Inside: Get been-there recommendation on methods to survive a significant kitchen renovation–and feed your loved ones throughout a kitchen rework.
Practically 20 years in the past, we fell in love with a small, 100-year-old home on a reasonably, tree-lined road.
Largely, we fell in love with the bones of the home.
The kitchen, not as a lot.
The counters had been blue, the range was black, the fridge was off-white. It was useful however outdated. Clear however cramped.
We purchased the home figuring we’d have the kitchen transformed. As a result of how onerous may that be?
Yeah, proper!
The corporate we employed took the kitchen all the way down to the studs, pushed the ceiling up, leveled the flooring, dismantled an previous coal chimney, opened up a wall, and located sufficient costly surprises alongside the way in which to go away our unique finances within the mud.
Did I point out I used to be additionally pregnant, sick with nausea and vomiting, and had a toddler?
In fact it was properly value it. At the moment I look again on the “earlier than” images and really feel grateful for our greater, extra trendy area.
But it surely wasn’t simple. And one of many hardest elements was maintaining everybody fed and not using a working kitchen.
So I made a decision to stroll down reminiscence lane with our personal kitchen makeover in case you’ve acquired a rework in your future and need assistance surviving the method.
I additionally reached out to my Actual Mother Diet Fb group for his or her greatest recommendation and acquired so many nice suggestions, I needed to share them right here too.
Plus, I’m sharing before-and-after images of our renovation and the little “kitchen glow-up” we not too long ago did.
6 Suggestions for Surviving a Kitchen Rework
1. Make a Momentary Kitchen
Our contractor moved our previous fridge into the lounge, the place we arrange a short lived kitchen area with a small desk, microwave, and toaster oven.
A folding desk or card desk is useful for this. And earlier than you pack every little thing away, put aside some gadgets that may provide help to in your makeshift kitchen, reminiscent of:
- Espresso maker
- Slicing board
- Pots/pans
- Strainer
- Can opener
- Spatula and different cooking utensils/instruments
- Spices & cooking spray
Right here’s some reader recommendation:
“Discovering a devoted spot to have zones for various issues helped us. Cooking space, prep space, place for making lunches and so on. fortunately we’ve an enclosed aspect porch that labored completely.”
“We moved fridge & microwave to our stroll out basement, purchased a scorching plate, toaster oven, and hubby constructed a kitchenette.”
“I had my makeshift kitchen arrange within the storage with the fridge, an induction scorching plate, toaster/convection oven and a microwave. Additionally had the crockpot and rice cooker helpful.”
“We sealed off our eating room and made it a makeshift kitchen. We had our fridge in there, a desk, instantaneous pot, air fryer, and so on all arrange so we may entry it. We used paper plates and cups, and so on. we additionally bought a number of giant, heavy responsibility plastic shelving models to make use of as momentary pantries. We packed every little thing in plastic tubs that we thought we’d use (a reducing board, a number of knives, and so on) it was rough-but we made it!”
2. Maintain your sink so long as doable
Everybody, together with me, agrees that coping with soiled dishes is the worst a part of a kitchen rework. So in case you can, cling on to your kitchen sink so long as doable.
You may additionally have a sink you need to use in a basement, rest room, storage, or laundry room. However “don’t do dishes within the bathtub,” one reader cautioned. “It’ll kill your again. I ended up in PT due to that.”
READER TIP: “I stocked my freezer with crock pot dinners earlier than the work began and used gradual cooker liners.”
3. Lean on small home equipment
Whereas your oven’s out of fee, smaller home equipment can save the day. Listed below are some to contemplate (ask a buddy or neighbor to borrow in case you don’t have one):
- Prompt Pot
- Air fryer
- George Foreman grill
- Microwave
- Toaster oven
- Sizzling plate/induction burner
- Electrical skillet
- Electrical griddle
- Camp range to prepare dinner outdoors
READER TIP: “Be further good to neighbors and pals within the months/weeks main as much as the renovation so you’ll be able to name in some favors & get invited to dinner.”
4. Time it proper
If doable, schedule your renovation for hotter months when you need to use your grill and eat outdoors.
Bonus: Summer season can be when pals and neighbors will journey. One reader recommended a swap the place you water their crops and fetch the mail in change for utilizing their kitchen whereas they’re gone.
READER TIP: “Our Blackstone grill is savinnngg me proper now. It mainly does most of what you are able to do on a stovetop in a pan, it’s only a griddle: Stir fry fashion dishes, breakfast hash, and so on. in addition to burgers and whatnot.”
5. Meal plan & suppose E-A-S-Y
Having some sort of plan in place may also help scale back stress (you’ll have sufficient of that already). Seize my free meal planning worksheet in case you’re a pen-and-paper particular person.
Listed below are some reader options for lower-effort meals:
- Costco pre-made dinners
- Sandwiches
- Salad kits
- Dealer Joe’s frozen/microwavable meals
- Pre-prepped meal supply service
- Freezer meals you’ve made upfront you can microwave
- Pizza supply as soon as every week
Contemplate filling a plastic bin with shelf-stable gadgets you need to use for easy meals and snacks reminiscent of:
- Peanut butter
- Shelf-stable microwavable rice and pasta pouches
- Canned meals reminiscent of canned beans, soup, veggies, and fruit
- Power bars
- Complete grain crackers
- Prompt oatmeal
- Applesauce and fruit cups
- Cereal and granola
Seize extra concepts, plus 10 simple meals you can also make and not using a range, in my submit 45+ Wholesome Dorm Meals Concepts
READER TIP: “Don’t suppose it’s a must to prepare dinner – chilly meals are superb, too. Deal with it as an journey.”
6. Let go of guilt
Give your self grace whilst you’re going by means of a rework. As an alternative of beating your self up over disposable plates and frozen dinners, channel that power into choosing out new home equipment and selecting between 500 types of drawer pulls. Right here’s what else Actual Mother readers needed to say:
“Don’t attempt to save the atmosphere in 3 months (which means you need to use paper plates for a number of weeks to avoid wasting your sanity), and keep your humorousness.”
“Paper plates, cups and plastic cutlery. Shake off no matter guilt you suppose you must really feel and name it ‘self-care.’ Make a listing of carry-out/dine-in choices you’ve gotten needed to try to work that expense into the finances in case you can.”
“There have been MANY instances we simply had sandwiches and cereal for all 3 meals.”
“Maintain it easy as a result of life is sophisticated when your complete kitchen is torn up.”
READER TIP: “You may all the time get compostable paper plates and bowls in case you use a composting service.”
Our kitchen rework
Listed below are some before-and-after pictures of our kitchen area, which was renovated 16 years in the past. What they did:
- Eliminated an higher block of kitchen cupboards and a peninsula separating the kitchen and consuming space to make one large room.
- Eliminated a part of an previous coal chimney and turned it into one aspect of an ornamental mantle over our range (the aspect cupboards have cabinets for spices, and so on.).
- Opened up a kitchen wall into the eating room.
- Eliminated a drop ceiling.
- Eliminated laminate flooring and wove the unique ground from the eating room into matching hardwood within the kitchen.
- Put in new perimeter cupboards and black granite counters, plus a kitchen island with a soapstone countertop.
- Relocated the again door.
Our kitchen “glow-up”
Now that our kitchen is sufficiently old to drive, it felt like a very good time for somewhat refresh.
So we changed the backsplash and the pendant lights to offer the room somewhat enhance with out spending an entire lot of cash.
