I will confess, I got the inspiration for this blog after talking to a client about her upcoming kitchen remodel that was basically going to encompass the entire first floor of their home by redoing all of the floors and walls. Both she and her husband were concerned… "what do we do with all of our stuff?" "Are we going to have to eat out every meal?" Yes, it will be messy and inconvenient, but temporary and well worth it in the long run!
So here are a few helpful pointers to think about and plan for if you have a major kitchen remodel in your future!
“What do I do with all of my stuff?
-For starters, get rid of what you don’t want to put back in the new kitchen and you will have less to store.
-Pack all of your cabinet items for storage. Boxes and totes! Pack them tight and stack them high! Put them in an out of the way space like your basement or a spare bedroom (you’re not likely to have guest for a few weeks anyway so use any space you can!)
-Try to consolidate the larger furniture pieces into one room of the house that is getting little to no renovation.
-In extreme cases, clients have rented PODS for their driveways or rented a storage bin to clear things completely out of the house.
Am I going to have to eat every meal out?
-No, not unless you want to. But even that gets old, not to mention expensive when you are already investing in a remodel.
-Find a spot in your house that you can set up a stripped down minimal kitchen.
Refrigerator, portable microwave, coffee maker… just a few basics.
Example: I told the client who inspired this blog to claim her formal dining room since it was only getting new flooring and paint on the walls. The table is already in there, move your fridge in, have the contractor put a base cabinet and a small portion of the countertop in there from the kitchen demo
and get a water dispenser for just a couple of months so you have water on tap for coffee, tea, cooking, etc
-Meal Planning.
-Salads, cold cut sandwiches, fruit and yogurt are good for the first few days, but eventually you are going to want a warm meal!
Meet your new friends… (you don’t need them all, these are
strictly to open your mind to your remodel survival skills!) Keurig, electric skillet, crock-pot, air fryer, toaster, smoothie maker, countertop microwave, hotplate, instapot, and outdoor grill.
Lets face it, a warm meal is not out of reach…
Crockpot: Roast, potatoes and carrots
Grill: Steak or Chicken with a microwaved baked potato and a freshly tossed salad
Air Fyer: Chicken Strips or Shrimp with a side of sweet potato fries
DELICIOUS!!!! Get creative!
Goal: Cook a large amount 1-2 times per week and you will have leftovers to last a couple of days.
Eat out once a week as a treat and a break for yourself (and bring home leftovers to reheat!) You’ve just meal prepped and planned for 60+% of your main meals per week!
Friends and relatives have mercy! Help each other out… invite your remodel victims over for a home cooked meal in the process or take a prepared meal to them.
How do I do dishes? Don’t! This is the time when you should take full advantage of using paper plates, plastic utensils and disposable cups! You will have to do dishes in the laundry or bathroom sink at some point most likely but lets try to minimize it!
Don’t suffer through your remodel…Plan ahead. It’s a remodel adventure!
Make Breakfast and Lunch “GRAB & GO” items.
Breakfast: Coffee, toast, fruit, microwave oatmeal, yogurt, smoothie…
Lunch: pre-prepared salads for the week, sandwich, leftovers from the night before
Dinner: Start the crockpot before you go to work or something “off the grill”
What about my evening routine? How do I relax from a long day at work and chaos and inconvenience at home?
You created a makeshift temporary kitchen, so create a make shift area in the house that you can have your down time. This could be in a lower level or a bedroom. Start with a comfy chair and then determine the must haves that need to go with that comfy chair…
There is as much mental preparation going into a remodel as there is the remodel itself. It is important to plan ahead to minimize anxiety and make this as smooth a process as possible. Just think about all the time you put into making plans and selections for your new kitchen. You need to devote significant time to make this an enjoyable process. This is so worth it!
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