Living at Home During an Extension Insurance Checks
26 October 2026

Staying at Home During an Extension? What Happens to Your Insurance?

A simple green outline of a house, featuring a triangular roof and a rectangular chimney against a white background.
By Self Build Zone
staying at home during an extension

The kitchen is being extended; the builders arrive on Monday, and you have decided to stay put. It may still be your family home, but part of it is about to become a building site. Living there does not mean your usual insurance arrangements will protect everything affected by the work.

What changes when your home becomes a building site?

Removing an external wall, opening the roof or connecting new foundations can affect the original house as well as the extension. A construction incident could damage rooms you still use, not just the area being built.

Tell your home insurer what is planned before work begins, including the structural alterations and your intention to remain in residence. Ask what cover continues and what restrictions apply. Do not assume that occupancy keeps the policy unchanged.

How should you protect the house and the extension?

Specialist site insurance can insure the new works and an existing structure where included in the policy. The existing house and the addition need appropriate descriptions and values. Covering only the price of the extension may overlook a much larger asset.

Agree the arrangements before construction starts. Self-Build Zone can help you consider site insurance for the project, including insured damage and specified liability risks. Explain how the occupied part of the property will be separated from the work.

What about furniture and personal belongings?

Your sofa, laptop and family possessions are different from the building and construction materials. Site insurance should not be assumed to replace household contents cover.

Ask your home insurer how the work affects belongings kept in the property. If you move items into storage or another address, check those arrangements too. Keep construction insurance and household protection coordinated, rather than cancelling one policy before understanding what the other provides.

What if you have to move out unexpectedly?

An extension can change your living arrangements. If you later decide to leave the house, tell the relevant insurers and explain whether it will become unoccupied.

Ask whether alternative accommodation is included, under which policy and following which events. Choosing to move out because the work is disruptive is different from needing accommodation following insured damage. Do not build your budget around reimbursement that has not been confirmed.

Where does a structural warranty fit?

A successful extension needs protection beyond the day the builders leave. If the project involves significant structural work, discuss a structural warranty early so technical requirements and inspections can be considered.

The warranty provides insurance for qualifying defects after completion. It does not replace site insurance during the work or contents protection for the belongings inside your home. Self-Build Zone can help you plan construction cover and discuss warranty options for the proposed extension.

Frequently asked questions

Does staying in the house mean I only need home insurance?

No. Tell your home insurer about the project and establish whether specialist site insurance is needed.

Will site insurance cover my furniture?

Do not assume so. Check household contents arrangements separately with your home insurer.

When should I speak to Self-Build Zone?

Before work starts, with details of the extension, existing house and whether you will remain in residence.

structural warranty explained

Site Insurance & Structural Warranty Policies for Self Build Projects

Let’s protect your self-build project today. Get in touch with Self-Build Zone to learn how our specialist self build site insurance and structural warranties can safeguard your project and give you total peace of mind.

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