The Sculpted Abode, Part 2: Relocating During Home Renovation with Kids, Pets & Purpose

Relocating during home renovation can feel overwhelming, especially with kids and pets in tow.

Packing up a decade of life, two young children, three elderly pets, and every corner of comfort we had carefully built was never going to be easy. But renovation asks you to let go before you can begin again. And sometimes, the hardest part isn’t designing the dream, it’s dismantling the familiar.

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Relocating During Home Renovation: A Family’s Transition Story

When we began our home renovation, I knew one thing for certain: we needed a space that would hold us gently while everything else was being reimagined.

We found an apartment just ten minutes from our old house. Not perfect in aesthetics, but perfect in purpose. It had three bedrooms — one for us, one for the children, one for our nannies — and an open-plan kitchen and living area that quickly became our shared hub.

But the true anchor of this temporary life is the private shaded pool on the balcony. Just 65cm deep, it’s safe enough for both kids to enjoy freely throughout the day. It also gave our elderly pets, now 10, 11, and 12 years old, a much-needed sense of familiarity. The balcony is spacious enough for our cat to explore, and for the dogs to stretch out in patches of sun. That small pocket of outdoor life made all the difference.

This isn’t a second home. It’s just a temporary nest. Highly functional, calm, and tuned to our needs as a family.

The Art of the Move

We didn’t hire movers. Instead, we used a pod-based storage system that allowed us to pack intentionally and store flexibly. It became the perfect opportunity to clear out what no longer served us.

With two children under six, there was plenty to sift through: toys, books, outgrown clothes, furniture from our early years. We divided everything into three groups — donate, store, discard — and brought only the essentials with us. One of the simplest, smartest transitions was our IKEA Trofast units, moved with the toys still inside. No repacking, no setting up new play spaces. The living room became their zone, and the pool, their playground.

The pets needed a moment to adjust, especially the cat, who had spent years roaming freely through the garden at night. Now he sleeps curled on us. The dogs found their footing quickly. Their years have slowed them, but not their sense of home. And as we settled into this in-between chapter, so did they — quietly and faithfully, beside us.

Letting Go of the Familiar

We watched our children grow up in that house. Marked their heights on hallway walls. Watched our dogs grow old across sunlit floors. Walking away, knowing it would soon be stripped back to slab and skeleton, was emotional.

But stepping out wasn’t a goodbye. It was an opening. To move forward with care, the site had to be cleared, physically and energetically. Contractors, consultants, and specialists needed space to measure, mark, plan, and prepare. Creating room for their work now sets the pace for everything that follows.

Leaving allowed us to begin properly.

The Real Foundation

One of the most common misconceptions in home renovation is that a fixed budget and a big vision can always be made to meet. But in today’s market, where fees, materials, and timelines have changed significantly since pre-COVID, that approach often creates tension between expectations and reality.

Even with years of experience, I had to adjust. Our budget doubled, not because we overspent, but because neither my husband nor I were willing to compromise on priorities, design and quality. And lack of compromise comes with a cost. The more refined the outcome, the higher the demand on execution.

We chose a main contractor we’ve worked with for the past three years on projects that have all finished either on time or ahead of schedule. Their pricing is above average, but so is their delivery. We committed to paying above market because we expected above market — in professionalism, in consistency, and in peace of mind.

Their pricing reflects not excess, but capability. Margin for flexibility. Space for small setbacks. The capacity to manage work at the level we require.

The same thinking shaped our choice of HVAC and joinery teams. These are areas where delays or poor quality can impact the entire home.

It’s not about spending more. It’s about spending wisely. So your process is calm, your result is clean, and your team can perform at their best.

A New Rhythm

Life hasn’t paused. It has simply shifted. I still drive to my office near our old home. The children are on school break. And our temporary apartment, while far from styled, functions exactly as it should.

My husband took time off in the lead-up to the move, packing with our nannies while the kids were at school. I’m endlessly grateful for it. They carried this transition with grace and humour.

We begin our mornings now in closer quarters. The kids climb into our bed. The cat, once a night wanderer, now curls up on us. There’s laughter in the living room and splashes from the balcony. It’s not what we’re used to, but it’s ours, for now.

We’ve traded square metres for togetherness. Familiar routines for a lighter pace. And just ten minutes away, something exciting is taking shape.

The house is under construction. The dream is underway. And while financially it’s a push, we believe in every decision we’ve made, because this isn’t just a renovation. It’s an investment in the life we want, and in the peace that comes with doing it right.

NEXT POST on The Sculpted Abode

In the next chapter, I’ll introduce you to the team behind the transformation: the contractors, suppliers, and collaborators who are helping bring this vision to life. From brushed nickel fixtures to sculptural surfaces, it’s a look at the decisions and partnerships that shape the experience as much as the design.

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The people we invest in matter just as much as the design.