Kitchen Workbook: 8 Steps to Surviving a Remodel

hulagal We did all of these things when we gutted our kitchen (items 2&3 are especially helpful tips). We set up a kitchen in the garage and moved the refrigerator and dishwasher. They got hooked up to the utility sink. We put our small kitchen electrics to good use and repurposed a bookcase, bakers rack and several folding tables for "countertops" and "cabinets". Other than battling the constant presence of dust and dirt, we survived and ate pretty well!

JAN MOYER Having guided so many through this process, here are my tips:
Timing is important. If you live in the snow,slush,mud belts this room is BEST done in late spring to early fall.
A kitchen gut involves spaces you hardly think about! Like your GARAGE! Yes! Your workers will need this space. You will find your door wide open to an attached garage most of the time. Before workers arrive, clean the garage mercilessly. Yes it is going to get filthy again, but trust me on this: When they pack up and leave you will thank me. Hang whatever can be hung. Rid it of cobwebs, dust, leaves, old tires, cracked garden pots, etc. and out of season sporting goods. Hang the bikes. Go to a certified "dump" with the old paint, old tiles and whatever lurks out there. Pretend you are moving. Just do it mercilessly and ruthlessly. Don't plan on parking in there either.
Now... the really hard part. Go thru every single drawer and cupboard. Ditch the junk. I mean PRUNE THE KITCHEN. YOU MUST BE RUTHLESS. The mismatched mugs, burned cookie sheets, dime store utensils, stained dish towels, expired spices, anything gooey and mostly gone/used up.. OUT! Make a list of items you want/need to replace as you purge. Now....save just enough stuff for the most basic of meals. There are five of you? Five forks and five knives, bowls, mugs. You WON'T cook. You will grill outside, eat on paper plates, drink from plastic cups, and you will eat a lot of takeout. Pack up all the rest in boxes, and label the boxes!!! Stack all that nice clean boxed stuff in the basement or attic, and cover all the boxes with a very large plastic drop cloth. There will be dust all over your house, and failure to box/remove all will be a project on the other end. Whatever you do, do NOT take the lazy route, and pile it in another room loosey goosey....just don't do it. Don't! It will make you crazy, and it's a mess on the other end.
Pick a designated spot for your daily mail, notes, bulletins and the like. Toss out catalogues at the door. There will be enough disruption without losing important mail amidst junk.
So ladies!.... whatever you clean, toss, donate, throw away, from ANY room, will be one less thing to sort,dust, clean later, and will increase your sense of order and calm and sanity during the process. You can't be too organized, and you can't over-prepare.
One last tip. Contractors, and workers/subs have a really good sense of how picky you are from the way you keep/maintain your home.... if they see a lack of care, clutter, confusion, inside or out... mmmmmhhhmmmm. It's a fact, and weirdly?! those homeowners with the most "confused" surroundings are generally the harshest /pickiest critics of the work taking place. You're being watched, even if nobody will say it.

poison We moved our dining and eating/prep to the living room. as much as possible we ate in. we were fortunate to have our son nearby and ate with them off and on, but not daily. the new kitchen was definately worth the hasstle of construction!!

areapaughter Just going through this and note that we did do most of what was recommended. We are finding that contractors eat space. Whatever space is available inside or out becomes their territory. Stakeout some do not use areas that can remain normal. Expect to see strange men wandering through your house looking for the bathroom (workers) and strange people wandering around your property who do not think they have to ask your permission (building inspectors and contractors). Expect that you may not have the same taste in music and you cannot compete if you want your neighbors to stay friends. (the dust has already tested their patience).

Barbecues are fine if you can count on the weather, it has been cold. Weekends are the period in which you take back control, clean up as much as possible and regain your committmemt to the project.

Eating out is good but be sure to order in excess and bring home the doggie bags. The microwave oven is a must.

Trusting that we will find that two months or more living like the disspossessed will be worth it.

RJL Designs-LLC The most important detail is to be prepared for the inconveniences mentally as well as physically putting things away and out of the "construction zone". This will be a stressful event with lots of challenges to you personal space. I provide my clients with a written schedule for the project with the projected work to be done on a daily basis and which contractors will be on-site for that day. When the client knows what to expect and when, it sets their mind at ease to take on other aspects of their life and relax through the project. I also communicate on a daily basis with my clients to address any concerns and problems. If the client knows the project will be done in 6 weeks and not 6 months or when ever, the time is tolerable and it can be very exciting to watch the progress. I agree the end results will be worth it! Don't fear the Kitchen remodel. Connect with a Designer/Contractor that can help you through the process, keeping it on-time and on-budget and you will be able to enjoy the new space for many years!

jarose Our alternative kitchen was in the dinning room though we wased dishes in the basement. Washing - either prep or clean up was the biggest pain, as was chopping on a table less than counter height. remodel occurred late September finishing Christmas eve day (mostly). Expect the unexpected and delays. We purchased an electric skillet and used it a lot, also our crock pot. I even cooked a lchili lunch of appreciation for the crew. Even though we pre-cleaned, half of our cabinet contents remain in the basement, just not needed yet.

Griffin Interiors Knowing when my kitchen renovation was going to start allowed me to cook several meals and freeze them in my second refrigerator not being affected by the demolition. So after defrosting the container I could just reheat in a microwave. I had delicious home cooked meals. It was really easy. Washing up took place in the laundry room. Easy!

Rhonda Kieson Designs I have been on both sides of this issue; A) as a homeowner myself going through a kitchen renovation, and B) as a the designer and general contractor for my clients.

In my own renovations, I set up a long table in the dining room on which I placed a coffee maker, portable electric cooktop, paper towels, paper plates, plasticware, some real flatware, cooking utensils, etc. It worked quite well. The refrigerator was also moved to the dining room. In fact, during one extensive kitchen remodel, we had six extra house guests here for five days, and no one complained of the inconvenience. What an adventure!

As a designer and/or general contractor, I tell my clients at our initial meeting that this is going to be stressful. Exciting at first, but stressful at some point. This is when they should call me immediately if they have questions, issues or comments. A call from a client on a Friday night can give peace of mind over the weekend, and the problem (if it's not an emergency) can be handled first thing Monday morning.

Invasive? Yes.
Worth doing? Absolutely!

katyl because we were doing such an extensive renovation of our kitchen, we spent an entire summer cooking in the garage. after emptying and cleaning it, we set up a long table with all our stuff (after packing away most of our kitchen tools and keeping just the essentials), used the grill for just about everything, hooked up an outside sink with running water, and basically learned that you can do LOT in a garage with a grill and an electric kettle! we cooked great food, drank a LOT of wine, and tried to make the most of it. in the end, we had a fantastic kitchen to return to and a lot of funny memories (like a pork chop covered with gravel that we actually tried to eat).

mfredericks Begin with the end in mind. Makes it all worthwhile

builderpat Wow, you missed the most important tip of all: PLANNING and PURCHASING.

Don't wait until the carpenter is at the door to be getting your materials in place. Purchase as much as you can, up front, and have it available when the tradesmen are ready for it. Not having that tile you loved or the fixtures you've been planning on at the site may mean that your tile person or your electrician will have to move on to another job while you get your act together. Stuff like this can cause delays that go on for weeks.

Yes, there are certain things that need field dimensions--cabinets especially; you never know what the as-builts may change on the plans. But the cabinets can't be built until the shop knows exactly what appliances you will be using. And the electrician can't run the right power, either.

In short, sit down with your planner--or on your own, if you're planning it yourself--and make a list of every item that's going in. Order or purchase what you can so that lead times meet the delivery times needed to make the project run smoothly.

Bowden Carroll Design I moved "operations" to a spare bathroom with a dressing room attached, ate lots of salads, toasted lots of bread and discovered that you can successfully cook green beans in an electric kettle! Salad Niçoise anyone?

patscats2 For me, having an outdoor kitchen would be the ideal solution above all the others. Leaving town would not be an option as I'd want to be on site everyday to ensure the work is going as planned.

hulagal it sounds like you had a pretty nice set up in the garage.

The bit thing for me would be having a sink other than a bathroom sink. I would not want to do kitchen dishes in the bathroom. That would eeek me out.

I think the main thing is prepare for it and you'll end up in much better shape.

feeny Two things to avoid:
1. Eating out too often. I gained 15 lbs. during our kitchen renovation without even realizing it. That was two years ago, and the pounds are still lingering.
2. Getting a new puppy and trying to housebreak and train her while workers are coming in and out of the house constantly. Our first dog (same breed) took two weeks to housebreak. Our renovation puppy took three months (basically until the job was over).

susanlily We were lucky when we re-did our kitchen. Because we knew our construction crew, we were able to take a two week vacation! We made certain that any materials needed for the project, oven, sink, 'fridge, etc. were on site before we left so that there were no hang-ups. The garage comes in handy for storing these items. We also used our grill extensively. The kids, 6 and 8, were thrilled when the project was done and regular cooking and cleaning activities were back in place. After three major remodels I have determined that the worst part is ALWAYS the cleaning. Doing dishes in the tub is not fun and you WILL need a shop vac, a regular vacuum, a lot of dust cloths, a mop and a good washing machine! I have learned that it always takes longer, and costs more to do what needs to be done. That lesson allows me to try and relax and go with the flow.

rngulf We utilized a big pot outside and a hose to do dishes, the grill, and lots of wine and buckets of chicken

calgal1932 Our kitchen remodel in 1989 not only involved new cabinets etc but enlarging the space by eight feet. The original kitchen was a galley style and so small that it was possible to touch both sides. If more than two people were in the kitchen it was overly crowded.
The remodel from start to finish took five long months.
As I was a professional photographer with a darkroom in the garage we decided to use the darkroom as our temporary kitchen. The sink was there as were shelves to hold our food. The refrigerator was outside the door of the darkroom. We cooked on a two burner electric stove and a microwave. To ward off the winter cold we used a portable heater that often blew the power in the house necessitating a quick run to the breaker box in the house.
But it was all worth it. We had a wonderful kitchen that I truly miss since our move a few months ago.

flick Well, we are just embarking on renovating our kitchen! On thursday and friday we had a new window put in and French doors replaced and this coming friday the real work starts in earnest! I am pleased to report that my husband and I along with our nearly-2-year-old daughter will be heading off on holiday for the first week, and we feel very confident in our builder who will start by replacing the flooring. He thinks it will take him at least a further week to finish the major jobs before we can do things like painting etc so after a couple of days at home I then plan to take our daughter to my parents whilst my husband survives on takeaways. He is looking forward to the opportunity to sample some of the local food outlets, particularly an independent BBQ meat place that is getting rave reviews!! Wish us luck...we have yet to buy many of the smaller fixtures and fittings (oh and the hob, oven and extractor fan!) and we don't have a lot of space to set up an 'alternative' kitchen away from the dust. Plus it is our daughter's birthday the day after we hope to have it finished so no pressure on the schedule then ;-)

PamDesigns 3D I'm a kitchen designer and I am knee deep at the moment in my own kitchen remodel. It's major and involves also relocating the laundry, pantry and powder rooms. Walls have been moved. It involves roughly one third of our home --right in the middle. My husband, my son, his girlfriend, a dog, a cat, a parrot and I are living in it while it's going on. Biggest problems so far: keeping the dog from escaping or getting in the way and keeping the dust under control. The little dog likes to poke holes in the plastic dust barrier between the construction area and the family room. Yes, there is dust and lots of it! My husband jokes about our 'two kitchens'. The counter that is set up in the garage where we prepare meals because that's where the pantry stuff and the microwave is --and the second (at the exact opposite end of the house) in our master ensuite bathroom where we do the dishes. We also have a coffee station set up in the master bedroom because we just can't go without our coffee in the morning. This has been an unexpected joy to have the aroma of coffee first thing in the morning. There is not one space in our home that is not affected by the remodel. Yes, it's a disruption. This weekend we had to call the contractor to come back out because we discovered that we had no hot water as the pilot light on the water heater was out. They had turned the gas off to work on it Friday afternoon. We tried several times to relight it ourselves to no avail. Turns out there was air in the gas line. The other day a shelf in the family room came crashing down that had jars of seashells on it. I should have had the good sense to take it down before they got started. There is a lot of shaking and rattling caused by the saws that took down old walls. It sounded like a bomb went off. Fortunately nothing of real value was damaged. Overall, I'm enjoying the experience and marvel at the orchestrated chaos. I love watching the details as they evolve from those that I've dreamed of become a reality. The best part so far is that they set up my laundry pair so I don't have to go to the laundromat.

nierman Use up pantry/frig/freezer food inventory before-hand so less to be boxed up.
Have boxes on hand to store food and kitchen gadgets.
Vacuum the area daily. Clean behind appliances, etc. before new are set in place.
Put down sticky carpet protector to adjacent room. (often) & old rugs.
Bought a stainless steel work-bench to hold microwave/toaster/coffeepot. (now use it in the garage)
Moved oven/stove back into kitchen to plug in when needed. (heavy)
Remounted old sink with section of countertop using 2x4s for wall-brackets to do dishes. (some skills needed)
Pulled out old drawers with contents still inside and set in make-shift kitchen area.
Didn't eat out much. Needed to get our work done in the evenings to stay ahead of the contractors. A trying time, but worth it.

lindseyakin because of taking down certain walls, we're having to do the bathroom AND kitchen at the same time. Our mantra: "it's just like camping". We do a lot of camping, and so have camp stove, cheaper pans, and lots of disposables.

Oh and we're doing this pretty much singlehandedly while I'm also working on my Masters part time as well as working full time. We just finished insulation this weekend ready for drywallers tomorrow. We're already at 2 months since demo!

Fine Art & Portraits by Laurel Great subject! Thanks everyone.

olliek "7a" should be: Move into a short-term rental and pay your contractor a little extra to barnstorm the project (and penalties for not hitting a "final" date). I just finished a kitchen remodel......it was not fun. We moved our temporary kitchen three times. With the money I spent on dining-out I could have paid the contractor extra to finish quickly. Kitchen remodels are detail-intensive; probably moreso than any other room in the house. Another thing, make sure your new cabinets and appliances are ordered well ahead of the demolition (custom cabinets take 4-8 weeks to build here in Portland), and onsite for installation.

carmenacura Planning & packing before the mess starts is vital. Also, an old fitted sheet makes a great cover for a stove or fridge.

Danielle We had a usual camper in the driveway. I used this for cooking while the stove wasn't hooked up. Or we BBQ'd a lot to. Laundry sink downstairs came in handy too!

Cabinet Connection of NC Managing Expectation is Key to Contentment During the Process! It WILL take longer and cost more than to expect! But it is worth it so enjoy the process.

scherrie goettsch Yes, I did a combination addition/kitchen, laundry, porch and half-bath in 3 months. Granted, I designed the space and had a makeshift kitchen in our basement. However, my best advice is to hire a good contractor who will keep the job going and get done on time or even early. Too often small remodeling projects are not a top priority and there can be days when nothing happens.

djweller We moved our fridge, microwave, and a few small appliances into our living room, then sealed off the area with a big sheet of plastic that had a zipper for a door (think camping tent). If you tape the plastic carefully and re-zip the 'door' as you go in and out, you can really cut down on the dust. Our son called it "our NYC apartment."

Hughes Construction, Inc As a contractor, I've lived through two of my own kitchen remodels, as well as many client remodels. Here are some tips:

1) Hire a kitchen designer from the start
2) Just be prepared from the get go that you are going to gain some weight from eating out, then take some healthy cooking classes to prepare some awesome meals in your new kitchen!
3) Learn how to cook in your microwave & crock pot. Keep it simple.
4) It's okay to use paper while you are remodeling your kitchen, and it's compostable!
5) Use your dining room table as a meal prep station, and invest in some TV trays (think retro!)
6) If you have relatives in the area, now is the time to call in the dinner favors. Better yet - if you have kids, drop them with the relatives for dinner and go out just the two of you for a well deserved night out.
7) Know that it will be about 8 weeks for a typical remodel and will feel like an eternity, but it will give you years of enjoyment and is well worth it!

Judy Oh dear! I am about to start all this and this is scary. I recently moved into this house, hate the kitchen, so doing a remodel. Half my kitchen equipment is still in boxes in the garage, (and some not in boxes, as I use them every so often i.e. baking dishes, stock pots, wok, bread machine etc.) as there just isn't enough storage in the present kitchen. I have already done the getting rid of old, shabby stuff before I moved here. I do have a long fold-up trestle table and the plan was that I set that up in the garage (after moving the car to the street) and the garage will be the temporary kitchen. At the moment, the garage is full, having left just enough room for the car. I have purchased a shelving system for the garage, which is full of kitchen stuff, and that is just the stuff not in boxes. I was going to put the fridge in the laundry, which would probably prevent me from using the washing machine, but there is nowhere else to put it - the garage has a couple of steps going into it, so moving the fridge there would be difficult. Basically there is no way I can clear out the garage, in fact, once I pack up the stuff now in the present kitchen, it will be a lot worse. I never thought that that the workers may need some space in the garage too! I don't have a dining room, it is winter here, so an outdoor kitchen is also out of the question. The living room is carpeted, so that wouldn't be suitable either.

shannas We are in the middle of our kitchen remodel and have used many of these ideas. However, no one has mentioned having a contractor who is respectful of your space and cleanliness. Our contractor cleans up with a shop vac at the end of each day and has put up plastic sheets with zippers to minimize the dust in the rest of the house. He has made the process much easier.

pjlemke Great ideas & we used many of them to help cope. ATTITUDE is key! We rented a POD to store table, chairs, tubs of packed kitchen items, appliances, etc. Definitely a life-saver!

Robert Davie Some people contributed some very constructive ideas for living through a kitchen remodel.
I just signed a contract for new cabinets, which arrive in 3 months. Once they are delivered, it will take 3 days to install the cabinets, in the meantime much behind the scenes prep work will make the process smoother.
*Cabinet maker and appliance supplier are communicating to insure there are no surprises, all appliances will be stocked and ready for delivery and installed once the cabinets are in.
*All lighting is ordered in advance and the electrician is on notice.
*All plumbing is ordered, (sink, faucets, ect), and plumber is on notice.
*Counter tops and back splash is picked out, in stock and ready for templating the day the base cabinets are installed.
*Purging of item that will not go back into the new kitchen is underway, relatives and charities are kept in mind, someone can use your old kitchen ware, try to be green and avoid throwing things away.
*Packing of china, crystal and little used items is underway, only essentials are left in the cabinets. A little at a time gets the job done. I am using boxes from liquor store to store wine glasses and goblets, the boxes the wine came in have individual partitions so the glasses set right in.
*I am cooking meals and freezing them in my garage fridge and freezer, the microwave and toaster oven are ready to heat them up.
*The laundry room will be set up as temporary kitchen for morning coffee and O.J.
Keep up all the great ideas.