I need advice about bridging the financial gap between getting a new home built and selling a current home (preferably without having two mortgages).

I have heard that some people will sell their house and rent an apartment while the new home is being built. This isn't an option since we have two small children at home and a large dog.

Also I have read about a bridge loan which sounds too risky to me in case the current house doesn't sell in a timely fashion.

The third idea I have read is to get a home equity loan on your current home before putting it up for sale. Again, I don't like borrowing the money and using it for building the new home in case the current home doesn't sell as quickly as planned.

Does anyone have any other experiences or suggestions for this type of situation? Thanks.