Are you unhappy with the look and feel of your kitchen? Have you been kicking around the idea of kitchen remodeling, but have yet to pull the trigger and get started? Many people put off a kitchen renovation because it is such a big project that can overtake the home. Here, you'll find a few tips to help you get through your kitchen renovation without relying on dining out for every meal of the day.
Timing is Everything
When you plan to start the renovation will have a big impact on just how inconvenient the project will be. If you know that there's a busier time of year for you, plan to do the project some other time. For example, if you know that you have family coming to stay with you in July, don't start the project in June – you never know what can happen to slow the completion of the project.
Find a few weeks in your schedule this year in which you have nothing going on. The less you have going on in your life, the easier the remodel will be for you to get through without stressing.
Give yourself at least one extra week of time for the project to be completed. If you go into it expecting it to take 3 weeks, and it takes 4, you will stress; if you plan for it to take 4 weeks, and it only takes 3, you'll be happy that it's finished early.
Set up a Temporary Kitchen
You probably have at least a small corner in another room that you can transform into a makeshift kitchen to use while the main kitchen is being renovated. Pick up some college-style appliances to use – a mini-refrigerator and an electric cooktop are two essentials. Of course, you can set up your coffee pot, toaster, and microwave to keep things fairly normal in the morning.
Sanitize a Bathroom
Do you have a guest bathroom that isn't used often, or do you have a secondary bathroom that you can dedicate to use as a temporary kitchen prep and clean-up space? If so, you'll want to sanitize it before you begin washing your fruits in the sink or your dishes in the tub. Do this by mixing one part bleach with three parts water in a spray bottle. This will kill any bacteria or germs on the surfaces, and create a safe place to wash and prepare for meals.
Talk with your renovation contractor to learn more about the timing of the project. Hopefully, with some careful planning and a good contractor, the project will go off without a hitch.
