Well I can't say that we've *survived* yet but I can say that we are *surviving*. We are 2 weeks in and have already been delayed at least a month due to the unexpected closure of our cabinet company (Wood-Mode) 1 week before our cabinets shipped. Fun times.

We aren't doing any DIY but with 5 busy kids, it's been just as crazy. Humor and wine have gone a long way. We also have an outdoor kitchen and a laundry room with a sink, which have both helped. We can cook most types of meals and have even hosted a couple of outdoor parties during the remodel.

The biggest issue for us is just the disarray. For example, the plastic sheets around the kitchen block several traffic patterns to bathrooms. We did have one available bathroom but it's getting new flooring, so that toilet is currently sitting outside to greet guests. I suggested that guests could just use it there, but nobody went for that, shocking!

Your first problem was hiring “family and long-time friends. Your 2nd was EVER feeding them! Who gives dinner to the workers? Don’t these people have homes?

I would announce that as of tomorrow, the “kitchen” is closed until recently-modeling is complete.

Instant pots and crock pots could be your friend. They can be used anywhere and make a lot of food. You can sautée in an instant pot. In case you haven’t tried that. Good luck! You sound like a trooper.

Some pics when we were tearing out the old kitchen. We were able to donate some of the cabinets so that was good.

My laundry room makeshift kitchen during the two weeks my kitchen was totally unusable. I think I had it pretty good!

During various stages of the remodel...

I think your experience of feeding your workers is so atypical that it bears no relationship to almost anyone else's experience. The Amish barn warmings didn't involve kitchens and the whole community brought food. :-).

Most people survive by basic sustenance - lots of restaurant meals and takeout. Paper plates and cutlery.

Even if one grills outside, people would be getting the sides ready made.

There are bagged salads and foods that can be nuked or heated in a toaster oven.

The thought of prepping anything and then figuring out how to wash prep dishes as well as tableware is mind boggling.

skmom, how are your upper cabinets being lighted at the top?

Drsaj, my hubby ran some led strips, the ones in the upper cabinets are recessed into a slot he ran on the bottom fronts of the cabinet. The wires are all hidden and the power source for them (as well as for the under cabinet led strips) is actually in the ceiling above the cabinetry.

Did someone say "wine"? er, I mean, "Beer"? Yes. Keep plenty of that.

We were without a functioning kitchen for probably 3 ½ months. We were able to set up a mini-kitchen in our basement with the use of a microwave, crockpot, and an electric skillet. Some barbecuing on our ancient charcoal grill, but we're vegetarians so that complicated things a little. It was May-August, so lots and lots of salads, stir fries, etc. Just the 2 of us. Not much eating out, although friends had us over some.

But the most important way we survived was by carefully planning the very first thing I made (which was out of the ordinary, and would never have been even considered in a functioning kitchen) the very first day of demo-a chocolate peanut butter cake made in a crockpot.

And lots of wine.

I was only without a kitchen sink (which to me, means a "functioning kitchen" for 3 days when I did my re-model of my kitchen. But I moved no walls and the only appliance moved was the refrigerator. The plug for it was already in place, and hooking up the ice maker involved a new, longer piece of copper tubing being run to a newly drilled hole in the basement. Took them about 5 minutes!

I had my microwave and toaster oven set up in my breakfast room. I refrigerator was pushed into it also. It was not hard. But it DID require a LOT of advance planning on MY PART, and some work done piece meal by my own people prior to the kitchen demo/cabinet installation. I had the old plaster soffits removed a couple of months before and a new piece of drywall put on the ceiling where it was damaged. I also had the ceiling painted at that time. The lighting had already been done several years before, but we did find two very bad/dangerous junction boxes in those soffits and my electrician fixed those and added one more pot light in the ceiling. I also had the walls and woodwork painted print to install - easy to touch up any nicks, and far easier than getting paint off of new cabinets (my painter can be messy). I just planned and planned and planned.

K G – You are brave tackling a kitchen renovation with 5 kids! Amen to wine and humor. I agree the disarray is one of the most challenging aspects. I do not have a laundry sink so dishes have been a challenge in a small bathroom sink that’s why
disposable aluminum pans are my new best friend. Good luck on your renovation!

Anglophilia (Part one) – Wow! First I did not “hire” family and friends; the majority are volunteers i.e. free labor. The only paid person is my cabinet maker who happens to be an amazing craftsman and my cousin. As far as feeding them, I feel it is only common courtesy to offer to feed them on the nights and weekends they are here working and donating their labor. I guess I am old school because I ascribe to the notion we all help each other and reciprocate as best we can hence my reference to the Amish barn raising.

Anglophilia (Part two) – The meal planning is the worst part. When I had a kitchen I would buy what was fresh and cooked what inspired me at that moment. Now I shop with a menu in mind and post the menu to notes on my phone so I can stay organized. I hate it. I get twitchy and want to improvise every time I cook. LOL As far as the kitchen renovation, it has been going fairly smoothly as I have been researching for years. Thank you Houzz! My father was a GC and I worked for him many years ago. I GC’d some commercial projects back in the day so I have a pretty good grasp. We lived in, gutted and renovated our first house while I was pregnant with our first child but I guess it is true we only remember the good parts after 30+ years. LOL

Roccouple – I do have an Instant Pot but the one time I used it, I had to bring it to work to wash it because the only sinks I have are tiny bathroom sinks. You should have seen the looks I got at work. I am actually following K G’s advice, “humor and wine”, onward and upward!

Skmom – Your kitchen is gorgeous! Yes the memories are the most valuable part of this. Sounds like you are blessed with a truly amazing husband. I am also blessed with a wonderful hubby. He is not however a craftsman; he’s more of a bull work type i.e spikes as opposed to finish nails. LOL He was fantastic in the demo phase. He worked under the direction of the electrician and plumber and ran most of the wiring and radiant heat with the help of DS. We are truly blessed.

Helen - It is definitely an unusual situation but then again we are a tad skewed. LOL It is true that folks usually bring food to a barn raising but these guys can’t cook and their wives are home holding down the fort with their own families. I am just grateful they are willing to share their husbands’ time to help us with this project. And yes the dirty dishes are the still most mind boggling piece of the cooking.

Dunnjn – Yup I have plenty of beer and wine on hand though the “workers” aka volunteers prefer water. I am going through cases of bottled water. I suppose that is a good thing, I wouldn’t want anything crooked. LOL

leela4 – You hit the nail on the head, it’s the constant planning that is driving me crazy. I prefer “flash of inspiration – spur of the moment” type of cooking. Wine does help, “one for the cook and one for the pot” or maybe for now both for the cook!

On side note: I feel guilty using so many disposable items i.e. paper plates and cups, plastic cutlery, aluminum pans and foil. I recycle what I can but our trash is still double what we normally put out each week. I am horrified but I guess since it is a short term problem, I should relax. LOL

Thank you all for your input and support. I truly appreciate the encouragement. Have a wonderful weekend!

We had 2 cats, and we all had breathing issues, so we decamped to a local Airbnb type place for the first 3 weeks. By then, the cabinets and floor were in, and the range and fridge were hooked up- we were just waiting on counters (and by extension the sink and DW) and the final touches like paint/backsplash, etc.

It did take almost another week after the counter was in to hook up the plumbing, so we were washing dishes in the bathroom sink, cooking on disposable pans/plates.

We’ve been without our kitchen for 6.5 weeks. We use disposable plates and cutlery for the most part and eat out a lot. My biggest issue is not having running water on the same floor, since our powder room is being renovated as well. I can’t wait to be done!!!!

Like skmom, we are fortunate to have a laundry area sink and SMALL amount of countertop (18” on either side of the 22” sink). One side was set up with the coffee pot then another nook in the laundry room had a portable table with the microwave on it. Those were the only 2 things that has a “home” during the chaos. The refrigerator started in the family room, then migrated to the living room. We had a folding table that held an electric skillet that we could use for eggs, etc. and only the bare minimum cooking utensils were left unpacked. We grilled a lot, ate a lot of salads (which isn’t really a bad thing), used paper plates, cups and plasticware and became pretty adept at navigating our way around/through construction materials. We invented new swear words lol and did our best not to take out our frustration on each other. We weren’t always successful lol but we joked, vented and prayed that it would all be over soon - and eventually it was and it was totally worth it. Especially the part where we know we never have to do it again! :)

We’re moving out for the renos... with a dog, a cat and a kid it’s not going to happen.

Now we have to figure out what to love out with us!!

Joining this thread late as we are also still in the midst of our remodel… moosemac, I agree with skmom - you are making memories to treasure all your lives. Fantastic you have so many talented family and friends who wish to help and I do understand the impetus to ‘feed the crowd’ – cooking and food can be such a wonderful gift to share. Sounds like your humor is intact – as it needs to be!

We must be oddballs, according to Helen, above : ) I love to cook, and most everything from scratch, and of course, I love to share. When we began our renovations and up to the 7 month point (you read that correctly), I was passing out blackened chicken slices and home-smoked cheese to workers, and later sharing homemade bread baked in our grill, as well as Canadian bacon slices I brined and smoked myself, fresh veggie salads in the summer heat, my DH’s fresh-roasted coffee on frosty mornings… all made without a kitchen. In our own remodel we’ve met quite a few people we’ve grown to like and befriend – which is such a nice experience.

Only 3 weeks, moosemac? I say this with a big grin on my face – you are such a babe in the renovation woods! LOL! We are at the 1+ year mark, and just exceeded our finish date (sigh). Also DIY’s but hiring what we cannot do, with full time jobs, most our work is done on the weekends, and we’re an older couple. Remodeling ¾ of the house ceiling to floor (including the kitchen) in this phase, plus our yard, and living in the midst of demolition with a small dog, and a stray cat we adopted along the way… and 9 fish in our newly added pond.. ha! Our “folding table kitchen” has been moved 5 times, I used the utility sink for everything, the fridge is currently in our foyer closet (and still usable), and our grill also got a workout! My new dear friends over in GW cooking helped me quite a bit, and with an electric skillet, an instant pot, and a sous vide sitting on the plywood subfloor (along with bins of food and, ahem, wine and the hard stuff) I was making homemade pizzas, surf and turf, saffron risotto, et al. We ate very well until just past the midway point, when even the folding tables had to go... despite having to reset the circuit breaker constantly. Now? Heaven help us, it’s been fast food, deli meals, and carry out for 6 months. We are sick of it, but we are eating, at least!

Survival? I’ll let you know when it’s done if I survived! Ha! A sense of humor is a necessity for this, as well as a good marriage! Oh, and that lubrication helps on occasion! Having the ability to remain calm when DH brings the sawhorses into the living room for the umpteenth time… his ability to joke that my middle name in “another new project?@!?” … the ability to envision what will eventually be… and boatloads of patience because there will always be delays.

Don’t laugh, but the best acquisition was the sous vide. That and an electric griddle to sear off kept us fed much of the time. Worst acquisition? Cheap plastic chairs. 2 of ‘em. That’s the only seating we’ve had for over a year. The day they go to the dumpster is the day I say we’re Done with this first phase. I’m sure your 1962 updated kitchen will be amazing!

Below is our 'renovation cat' who followed DH up the ladder into the attic, surprising us both with her inspection of the can light hole placements : )

2nd Photos for Uploading · More Info

2ManyDiversions - Love the cat picture! Wow yours is a long project! We have been renovating and updating our home piecemeal over the last 20 years. This time we are preparing for semi-retirement. In the meantime, we have one of our adult sons living with us along with our DD and her two year old son. DD is battling breast cancer so she moved home for some help. Needless to say our lives are crazy. Trying to toddler proof a renovation has been challenging. We also have an elderly dog in residence. He hates the contractor so I have been taking the pooch to work with me.

I have a folding table set up on the fireplace hearth with an Instant Pot and wine fridge. Gas grill is on the deck. Big fridge is in the dining room. There are mountains of bins everywhere as the basement is full of cabinets. Did I mention the toys? OMG the toys are everywhere! Life is frenetic but we are grateful!

On a positive note, we finally got the pool house open so now I have a kitchen sink, counter space and more refrigerator space for wine. Yay!

You are definitely brave to take a year long reno project. It will be fabulous when it is done and what an accomplishment! Stay strong.

We used the grill a LOT, along with the crock pot, an electric frying pan, toaster oven, rice cooker, and microwave. I even got good at cooking pizza on the grill!

Once in a while I would just have to have an over for something - luckily I am friends with neighbors on both sides, who were happy to loan me the use of an oven on occasion.

It also helped that we were on vacation for a week during the reno.

Gosh, what a post, moosemac. I take back the 'babe in the renovation woods' comment ASAP... a toddler, 2 adult kids... one fighting breast cancer - I'm so sorry to hear of your daughter and I send good thoughts her way. You clearly have a close family to go through so much in one go. So at only 3 weeks, but given everything, it's actually 4 months in "remodel time" : )

You did make me laugh... wine fridge. Not exactly something that is considered a necessity during a demolition/renovation, yet ours has also remained somewhere in the house, plugged in (and I'm the only wine drinker, so DH is a sweetie!). We finally unplugged it a little over a week ago... our new wine fridge arrived, LOL! Yes, we, too, have our priorities intact ; ) Dang, I envy you that counterspace!

I don't have to write this, as I know you are... taking lots of pictures to go with those memories : )

Oof! Dealing with a toddler in the midst of this all!?! I’m a mom to five, and I had them all in a span of 4.5 years... I don’t think we got much of ANYTHING done in the form of DIY stuff when they were all young. Actually, I know we did a few things, but they were MUCH smaller scale than a kitchen renovation... and we’d have to do them at night after they were all put to bed. LOL! My kiddos are all between the ages of 17-21 now (yes, there’s a set of twins at the end, LOL!) and we’ve been done with our kitchen for about a year and a half now, so our kids were actually a help during that job. I do NOT envy you helping to care for a toddler during this time... that’s a big job! (And prayers for your daughter too!)

My house is small, with one upstairs bath and no laundry "room" (just the washer, dryer and utility tub in the basement.) I set up all my appliances for cooking (toaster oven, crockpot, coffeemaker, Foreman grill, microwave) in the 10x9 dining room. I could see that an instant pot type cooker could replace at least 2, maybe 3 of those, but this is when I discovered how great the Foreman is for quickly cooking fish fillets and turkey burgers. The fridge was moved into there also. A freestanding cabinet that had been part of the kitchen went into the living room for pantry items (it blocked the piano but I really didn't play anymore anyway.) I had one of those big water dispenser jugs too, to keep water handy.

I used very little to no disposables, but there were only the two of us plus the dog and 2 cats, so it was easy to deal with dishes -- a big plastic tub that I set into the utility tub, and a rack over a drying mat on top of the dryer was my washing station - easy to move out of the way when doing laundry. I am not a complicated cook either so simple meals were very normal.

We were in this set up for about 7 months -- delayed because I changed my mind about the flooring had to wait on that, and then the counter, then became ill for a few weeks and couldn't make a decision about the counter, then had to wait for it to be installed... my contractor was VERY patient.

I understand feeling guilty about the large disposable pans -- I would too, and likely would contrive to wash and reuse them as much as possible.

K G, I hadn't heard that Wood Mode had closed. That is sad news.

Kitchen Renovation Survival Update

We are now over 3 months into our renovation. I am so ready for this to be over but I am excited! The last oven which has been on back order since April is being delivered this week. The beautiful counter tops are being installed on Thursday. The original pulls I wanted were on back order until October so I picked an alternative and they just arrived today. I love them. Yay!

I might be delusional but I actually think we will have a working kitchen before Labor Day. There will still be items to be done i.e. backsplash and built-ins in the living room (we moved a wall) but I can see a light at the end of the tunnel.

I am so excited to have a kitchen sink. Before the reno started, if you had asked me what I would miss most from my kitchen, I probably would have said a stove. Nope. I am dreaming about the day the kitchen sink can be used! That and I miss my ice maker...

The kitchen is set up so my DD can bake while I am cooking. It will be so nice to be able to share the kitchen without jostling over counter and oven space.

I just had to share my excitement. Thank you all for your encouragement and input. I will be back for backsplash input once the counters are in.

Congrats on nearing the end! I certainly understand the excitement! Isn't is wonderful to have a kitchen layout that just works?

We are 1 month past finish date and probably months to go (not sure how many but hoping by September/October). We are past the one year mark, but also remodeling the Great Room, Laundry Room, new TV room, halls, foyer (ceiling to floor) - and also re-landscaped. I'm exhausted and so over it. But, the kitchen is getting there, enough I can cook when not to exhausted. Loving the layout and our style choices - it's a dream come true! What did I miss the most? Well, the counter top first, then kitchen sink was the best thing to have back (and 2 of 'em!), but honestly, I think the double dish drawer dishwasher is my favorite thing thus far - fill it nightly and run it.

Congrats on getting close! I love your post and can relate. We started demo two months ago or more for our DIY. The only thing we hired out was replacing a load bearing wall with a post, countertop installation, and double oven install (because they weighed over 300 pounds!). My DW is doing everything else, including electric (complete rework and new subpanel), moving all of the plumbing and adding new lines for the DW and water/ice for the fridge, installing the cabinets, lighting, backsplash, other appliances, drywall/mudding, paint, all of it.

Fortunately my sister was visiting for five weeks (just left Saturday) and my mom lives in the first floor of our house and has a kitchen, so we got some meals made for us :) We've been cooking a lot on the grill too (thank goodness for the side burner), and ordering out a lot. And yes, lots and lots of wine and beer and just dealing with not knowing where things are. It's been a great lesson in improvisation and creativity!

Good luck!

I forgot to mention - having coffee was a hard requirement. So we kept a rolling utility cart we've had for eons (I had it before I moved in with my wife) and set it up with the coffee maker. It rolls, so we can move it around as we need to. It also (now that we're in the bare minimum phase) holds a toaster; a few dishes; our silverware tray with one good, sharp knife, beer bottle opener, and can opener; a few food storage containers; and of course, wine and wine glasses! It was also holding our microwave but that moved downstairs at some point when my sister was here and has now been donated to my mom. That cart and its contents have been a life saver, honestly. When we needed to we've gone into the other rooms to pull out things we had stored away; it's all within reach.

Our "pantry" is on our dining room table. Our furniture is scattered helter skelter about the living room. The dishwasher is currently next to one of our sofas, awaiting installation. Things are covered in plastic. Boxes of unopened cabinets everywhere. Every room full of "stuff". Our yard and gardens are in awful shape this year, because we ended up doing this exactly when we DIDN'T want to, this summer! Everyone here is right that a bathroom sink is tight for doing dishes, but we have a little setup in there, and it works.

We "keep our eye on the prize," take the occasional day off, find humor in things (like having no idea where the hell our broom is right now), accept that we aren't perfect (so yeah, we use paper plates sometimes to avoid dishes). And yes, moosemac, definitely, absolutely, celebrate every tiny achievement! For me it's also really important to tell my DW what a wonderful job she's doing (and it's the truth) since she's doing this on top of other work for others. I try to make at least some minimal progress each day (e.g., research faucets or cabinet hardware, post on here about a design dilemma, etc.). Finally, we kept one room free and clear of disruption and debris - it is nice and orderly and beautiful; our sunroom. That way we at least have one place to go to find peace and order, when we really need it.

Moosemac, I love your survival list and will no doubt take some ideas from it.

2ManyDiversions - love, love, love the cat pic.

It's truly amazing what we can learn to live without, isn't it? Makes one wonder.

"It's truly amazing what we can learn to live without, isn't it? Makes one wonder." That is just so true. I cooked some amazing meals for a while, on card tables, on a single butcher block. Minimal equipment (but the right equipment!).

I took the coffee, wine, and hard liquor recommendations very seriously. One needs to relax on occasion, and in a variety of ways.

I am quite sure I could never leave while work was being done. I'm too much of a control freak. However, it's served us well at times LOL!

Since this is my thread here’s my update.... inspections are happening this week for electric, plumbing and structure and then the walls get closed. We’re probably a month behind schedule I would guess so I’m estimating we’ll be done beginning of October? Maybe? Hopefully?

Now they just have to put in dry wall and flooring and install all the cabinets and get the granite measured and fabricated.... and and and....

ugh!

Deb, you sound like me : ) I'm glad to hear things are progressing, albeit more slowly than you anticipated. There always seems to be a hitch, then another delay, then something else. Best thing is to appreciate all that is done, take heart in that it is being done well (I hope!) and that in the end, at some point, you'll have the kitchen you dreamed of : ) Every time I get a bit down at how long this has taken us, I look at what we've accomplished, at the functionality and beauty of it as it moves forward and I am uplifted again : )

Congratulations, Deb. And amen to hitches - my DW installed the dishwasher yesterday, finished at 8 pm-ish and we found a little nick in the handle. Sigh... I emailed a pic to our appliance store to ask about options and am hoping we don't have to wait for a new one and reinstall. We will see. But yes, trying to focus on what IS done (I put the coffee pot in it's home night before last) and keep marching ahead. We are hoping to be done-done by Thanksgiving.