While you may be able to deal with the inconveniences of "camping" in your incomplete home, there could be other considerations. Do you need to wait on the final inspection and Certificate of Occupancy, or is that not a thing where you live? What about insurance? Our coverage during construction is different from a regular Home Owner's Ins. policy. Does your contract with the builder address completion?

If you don't have to wait on a Certificate of Occupancy to move in, how long are you prepared to live in a construction site? We had a bathroom remodel that was scheduled to take eight weeks and it ended up taking nearly nine months. The noise, dust, fumes, workmen's trucks blocking our cars, water or power shut off with little warning, and lack of privacy became harder to deal with the longer they lasted.

I would find any way possible to remain out of the construction site and not move in until the house is truly finished and you have your Certificate of Occupancy.

Is it possible to rent a camping trailer from somewhere, or even buy one, that would be possible to live in on your property? Is your contractor giving you a move in date? 3 yrs seems a very long time.

Stay out of the house until you can be legally in it, for a myriad of reasons.

HI, thanks for these comments. Let me say this: The house is virtually finished. Bathrooms are done. Kitchen is in (except for a wall oven ordered over a year ago, now to be here in a month.) Floors are in. Walls are painted. We need some track lights installed. The screens need to be put in. The steps need a new rail. It is more finished than many houses people actually live in. The insurance agent told me COO could take weeks or even months after we apply for it --and okay to live there when house is truly done, I will call again to check. The ONLY thing we are waiting for is POWER. Everything still runs on covid time here. This city is very expensive and even more so now for some reason --inflation? It feels to me like we would be far more comfortable in our house. Yes, it's taken three years to get to this point, and we are the first wildfire house on our street to come this far. Most are still in framing and a couple are still sitting there like they burned yesterday.

Power not being on would concern me. That said we lived in our house for three months before we had occupancy

I also lived in my house before a COO. It was not a new build but had two large addtions and interior remodel and required COO. The inspector knew I was living there because my furniture was in the bedrooms and my pets were in the house. I had water and power though. Do you have water? If you have water and the inspector, contractor and insurance is good wth it, then I would do it. You’ll develop a routine and get used to it. Also, maybe join a helath club for when you want a nice long hot shower.

Things are more relaxed in Maine. We camped in the walk out basement of our ski house the winter it was still under construction, but we had heat and power and a fully functioning bathroom. Inspector said it was fine as long as we had smoke detectors.Most recently, we set up a kitchen four years ago on our front porch, when we remodeled our entire first floor. But we did have our bedroom and bathroom as a sanctuary. I would invest in a Yeti cooler…and are you allowed propane for a barbecue? Because our Weber Grill made an excellent oven when used with a pizza stone. We also own a propane powered turkey fryer contraption….my husband extended the legs to save our backs and we used it for stir frying with our wok. As far as the city goes, if you live in one of those places where a blind eye is turned toward homeless people camping illegally, I would say they would be hard pressed to move you along.

And my husband just proposed the duh option….a generator. If you install a cutover generator, you might actually get a discount on your Insurance…a portable gasoline powered one is not great for longer than a cold winter’s night.

install... and there is that word, install, if I could get someone to install something as simple as a light fixture our house would be done. Got a portable solar jackery.

exactly, yes, the city has homeless camping all over the streets.... And we are not allowed to camp in our virtually finished house? Maybe we should threaten to add to the homeless issue. Our contractor meanwhile is telling us the inspector may deny us because a wall oven we ordered over a year ago will not arrive until August.

JP Haus --we just truly cannot afford it any more.

"Let me say this: The house is virtually finished."

If you move in before you should move in, there is potential if something goes wrong for you to be virtually finished.

Pretty much end of discussion with the city. We are homeless and we are camping.

trailer not possible. house sits at edge of street. The back is a canyon.

Talk to the people that may have issues with you living in the house without a Certificate of Occupancy; the builder (their insurance company), the local building department, your insurance company, neighbors, and anyone else that may have concerns. There are potential dangers to moving in early.

I had a client that moved in early to their project. Some of the workmen liked it because they did not have to move their scaffolding in, they just stood on the owner's furniture.

Is there any possibility that an independent appraiser or attorney could help you battle with your insurance company over your temporary accommodations?

It sure feels like they have an obligation to make sure you have a place to stay until your insured property is habitable (legally)

If the house has water, I would be camping. Of course, it should not happen but neither should an appliance take months for delivery.