By Michelle Lynne
President, ML Interiors Group
If the kitchen is the heart of the home, then it’s no wonder a kitchen renovation causes equal parts excitement and stress. You get a new kitchen, but you also have to pack up your old one and go without a fully functioning “heart” while construction is taking place.
But with a bit of planning and preparing, it doesn’t have to cause so much angst and upheaval in your day-to-day life, and you can look forward to enjoying your new space instead.
Here are some tips to get ready for that kitchen renovation you’ve been dreaming about for so long.
Start packing early!
There is no such thing as too early here. As soon as you start selecting materials such as your countertops and backsplash, you should be packing up the items you don’t use that often.
The easiest way to do this is to buy some plastic bins from a big box store. Buy several medium-size bins and a couple of larger ones too. Just remember the larger ones are going to get heavy — fast.
Figure out where you’ll stack everything — the garage, a spare bedroom, basically any place that is a bit out of sight. You don’t want to be staring at a stack of bins or having your main living spaces disrupted for however long this renovation will take, and it could last a while.
Pack up a cabinet or two a week until all that is left are the bare necessities in your cupboards and drawers. This way, you’re not cramming all your packing in at the last second. You will want to hold off packing items you use every day until right before demolition begins.
As for the actual process of packing, remember that your dishes and other breakables are not getting loaded into a truck and being hauled across town. You don’t need to super-wrap everything as if you were making a total move. The exception to this is if you’re going to be using a storage unit, you’ll want to wrap things well to avoid breakage.
Depending on the time of year and your location,non-perishables can be stored in the garage. It gets hot in Texas in the summer, aka now, so stacking those items in an air-conditioned spot may be the better way to go.
If you have an extra refrigerator in the laundry room or garage, you’ll obviously want to use it to stash any food that needs to be chilled or frozen during your kitchen renovation.
Setting up your temporary kitchen.
Find that card or banquet table you have folded up somewhere, or figure out an existing console table you can use to set up your temporary kitchen. Then cover whatever surface you use with a wipeable tablecloth.
If you can remove your microwave from your kitchen and use it on this table, do so. Otherwise, consider buying an inexpensive one for the time being. A few other appliances you might want to set up here: Your coffee maker (we all know this is essential, right?), a blender or mixer, a hot plate, and a slow cooker — basically what you will need for the duration of the reno to still put food on the table.
Purchase some plastic utensils, paper plates, and bowls to use in place of your standard dishes. Get some plastic drinking cups and paper coffee cups, too. Washing dishes in the bathtub or bathroom sink isn’t an enjoyable experience to be doing every day.
You will still have to do some washing of pots and pans (sorry). So, make sure if you’re using a sink or tub without a disposal that you use a strainer to avoid a clogged drain and huge mess.
You’ll also want other items you regularly use in your temporary space. Those include a trash can and liners, extra food storage bags or containers, bottle or wine openers, scissors, dish soap, a sponge, and some kitchen towels.
You don’t have to do all the cooking during a kitchen renovation.
Do yourself a favor during this kitchen renovation and get some meals delivered or pick up takeout. Whether you use Amazon’s “Prime Now” for pre-made food from Whole Foods or GrubHub or restaurant takeout, you will appreciate not having to deal with cooking a meal every night.
You might not want to rely on delivery or takeout — it can get expensive — so make sure you also have some easy meals on hand too. Boxed or jarred soups can be poured into a paper cup to drink and don’t have to be refrigerated until they are opened. Fruit and non-perishable snacks are also great, and your grill will be a lifesaver.
Remember, the relatively short sacrifice will be well worth the result when you’ve taken the time to design a well-planned kitchen!
Need help designing that new kitchen? Contact us at MLInteriorsGroup.com so we can talk about creating the perfect heart for your home.
Michelle Lynne began her interior design career after spending more than a decade working in Corporate America. She has built a successful design firm, employing multiple talented designers and growing the services provided to include full-service residential, multi-family, and virtual design services.
