A kitchen renovation is a big deal for any household. Not just because it's exciting, but also because it will likely send your routine and home into chaos.
Your kitchen is about to be partially demolished and rebuilt. It will be under a state of construction for days, maybe even weeks or months depending on your remodel timeline. If you aren't planning an extended vacation while the work is done, you'll want to take the right steps to prepare your kitchen and your interrupted routine for a successful kitchen remodel.
How should you prepare for a kitchen renovation? How can you make sure your family routine can survive the remodeling of your kitchen? Don't worry, we've got you covered. With hundreds of kitchen renovations under our belt. Edesia has insider tips on how to prep your home and rock your meal planning during a kitchen renovation.
First and foremost: set up a backup kitchen. You're going to need - at minimum, a microwave, countertop, sink, and somewhere to store dishes and pantry items. You likely won't be enjoying your fill range of recipes during the remodel, but you can still cook and eat at home.
Pick a room and space to build yourself a hotel-style kitchenette. You can bring in your fridge or use a mini-fridge. You can use the microwave, a hot plate, or a camping stove. You can even hook up the electric grill. Make sure there's a bathroom sink nearby for washing and water for recipes and make a plan to keep dishes clean.
Many families also increase their budget for takeout orders and disposable dishes during this time.
Takedown all decorations and anything "temporary" in the kitchen. Wall portraits, hanging art, and potted plants all must go. In fact, you might want to take the light covers and unmount the pan hooks. If your cabinetry or walls are getting demolished, remove everything that can be removed.
Speaking of clearing the kitchen, pack your stuff! Pack your kitchen as if you were moving. This is actually a great opportunity to design organized and labeled boxes that will help you set up a better-organized kitchen when the remodels are complete. Pack up your pantry, pans, utensils, and everything in between.
Move the fridge or relocate your cold items to new cold storage. Store your pantry goods on a shelf near your temporary kitchen. And while you're packing, consider what kitchen items you don't use that could be sold or donated.
Renovations are dusty! Between the sawdust of new wood cabinets, the sheetrock dust of breaking drywall, and the general dust of unpackaging new materials, no kitchen construction is exactly clean. To keep the dust (and noise and paint fumes) from the rest of your house, prepare plenty of plastic sheeting to partially seal the kitchen from the rest of the house.
If any demolition is part of your kitchen remodel, you may need to rent a dumpster. Your remodeling team or contractors will let you know if this is necessary and what type of dumpster to rent. In most cases, you will want to move your car out of the driveway to make room for your parked dumpster during the demolition part of the kitchen renovation.
Finally, if you have pets, make sure they are safe during your kitchen renovation. Pets can run through plastic sheeting and be exposed to dangers like fumes, dust, chemicals, or falling hammers. Now may be an important time to board your pet with a friend or keep them enclosed in another part of the house.
Preparing for a kitchen remodel is not as hard as it sounds. Just think ahead and make sure you've got a temporary kitchenette ready to take care of family meals and snacks while your kitchen is undergoing amazing new improvements. Ready to start preparing for your kitchen remodel? Contact us today to build your plans or consult on what a kitchen remodel entails during the process.