You've been clipping images from magazines and pinning photos to Pinterest for months, or even years. You can see yourself waking up each morning to eat breakfast at you new kitchen island and ending each night blissfully wiping the dinner crumbs from your new granite countertops. You're ready for the kitchen of your dreams.
The only problem?
The in-between time when the kitchen is getting remodeled.
That's the time when you won't really have a kitchen... at all.
While you know it's going to be worth it, those weeks of your kitchen remodel are going to be tough unless you prepare ahead of time. Use these ideas to make the interim period livable.
Pack up Intentionally
You'll need to put your dishes, appliances, pantry items, and more away during your kitchen remodel. But don't throw them haphazardly into random boxes. Sort your items into three areas: Temporary Kitchen, Storage, and Donate. Over the course of a few days or weeks, begin sorting your kitchen into these bins.
What should you keep in your temporary kitchen bins?
- A small set of dishes to cover your family's needs
- Small appliances, like your toaster, coffee maker, and slow cooker
- Utensils
- Microwave
- Essential foods
Designate a Temporary Kitchen
Where will you put the items you've packed into your temporary kitchen bins? It probably won't be pretty, but you'll need to find an area of your home where you can pour cereal, heat up a frozen meal, or chop veggies to throw into your slow cooker. If you have a dining room, you could use a corner of the room and half of the table. You may need to set up a folding table in a corner of the TV room or use the hallway as your food prep place. Just keep this motto in mind: This is temporary. This is temporary.
Designate a New Kitchen Sink
You likely won't have access to a garbage disposal, kitchen sink, or a dishwasher during your remodel, so you'll need to find an area in your home that can become the temporary dish washing quarters. Buy a tub for dirty dishes too. When you finish eating, scrape all leftovers into the trash or compost, and then set up dish washing camp in an extra bathroom (if you have one).
Plan Easy Meals
Takeout will get old really fast. (It's also not too budget-friendly!) You'll need to think ahead to eat healthy. Come up with several easy meals you can make with your small appliances and pantry items. If you have the time, make a few freezer meals that can be thrown in the slow cooker too.
Plan a Path
A good contractor will take care to keep your home as clean as possible and provide a thorough cleanup at the end of each day. Still, do your part in protecting the rest of your home by covering nearby furniture and moving breakable items out of the workers' path.
Hit the Road
It won't always work this way, but if you were already planning a vacation or business trip, it might make things easier if it were scheduled during your kitchen remodel. Just think how exciting it will be to come home after a few days and see progress!
Keep It in Perspective
Remember that your kitchen remodel is a short time in the grand scheme of things. While there's no doubt you'll experience inconveniences, remind yourself that these are temporary -- and they're worth it. When everything is done, you'll have the kitchen of your dreams.
At New Life Bath and Kitchen, we value your home and your time. We work quickly to get you the kitchen of your dreams -- without sacrificing quality. Give us a call at (805) 639-5433, or request a consultation online.