives.

notkateanymore

I would not plan on doing it myself and I would not live somewhere while you do renovations on it. I would keep looking or stay put until after the baby comes.

MamaGrillo

Tough question.
Are you physically up to it? I think your health should come first.
Also, when we were expecting our first we lived in my ILs basement apartment, and though we were looking anyway, purchasing our house may have been driven A LOT by the the fact that I didn't want to bring a baby back to the basement. I think nesting went a little over the top. The apartment was pretty much home, office and everything combined but all open plan. I often wonder how things would have been if we waited.
I would say if you can see yourselves there for a while, go ahead, especially if you can get help. But don't rush because of baby. Something better may come along, and for the first few months, your little one may room with you anyway.

MelAnnDi

In that case, I would stay a little cramped and wait for something else to come along.

ScarlettV

Renovations can take forever and running into unforeseen problems can make that twice as long. I wouldn't count on it being done before baby, nor would I expect to be able to help much being that pregnant.maybe talk to the fam and game plan ahead of time if you're going to do it.

Fizzy8

Thanks for all your advice. I've been speaking to family today who are all prepared to help out as much as they can. I think I'm gonna do it. As long as we can get it to a livable/bearable standard by Xmas I don't mind putting off the rest until a bit later

melco19

Hubby and I had an unfinished basement and we have spent every night after our workday, working on putting in plumbing, walls, mudding, now painting so that we could make another bedroom and bathroom. In the end it'll definitely all be worth it, and it is much easier doing it now than with a baby. Granted my hubby is a rock star and is working his butt off, and I'm definitely the slacker but if you feel up to it, it's a great feeling when it all comes together. We too had family and friends help with some of the renos.

GeauxM&V

I would move if were you. It sounds like you will need to move to a bigger place in the near future anyway, and in my opinion, it would be even harder once you have a newborn. I wouldn't want t set up furniture and nursery items for the baby only to have to pack them up and move again, along with all the other things you will have to pack up. If you have the option of enlisting help of family and friends to make the process less stressful, then that would be fantastic. Afterwards, I would have a big get-together to thank all of them for their support. 

KelseyKetchum

Plus aren't we suppose to feel the need to nest soon? Maybe it will hit that into high gear and it could be fun!!! Have family help with painting and heavy lifting though

Fizzy8

KelseyKetchum said:

Plus aren't we suppose to feel the need to nest soon? Maybe it will hit that into high gear and it could be fun!!! Have family help with painting and heavy lifting though

Think that's part of it, I just want to get settled somewhere and have it homely before baby comes I just know its gonna be stressful and hard work. Might see if I can get a whip, make the family work faster

Aycul18

I say go for it :-) good luck!

katmb2013

Good luck with the renovations, since it sounds like that is what you have decided to do.  FTR, my DH and I have a liveable house, but we are working one room at a time at taking down the walls and insulating to improve energy efficiency as our house is usually the same temperature as it is outside, which gets miserable in really cold/hot weather.  

It is a lot of hard work, and with the first room we did, I was able to do a lot of the work to help him.  On the room we are on now, he is doing a majority of it himself because I get tired and just cannot physically lift, bend over, and get up and down as easily as I could before.  Also, we have run into several issues along the way that we had to fix that we weren't expecting with piping, wiring, etc.  Nothing goes as fast as we think it should go, so just be prepared!