6 Tips to Prepare for a Kitchen Renovation Project
Once your kitchen renovation plans have been firmed up with your contractors, it is your job to mentally and physically prepare yourself for this project. Depending on the nature of the project, renovations can take a few days, weeks or sometimes months, for very large projects. Although the details involved in remodeling your kitchen may seem a bit overwhelming, there are some things you can do in advance to limit your stress and enjoy your time at home during this renovation:
- Plan Smart: Try and schedule a kitchen remodel during a season where you are not constantly relying on your kitchen. Summer is often a great season for a remodel because the weather is nicer and it is easier to fill up your calendar with busy activities outside the home. You might even plan a remodel during part of a summer vacation so that you can avoid the inconveniences of a renovation and come home to enjoy your new kitchen.
- Pack Up: This is often the first step to preparing your kitchen for a remodel. Although packing up your kitchen may seem like a hassle, it's actually an excellent time to get organized. This beginning step is the perfect time to get rid of broken or outdated kitchen tools and appliances, while keeping treasured pieces. Keep boxes labeled and organized so that you can easily put everything away in your new kitchen.
- Set Aside A Living/Eating Area: While eating out is a convenient option for those in the middle of a kitchen remodel, you will likely want to also eat some meals at home. Prepare a space in the dining room or basement area where you and your family can enjoy a meal together. Move the fridge and other small appliances to an area where they can be easily accessed. Time away from your kitchen can be challenging, but don't make it harder by boxing up your coffee maker! Keep non-perishable foods around the house and even take advantage of using your grill. Creating a space for family meals will help reduce stress and provide routine.
- Keep A Flexible Time Table: It is not uncommon for kitchen renovations to involve unexpected delays during the remodel process. Waiting on appliances to be delivered can easily set back a project by a couple of weeks. Try and keep an open mind, as well as a flexible schedule. Not everything goes as planned, and a kitchen remodel may be one of those things!
- Be Ready for a Change in Your Routine: Every morning, you walk downstairs, pour yourself a cup of coffee and sit at the breakfast bar to read the newspaper. During a remodel, coffee may have to be made in the bathroom or even in the living room. That time you spent reading at the breakfast bar, may turn into reading the paper on the basement couch. Whether you drink coffee or not, the point is that your daily routine will have to change to fit your new circumstances. A remodel affects even the smallest parts of your whole day, but you don't have to let it affect you negatively!
- Remember the Big Picture: Some days, the stress and dust of a remodel might get to you. All of this hard work begins to seem useless if you have to wait for weeks to enjoy it... don't let the process get you down. All good things take time and that's exactly the case for a kitchen remodel! At the end of the project you will be in love with your new kitchen and you won't even remember the time you had to make an entire family dinner with the help of a microwave.
