When you make the big decision to remodel your kitchen, you soon realize there will be a period of time when you’ll lose the use of the room while it’s in progress. The amount of time you have to “make do” will vary depending on how large the remodeling project is, but it’s always good to have a plan.
Should I Stay or Should I Go?
Only a very small percentage of homeowners are able to move out of the house for the duration of a kitchen remodeling project. And many of those who do move out often find it very stressful because of the expense and disruption to your family’s routines. So, you’ll probably want to stay.
If your remodeling project involves the kitchen and no other rooms, proper planning and careful dust control mean you should be able to move your cooking and dining to another area of the house while still living there.
Staging and Setup
Don’t wait until the night before demolition starts in the kitchen to clean it out. Find out what the schedule is for removing the appliances, sink and cabinets and make a plan to be ready. Many people set up a temporary kitchen in the dining room. It may be possible to move the fridge there or you may want to get a small dorm-size one as a short-term convenience. Figure out what dishes, utensils and other food prep things you will need for the duration of the remodel and pack away everything else.
Set up a table and plastic storage bins to keep things as organized as possible. Stock up on items that don’t require refrigeration: cereal, canned soup and fruit, and quick snack items like protein bars, crackers, nuts, peanut butter, and raisins.
Cooking
Cooking might actually be the simplest part of what you’ll be dealing with when you have no kitchen. A microwave, toaster oven, coffee maker, crock-pot or instant pot, and maybe a hot plate will get you through most meals. Take advantage of the prepared foods, heat-and-serve entrées, salad bar and rotisserie chicken from your grocer’s deli. If weather permits, a grill on the patio can be your best friend. And you’ll probably take advantage of Grubhub or other food delivery service, get take-out, eat lots of pizza and become familiar faces at neighborhood restaurants.
Clean-Up
Perhaps the biggest challenge you’ll have is cleaning up, because of the lack of a kitchen sink. You may need to accept the fact that using disposable plates, bowls and flatware will save a lot of clean-up headaches. When you have the inevitable dishwashing to do, have a large dish pan or plastic bin handy to transport the dirty dishes to the water supply. And remember you won’t have a garbage disposal, so you’ll have to scrape food scraps into the trash before you put dishes in the bathroom or laundry room sink.
It’s Worth It!
Once your new kitchen remodel is finished, you’ll be glad you took the leap to update the room where you and your family spend so much time. You’ll also realize just how much time you’re used to spending there!
We promise that we’ll make the process as smooth as possible for you and your family and that you’ll love the beautiful kitchen that is the end product of this process. So, give us a call and let’s get started!