Living at home through a Chicago remodel that touches one room is usually workable, as long as one bathroom keeps working, a temporary kitchen is set up elsewhere, and the work area is sealed off from the rooms you use. Moving out for some or all of the project makes more sense when the work takes your only bathroom or most of the house at once, or when it disturbs old paint in a home built before 1978 while young children or a pregnant family member live there. Either way, the decision is easiest to make before the schedule is set, not in the middle of demolition.
This guide walks through how to make that call for your Chicago home remodeling project, what federal health guidance says about lead and dust, and how to set up daily life around the work. Rules change, so confirm anything time-bound with your contractor or the agency that publishes it.
Should You Stay or Move Out During a Remodel
It comes down to 4 questions: how much of the home the work takes, whether you keep a working kitchen and bathroom, who lives with you, and how much noise and disruption your days can absorb.
How Much of the Home the Work Takes
A single bathroom, or a basement with its own entry, is usually easy to live around. A kitchen is livable with a good temporary kitchen. A whole floor, a whole-home renovation, or a project that shuts down heat, water or power for stretches is much harder.
In a condo there is less room to retreat: in an open-plan unit, a kitchen remodel puts dust and noise in the living areas too.
The Kitchen and the Bathrooms
Ask early whether you will have at least 1 working toilet and shower for the whole project. If your home has only 1 bathroom and it is the room being remodeled, decide now where you will shower while it is out of service: a gym, family nearby or a short stay elsewhere.
Children, Pets and Health
Young children, a pregnancy, asthma or another respiratory condition, or an older relative at home all raise the bar for staying, especially during demolition, sanding and painting. If someone in your home has a health condition, ask their doctor about the dustiest phases before you decide.
Pets feel it too: strangers, doors opening all day, and dust on paws and fur. Plan a closed room, a sitter or day care for the loudest days.
A Middle Path: Away for the Hardest Phases
Staying is not all or nothing. You can plan to be away only for the hardest phases, such as demolition, floor finishing or painting, and live at home for the rest. EPA’s remodeling guidance suggests scheduling interior painting when the home is unoccupied, for example while people are at work, at school or on vacation.
Lead Paint in Homes Built Before 1978
If your home was built before 1978, lead belongs in the stay-or-go decision. The federal government banned lead-based paint for use in homes in 1978, and EPA says about three-quarters of U.S. homes built before then still contain some lead-based paint. Paint in good condition is usually not the problem. Sanding, cutting and replacing old windows are, because they can turn old paint into hazardous dust.
EPA says lead is especially dangerous to children 6 years old and younger, and that exposure during pregnancy can affect a developing fetus.
What the Federal Lead-Safe Rule Requires
EPA’s Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Rule requires anyone paid to do work that disturbs painted surfaces in a home built before 1978 to be certified, with workers trained in lead-safe work practices. As of 2026:
- It covers remodeling, electrical, plumbing, carpentry, painting preparation and window replacement.
- Minor work is exempt only up to 6 square feet of painted surface per room inside, or 20 square feet outside. Window replacement and demolition of painted surfaces are always covered.
- Unless there is documentation that the paint is not lead-based, the rule applies.
- Illinois is not on EPA’s list of states authorized to run their own program, so EPA administers the program in Chicago. City and state lead rules can apply as well.
The Chicago Department of Public Health gives the same advice: if you are planning renovations, use contractors certified by EPA.
What You Should See on Site
Under the federal rule, a certified firm working in a pre-1978 home must:
- Give you EPA’s Renovate Right pamphlet no more than 60 days before work begins.
- Post signs that define the work area and warn everyone else to stay out until cleanup is verified.
- Isolate the work area: remove or cover belongings, close and cover ducts in the work area with taped-down plastic, cover doors with plastic, and cover the floor at least 6 feet beyond the work.
- Avoid prohibited methods: no open-flame burning of paint, no high-speed sanding or grinding without a shroud and HEPA vacuum attachment, and no heat gun at 1,100°F or above.
- Clean the work area thoroughly at the end, followed by a cleaning verification by a certified renovator.
EPA’s remodeling guidance adds: keep occupants, especially children, away from the work area, and clean up the site before they return. With young children or a pregnancy in the home, that is the strongest case for being away while paint is disturbed.
Asbestos in Older Materials
Asbestos is a separate concern, in materials such as flooring and pipe, furnace and boiler insulation. EPA notes you generally cannot tell whether a material contains asbestos by looking at it unless it is labeled, and suggests an inspection by a trained, accredited professional if you plan to remodel. Undamaged material that is not disturbed is not likely to pose a health risk.
Dust Containment and Air Quality
Even without lead, construction dust travels. EPA’s guidance on indoor air quality when remodeling covers the basics:
- Barriers. A simple barrier is 6 mil plastic sheeting taped over doors and other openings, and over the heating and cooling registers in the room.
- Exhaust. A fan blowing from the work area directly outdoors removes dust and creates a pressure barrier that keeps it out of the rest of the house. EPA pairs it with make-up air and warns that heavy exhaust can depressurize a home enough to pull combustion gases back down a flue, such as a gas water heater’s.
- Isolation for the dustiest work. For demolition and other very dusty jobs, a slit-plastic doorway may not be enough. EPA describes “isolation”: the work area sealed with no direct access to occupied rooms, and a separate entrance for workers until cleanup. If your home cannot offer one, that argues for being away during demolition.
Heating and Cooling During Dusty Work
EPA’s advice on air ducts is plain: during construction or renovation that produces dust, seal off supply and return registers and do not run the heating and cooling system until the dust is cleaned up. In a Chicago winter, settle in advance how the rooms you live in will stay warm on the dustiest days.
After Paint, Finishes and Flooring
New paint, finishes and flooring can release odors and pollutants. EPA’s typical recommendation is maximum ventilation during installation and for at least 72 hours afterward. EPA also advises pregnant women to limit time in freshly painted rooms, especially where oil-based paints are used.
Portable air cleaners and furnace filters can help, but EPA notes they cannot remove all pollutants. Controlling dust at the source and ventilating come first. At home, keep doors to the work area closed. For floors and window areas, use a wet-cleaning approach, as the Chicago Department of Public Health advises for pre-1978 homes.
Setting Up a Temporary Kitchen
For kitchen remodeling in Chicago, plan the temporary kitchen alongside the design, not on demolition day.
- Pick the spot. A room near a sink and out of the dust path works best: a laundry room, a basement bar, or a corner of the dining room in a condo.
- Keep food cold. Move your old refrigerator or use a smaller one. The FDA advises keeping the refrigerator at or below 40°F, and an appliance thermometer is the simple way to check.
- Cook with plug-in appliances. A microwave, electric kettle, toaster oven or slow cooker covers most meals. Ask your Project Manager which outlets and circuits will stay live.
- Never bring outdoor cooking inside. The CDC warns never to use a portable gas camp stove indoors and never to burn charcoal indoors, because both give off carbon monoxide.
- Plan the dishes. A dish tub and rack by a utility sink, or disposables for the hardest stretch.
Our guide to how long a Chicago kitchen remodel takes breaks the work into phases, so you can plan around the ones without a kitchen.
Keeping One Bathroom Working
If you have more than 1 bathroom, remodel them one at a time and keep the working one off the crew’s path.
Water shutoffs affect every bathroom, not only the one being remodeled. Ask when the water will be off and how much notice you will get. In a condo or high-rise, a shutoff can involve shared pipes, so ask building management how they are scheduled.
Noise, Work Hours and Condo Building Rules
Remodeling is loud. Demolition, cutting tile and stone, and power tools fill the day. Ask for the schedule of the loudest phases so you can plan calls and focus time around them.
In a condo or high-rise, your building’s renovation rules can set the construction hours, elevator reservations and noise limits, so read them early. Our guide to obtaining condo board approval for a Chicago remodel covers the paperwork side.
Security and Access
A remodel means people in your home when you may not be. Settle the details at the start:
- Entry. Decide how the crew gets in: a lockbox, a key held by your Project Manager, a temporary code or your building’s front desk list.
- Alarms and codes. Give a temporary alarm code rather than your own, and change codes when the project ends.
- Valuables. Move jewelry, documents, medications and anything irreplaceable somewhere locked.
- End of day. Agree on what “closed up” means: doors locked, windows shut, temporary appliances off, the work area sealed.
- If you move out. Arrange who checks the home and collects packages. Ask your insurance agent how a renovation, or time away, affects your coverage.
Working With Your Project Manager
At Areté, each project is run by a Project Manager, and the stay-or-go decision is best made together before the schedule is final. Settle these at the start:
- Which phases make which rooms unusable, and in what order?
- When will water, power, gas or heat be off, and how much notice will I get?
- How will the work area be sealed, and where will the crew enter?
- If my home was built before 1978, is your firm EPA lead-safe certified, and will the paint be tested or treated as lead-based?
- What gets cleaned at the end of each day, and what will I come home to?
- How often will you update me, and who do I call if something goes wrong after hours?
It is how we have approached design-build remodeling in Chicago since 2002, with design and construction under one roof.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can You Live at Home During a Kitchen Remodel?
Usually, yes, with a temporary kitchen, at least 1 working bathroom and a sealed work area. Demolition and any work that shuts off water or heat are the days worth planning to be away, if any.
Is It Safe to Stay Home During a Remodel With a Baby or While Pregnant?
It depends on the home and the work. In a home built before 1978, EPA says lead is especially dangerous to children 6 and younger and can affect a developing fetus, so keep them out of the work area entirely and consider being away while paint is disturbed. Talk with your doctor about your situation.
How Do I Find Out Whether My Home Has Lead Paint?
EPA suggests hiring a certified lead-based paint inspector or risk assessor, or assuming the paint contains lead. A certified renovator can also test specific components with an EPA-recognized test kit. The Chicago Department of Public Health suggests talking with your local health department about testing paint and dust if your home was built before 1978.
How Long Should I Air Out a Room After Painting or New Flooring?
EPA’s typical recommendation is maximum ventilation during installation and for at least 72 hours afterward.
Weighing whether to stay or go during your remodel? Contact us to schedule a consultation and talk through how the work would fit around your household.
