Once you’ve made the decision to remodel your kitchen, you might be questioning how in the world you’ll manage without the use of your kitchen while the transition is in progress. The amount of time you have to “make do” will vary depending on how large the remodeling project is, but it’s always good to have a plan.

We’ve found that providing homeowners with a detailed production schedule is a big help and a relief as they prepare for this adventure. The goal is to get you set up as comfortably as possible and reduce unnecessary stress.

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

A small percentage of homeowners move out of the house for the duration of a kitchen remodeling project. But moving out can be very stressful because of the expense and disruption to your family’s routines.

If your remodeling project involves the kitchen and not the rest of the home, with proper planning and careful dust control you should be able to relocate your cooking and dining to another area of the house while staying there.

Before and After Custom Kitchen Remodel by MBRG

Staging and Setup

Don’t wait until the night before demolition starts in the kitchen to clean it out. Knowing what the schedule is for removing the appliances, sink, and cabinets should give you plenty of time to get ready.

To minimize the impact on your daily routine, we recommend setting up a temporary kitchen in an area with space to stage your needed supplies and, if possible, is close to an alternate water source. Your existing dining room is a good choice, and a finished basement or family room works well too.

Take inventory of your current kitchen to help you decide what dishes, utensils, and other food prep things you will need for the duration of the remodel. Then pack away everything else. If moving your fridge is not an option, a mini-fridge can be an inexpensive solution. Set up a table and storage bins to keep things as organized as possible and stock up on quick snack items like protein bars, crackers, and nuts, and dinner ingredients that don’t require refrigeration.

Cooking

Food prep can be the simplest part of the ‘kitchen-free” experience. Small appliances like your microwave, air fryer, instant pot, toaster oven, coffee maker, and crock-pot will get you through most meals. Take advantage of prepared foods, heat-and-serve entrées, salad bar and rotisserie chicken from your grocer’s deli. If weather permits, a grill on the patio can be your best friend. And you’ll want to plan on doing Grubhub, Uber Eats, Door Dash or other food delivery, getting take-out, eating lots of pizza, and probably becoming familiar faces at neighborhood restaurants.

Clean-Up

The biggest challenge may be cleaning up because of the lack of a kitchen sink. You might need to accept the fact that using disposable plates, bowls and flatware will save a lot of clean-up headaches. When you have the inevitable dishwashing to do, have a large dish pan or plastic bin handy to transport the dirty dishes to the water supply. And remember you won’t have a garbage disposal, so you’ll have to scrape food scraps into the trash (or start composting) before you put dishes in the bathroom or laundry room sink. The last thing you want is food scraps clogging up plumbing.

It’s Worth It!

Custom Kitchen by Metro Building & Remodeling Group

Once your new kitchen remodel is finished, you’ll be glad you took the leap to update the room where you and your family spend so much time. You’ll also probably realize just how much time you spend there and depend on that room on a daily basis!

We promise that we’ll make the process as smooth as possible for you and your family and that you’ll love the beautiful kitchen that is the end product of this process. So, give us a call and let’s get started!