Hmm...I'm curious about the kitchenette! Is it too icky to make that the kitchen? An induction burner (or coil) is nice to have as is a good toaster oven. You should be able to cook just about anything you normally would.

Have a few dishpans. Use them to collect and wash dirty dishes. Use baby gates if you don't have doors. Make sure the room being worked on is sealed up TIGHT before demo. During other stuff too, especially drywall, but for SURE demo.

If daycare isn't hard to do, it can be a good experience for socializing a youngster so no guilt required. :)

Kids are easier than pets. Take them in to check out the progress every evening. Kids enjoy this stuff quite a bit.

The full time day care sounds like a great idea. When we put on our addition we were able to turn the range around 180 degrees and have it face into the dining room. We also had the refrigerator and microwave in there. I did the pots and pans in the laundry tub but for the most part we used paper plates. And there was a good bit of take out food too.

My kids were 9, 7 and 5 so the two oldest were in elementary school but the youngest was only in half day kindergarten. We were adding 1000 sq ft to the side of the house, doubling the size of the kitchen, adding a MIL suite off the kitchen and a 5th bedroom with bath on the second floor. The contractor knocked out the exterior wall and installed a flush beam and while they were framing he had one of those huge blue plastic roofing tarps hanging over the side of the house - made everything inside a lovely shade of blue. When the weather was cold we had propane fired heaters in there.

Make sure you take photos because while it's a stressful time when it's all over you'll enjoy looking at all the progress.

And to answer your last question - I managed because I was younger and there was no other option. And we didn't have any relatives within 300 miles to offer a hand. I used to envy DH when he headed off to work every morning.

You'll survive and it is something akin to childbirth - 3 years from now you won't remember all the headaches and mistakes that happened.

Good luck,

Maire

The temporary kitchen space is a good idea. We used our bathtub for washing dishes, and I have friends who bought two Rubbermaid storage bins for washing (one for soapy water and one for rinse water). I don't think the full time daycare is necessary, but there is definitely value in it if you think it will make life easier and preserve some of your sanity during this stressful time. We got a little tired being confined to a few "safe" rooms, but my memory is that it went quickly. We spent days at the library, playgrounds, etc as much as we could. Some days were very quiet, and others busier and louder (we found things to do on those days!). Either way, it will all be worth it!!

I'm just at the tail end of this with a three year old and a belly baby which, for me, means extremely severe morning (all day) sickness. I had a fridge and a small utility sink. My tips: all disposable utensils and plates/bowls etc. Cereal or yogurt and fruit for breakfast every morning. Daycare/preschool at least through lunch every day. I don't know where you live or your budget, but I am blessed that we live in a good restaurant area and have the means to do takeout or eat out every night. I tried to make dinner in our Instant Pot one night and it was enough of a hassle that I stuck to takeout for the next two (approaching three) months.

Best of luck! I'm hoping to cook my first meal in the new kitchen this weekend.

Do you have a patio? When we reno'd our last house we moved the entire kitchen operation outside. We purchased a four walled pop-up from Costco and installed it on the patio. Inside it went portable tables for the MW, toaster oven, Coleman stove, and prep. The outside faucet was handy for water as was an electrical outlet. We used various boxes for shelving for cookware. Think camping.

In our new house, it was the wrong time of year for that to be a good idea. We turned a bedroom into the "kitchen," with the addition of an induction plate, but no MW. That only worked because the laundry room with a utility sink was next door. It would have been difficult if the bathroom sink was the only water. Sometimes a contractor can set up a temp sink for you.

In both cases, we were able to have sort-of normal meals. For MIss-I-Get-Into-Everything you could even make mac and cheese.

We're in the middle of a major renovation and only have a bedroom and a bathroom - we're at school/work all day so it's been doable during the week. Fridge was moved to the living room, as out of the way of the work as possible. I love the induction hot plate, between that, the microwave and an electric griddle, we've been able to eat at home (very basic meals). I use 2 busboy trays for washing up in the bathtub. One is for soapy water to wash and I put the dish drainer in the other tray. I have a plastic jug that fits under the bathroom sink faucet that I use to fill up a pot of water. We're using all disposable plates/cups to cut down on amount to wash. I bought a wheeled metal shelving unit from Costco that is our pantry with items in plastic containers.

We are about to start a similar remodel with a 3 and 4 year old and I'm very scared too. I'm going to look around for a small table-top microwave that we can use in a separate room because I microwave a lot of the kids food. I'm also going to try to save the cheap laminate countertops we have for a temporary work surface during the lag time between the cabinet installation and countertop installation.

Oh yeah---electric teakettle is nice if you do french press coffee. But that reminds me: circuit overload! Spread out your electric usage to different circuits. Yeah, you'll have extension cords everywhere, but non-kitchen rooms tend to have less amperage than you'll need to use more than one or two appliances at once. So keep a clear path to the circuit box, and try to plug in heavy draw appliances into different circuits.

If you don't compost, this is a nice time to start. You'll have less vegetable waste most likely, but cheap paper plates can be composted or go into the "green" trash bin.

I went through our last kitchen remodel with a newborn and a 15 month old. I was home all day during the entire time. Nap time was the hardest with the constant banging and clanging. If you can have your kids out of the house in day care, it is worth every penny.

We set up a temp kitchen space with our small fridge, a micro, a rice cooker and coffee pot. There are a couple good threads (here's one) (and another) about tips, menu items, etc. Ours was only 5 weeks long and it went relatively quickly, but being home all day with the kids made for some very long days.

My best piece of advice is to stock up on wine. ;)

6,5,3 year old. 3 year old is a boy and a monster. Home all day. 5 year old is in preschool 3 days a week. We started the week before Christmas. Still got about a month left (our project involved a modest sized addition so more work than just a typical kitchen reno). The kids aren't too bad really. We set up microwave, toaster, Keurig and air fryer in dining room. Didn't bother with a hot plate. Haven't used the grill, might now that weather is decent. Delivery, take out, lunch meat type stuff, frozen stuff... the cooking isn't the problem really for me, its the clean up and lack of prep space combined with all the clutter/dust. Costco cups, plates, bowls, plastic utensils, coffee cups, paper towels. The first floor has a powder room sink which is tiny, so its either using the second floor bathrooms (which aren't great) or the basement laundry sink. The basement was not great to start with and turned into a total disaster since that's where all the mechanicals to the kitchen go through. Our laundry was also compromised, we have a compact 2nd floor unit but its not the same.

Be glad when it is over.

My (basement) laundry room became my kitchen. Washing dishes is the worst part, imo. The fact that I have a big, deep double sink in the laundry room made my life so much easier! I bought a portable induction hob and had my microwave and toaster. I put the coffee machine in the spare bedroom. I also used the BBQ, even though it was winter and spring. We were able to eat in the dining room. Our last reno was during the summer, so it was mostly BBQ and eating outdoors. Good luck!

I agree with what Fori said about circuit overload - especially wrt the microwave. I don't know what it's like in other districts but in ours they now have to have a separate circuit because they have become so powerful.

What about single servings for your yogurt, jello, puddings etc.

"I was thinking about turning my current dining room into a temporary kitchen: put my electrical oven there, my microwave, electrical griller, rice maker and crock pot.

Plus, I have an outdoor gas grill."

Excellent ideas all, but remember, as easy as this would be making your life, it's relieving pressure on your contractor to complete the job in a timely manner. Strike the right balance here.

I don't watch for pets or kids. If you don't want Fluffy getting stepped on or let outside inadvertently, board her; she's not in my contract. Same for kids.

Swap out a bathroom sink faucet with one with a tall faucet - see left sink - SO much easier to wash dishes! This was back in 2011 and is still in place.

We will be doing a full kitchen reno plus mudroom addition. We have 6 kids - 4 older (teen and pre-teen) and a 1 and 3 yo. The youngest are like tornadoes. We are lucky enough to have a kitchenette in the basement. However, we will be doing most of the work, so it's probably going to take forever! Best of luck to the rest of you in your renovations with kids!

Wine....

The funny part about my kitchen remodel is I don't remember exactly how we handled those issues. The fridge moved around the corner into the dining room and we managed by moving some functions to the large laundry room in the basement. We did not remove and replace the cabinets, except for some modifications to the kitchen sink area. We removed all the doors and drawers to the vacated garage for for preparation and painting. Our stove has its own tiled alcove so it stayed in position while the cabinets and countertops were updated and only removed from the space for the vinyl removal and the wood floor refinishing.

My children were middle school age when we did the majority of interior work at our house so I can only sympathize with the stresses of dealing with a toddler. However, I do remember one job site where a homeowner came to check out the progress and brought her challenging 4 year old twins dressed in swimwear and flipflops into the area where I was removing hardwood flooring. She had a teenage babysitter with her who wasn't very active at keeping the young boy out of harm's way and I was scared this kid was going to step on a nail.

Young ones love routines and usually want to be helpful. A daily walk through to check out the progress helps to keep the curious questioner under control; it's even more useful if you can manage to work it in to your routine such as just before bathtime so it becomes some quality time with the youngster. You can also give them a task like picking up any stray nails or screws and putting them in a box by the door. if the jobsite is truly spotless, plant a couple screws on the floor for the little one to find and safely put in the box.

Oldbat, if you ever change out your toilet...umm...no that's too weird. Never mind.

As a short person, doing dishes in a deep laundry sink was (1) better than a bathroom sink and (2) back breaking. I ended up with an inverted milk crate in there to support my dishpans at a more reasonable height. A sink grid, if you will.

If you can possibly live elsewhere, do so. You will lose your mind with young children, workmen and no kitchen sink etc.

suzanne_sl: do you live somewhere dry? I can't fathom keeping a microwave, etc. outdoors. I think the humidity would kill them.

I was pregnant and had a toddler (and two older kids) during our remodel. I started to plan out how I could cook with the convection oven, etc. and then realized NOPE. NFW was my pregnant self going to try and wash dishes in the bathroom sink or bathtub. My husband would have done the lion's share, but there's stuff that has to get done during business hours. Nope.

Accepting it early made life tons easier. We just ate takeout and used paper everything. Normally we use reusable everything and we've composted for years so I figure I had enough earth-saving karma built up.

I've done it twice, a decade apart. Each time, I set up a table with crockpot, rice cooker, microwave, and keurig. A bookcase held cups, plates, utensils. Pantry items were in the basement, the fridge in the garage. You can actually cook a lot with just those items. Washing dishes was annoying, but doable with the sink/tub in the bathroom. Kids were able to hang out in the basement to play/read, or in my bedroom to watch TV.

I'm in construction right now. I can cook on the grill, in my breville toaster/convection oven and a cheap little countertop microwave we bought at at target. I have my fridge in the dining room, moved the table against the wall to make space. I banned everyone from using anything except disposable dishe s and silverware. I can cook, and have, probably almost half of the time, but it is next to impossible to prepare anything, and also I don't have a stovetop. I have bbq'd chicken, steak and burgers. With them we have had baked potatoes, corn on the cob (nuked in a plastic bag) had salad in a bag, etc. otherwise we eat sandwiches, have carry out or go out. I can't wait to have my stove and sink back! We kind of gave up recycling anything that has to be washed out. We have 10 times the trash as normal! I got organized with paper product etc. coffee pot is on the dining table, microwave and toaster oven on the sun porch. Any odd things that need washing (knives, grilling tools) get washed in the laundry tub in the basement. Bathroom sinks are just so small!

My pup and I lived with a friend with 2 kittens for 6 weeks. Dog+cats and longer commute was stressing us all out, and we ended up moving back into my house. There was no toilet and only the tub faucet for water, but having a friend sweet enough to let me and the monster dog live with her, I wanted to keep her as a friend! Just saying that moving out doesn't solve everything!

I thought I would cook once the bathroom was done, but it's still too hard to clean up. So I'm doing mostly take out, frozen, and convenience foods. I'm dying to cook some biscuits!

I have to give major props to you guys doing this with a family. It's hard enough with just me and the dog.

We survived living through it, with a 3 year old, 7 and 8 year old. The night before demo we had all their friends over and had a "wreck the kitchen" party and I let them draw, paint, scribble all over the cabinets and counters. The reno area was completely tarped off, and we set up a makeshift kitchen with our full sized fridge, toaster oven and micro. I cooked for months stockpiling homemade frozen meals I could thaw each day and reheat in the micro for dinner. Lasagnas, enchiladas, soups, etc. I also cooked a lot in the slow cooker and we grilled a lot too. A few nights we even made bonfires and roasted hot dogs in the fire. It was actually kind of nice having simple family time. I would just make sure you get your GC to commit to a start and finish date so you are not living like gypsies in your house indefinitely. Ours was three weeks, start to finish. I also had all our materials in hand before they started. Tile, fixtures, door and drawer hardware, appliances, so there was no cause for delay. Good luck!

Going on 2 1/2 yr now without a kitchen. We wash in the powder room sink and use all disposable for utensils and plates.

I set up a microwave and Breville toaster oven in the bathroom with a hot plate in the laundry room. Our fridge was in the front hallway.

We've been able to cook full meals with just those things and rarely do takeout or restaurant. I cook large batches in the Breville then freeze meals.

My prep area is that tiny section to the left of the microwave or a tray that I use on the bed while watching TV.

Oh wow! So many great ideas - thanks everyone! I am heading to Costco today to stock up in disposable dinnerware.

Rebecca - I am trying to have everything lined up as well. I just have to pick up the lighting fixture, cabinet pull and paint. I will do all that next week.

I was worried about the tiles for backsplash because I ordered samples and they take 2 weeks to arrive, then I have to make my choice and then wait another 6 weeks for them to arrive. But since, I have been reading this board and "found out" it is ok to wait on the tiles. Some people here apparently wait more than a year! I feel less pressure now. Besides, he has to work on my powder room and change all the windows in my house, so that should give me enough tile to make a decision about the backsplash.

Joseph Corllet => knowing my contractor, great point about not making him thinking I am comfortable with a temporary set up kitchen.

Just finished a loooooong nearly 4 month remodel with a 3 and 5 yr old. We cooked most meals in our temp kitchen on a portable induction. We had a utility sink right off the temp kitchen so dishes weren't an issue. We did try to use paper as well. With the kitchen plastic walled off, curious kids wasn't an issue. It sucked having to live mostly upstairs during the bulk of the remodel but we played outside a lot during the day or tried to get out of the house. Good luck!