10 Ways to Prepare for a Kitchen Remodel

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September 7, 2016

Renovating your kitchen is an exciting process, resulting in the custom kitchen of your dreams. However, preparing for a kitchen remodel and all it entails can be a rather daunting experience. It takes a little creativity and a LOT of planning, but it is possible to still live and dine at home in the midst of a kitchen renovation.

Here are a few helpful tips to get you prepared and guide you through your kitchen remodel project with as little inconvenience as possible.

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Know the Timeline

Sketch out a timeframe with your kitchen design team to get an accurate estimate of how long your kitchen area will be off-limits. Find out if parts of the kitchen will still be available for use, or if the entire area will need to be avoided. Once you have this information, come up with a creative plan for the areas which are still able to be used, if any.

Pack it Up

Plan on taking down and storing any and all objects in the kitchen that you want safe from harm, as renovation can be a messy business and accidents happen. This includes window treatments, mirrors, small appliances, and framed photos. Better safe than sorry!

Set up a Temporary Kitchen

Just because your kitchen’s out of commission doesn’t mean you have to skip your morning coffee. Designate an area of the house to use as a stand-in for your kitchen and set up your essentials (coffee pot, toaster, tabletop microwave, etc.) as well as any pantry items such as cereal, granola bars, and canned goods that you may wish to use.

Stay Organized

Nothing is more frustrating than not being able to find the thing you need when you need it. Avoid the stress of, say, not knowing where your spatula is by organizing your kitchen items by category in clearly-labeled bins or cardboard boxes, and keeping the things you need to use every day in a handy spot

Prep Meals in Advance

No need to be without delicious home-cooked meals while your kitchen is unavailable for use! In the weeks leading up to the renovation start date, cook and freeze meals that reheat nicely in a microwave, such as soups, casseroles, and lasagna. That way you will be able to just nuke your dinner each night while still having peace of mind that your family is eating nutritious meals.

Dishes? Done!

Save yourself the hassle of figuring out how to wash your dishes in the bathtub or in the yard with a hose, and stock up on disposable cups, plates, and utensils while your renovation is in progress. Feeling guilty about Mother Nature? Plenty of biodegradable and recyclable options currently exist in your paper goods aisle at the grocery store.

Get Out of Town!

If at all possible, why not take this opportunity to hit the road? Take the kids to visit Grandma for a week, or rent an RV and see the U.S.A. with your family. Schedule that business trip you’ve been putting off for a while. Any excuse you have to leave home while your kitchen is being remodeled is a good excuse!

Grill, Baby, Grill!

If you are renovating your kitchen in the warm-weather months, why not use your backyard as your family eating space while the kitchen is off limits? Nothing like a tasty grilled burger with sweet corn on the cob on a hot summer evening, right? You can even expand your grill repertoire by looking online for easy grilling recipes!

Don’t Forget your Pets

Home improvements can put extra stress on our four-legged friends due to the noise and confusion that ensues for the duration of a project. Not only that, but a construction site can be quite hazardous for a pet if he/she manages to accidentally get in the work zone. If your fur baby is prone to anxiety or has a tendency to get into things, you may want to consider letting him live with a friend or relative until the remodel is complete.

Keep your Eyes on the Prize

No matter how prepared you are for your kitchen remodel, there will be days when you feel completely overwhelmed by the remodeling project. Change is always stressful, and having a large part of your home off-limits for long periods of time can take its toll on even the most easygoing person. Just focus on the light at the end of the tunnel and how much you will absolutely love your beautiful new custom kitchen when it is ready. Your kitchen design team is always there for any questions, concerns or guidance you need.

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Thinking of a kitchen remodel? Call the design pros at The Kitchen Company today for your free consultation. We are New Haven, CT’s choice for quality custom kitchen design. We look forward to hearing from you!

Comments

I would love to do a kitchen remodel. I've been dreaming of that for years. It's good to know what I'll need to do to even prepare for one. I like your idea of designating an area of your home to be a temporary kitchen during the remodel. That's the thing I'm worried about. I don't want to go so long without having kitchen essentials. Even just having a toaster and microwave in my house would help, like you mentioned.

Submitted by Gary Puntman (not verified) on Tue, 2018-10-30 10:14

You mentioned that we should look into designating an area of the house to use as a stand-in for your kitchen. I love this idea! My husband and I are big coffee drinkers, so having a little bar set up somewhere in our house would be really beneficial for us. I would love to remodel my kitchen, but I am not good at floorplans and measurements, so maybe hiring someone to do this for me would be the best idea!

Submitted by Kate Welling (not verified) on Wed, 2018-12-19 16:01

Thanks for the tips. Me and my husband are gearing up to remodel our kitchen. I will be sure to be organized like you suggested. Wish us luck!

Submitted by Joy Butler (not verified) on Wed, 2018-12-19 18:39

My wife and I have been thinking about hiring a remodeling contractor to work in our kitchen. Having a temporary kitchen is a good idea. It would be nice so that people are out of the work zone and we can somewhat prepare meals.

Submitted by Mike Lee (not verified) on Mon, 2019-01-14 11:24

Thanks for the advice to stock up on paper plates when you are planning to remodel your kitchen. Sometime this year, I would love to renovate my kitchen. I will take your advice and be sure to prepare ahead of time.

Submitted by Callie Marie (not verified) on Tue, 2019-01-29 22:05

I appreciate your advice about staying organized. I think that kitchen renovations should be done by reliable professionals. I'll call a contractor in the event that I renovate my kitchen space.

Submitted by Sam Li (not verified) on Thu, 2019-01-31 15:05

Of the things you have listed here, I think that staying organized is the best thing you can do. That way, things would be very easy to find. How my things are now, they are a bit of a mess so I know that will take some time but I'll be able to get it done.

Submitted by Caden Dahl (not verified) on Wed, 2019-02-20 23:31

I want to remodel my kitchen this spring so thanks for sharing this. I like your point about stocking up on disposable utensils during this time. I will be sure to do this since we won't have anywhere to wash dishes until the project is done.

Submitted by Derek Dewitt (not verified) on Mon, 2019-03-11 11:59

I like how you mentioned that before you get your kitchen remodeled, you need to take down and store any items that you want safe from harm. My family and I just moved into a super old and outdated home and I want to do some remodeling, starting with the kitchen. I will definitely keep your great tips in mind when preparing for my kitchen remodeling project!

Submitted by Brooklyn Johnson (not verified) on Wed, 2019-04-17 13:24

We're planning on renovating the kitchen to upgrade, to have more space to move, a for more storage. Thank you for sharing the 10 ways to prepare before and during a kitchen remodel. I particularly like that you mentioned to set up a temporary kitchen. I would be sure to consider this option when we talk to a contractor for kitchen remodeling services once we start making the plans to renovate.

Submitted by April Cook (not verified) on Thu, 2019-05-16 17:40