Living in Your House During a Kitchen Renovation
My family spends a lot of time in and around the kitchen. When we bought our house, the kitchen was in dire need of updating and I knew that the tiny, dark, dingy kitchen was going to need gutted. Part of the planning included how we were going to live in our house during the renovation. I didn’t really want to move our family of six out entirely as that would definitely blow our budget. So, we came up with some workable ideas and we moved forward.
Here are a few ideas to consider as you start planning your kitchen renovation:
Kitchen renovations take time.
If you’re just replacing countertops or even refacing cabinets, these projects are typically done in days. But a complete gut of your kitchen will take weeks, probably around 6 - 8, and that’s only if there aren’t any surprises! So, make sure whatever plan you make, you can execute it comfortably for an extended amount of time.
What’s the plan for food?
Some people just use their microwaves and smaller electric appliances. Others plan on eating out as much as possible. With six people in the house, neither of these options felt workable for us. Our contractor offered to move our old electric cooktop, and the corresponding counter, into our garage so we actually had a little kitchen setup. We also moved our old refrigerator out there as well. It was a lot like camping, but at least we had protection from the elements and a counter with an actual stove.
Do you have protection from the construction?
Do you want to live in your house while construction is going on? This definitely helps to save on budget, but make no mistake, construction is loud, dusty, and inconvenient. Our contractor put up plastic doorways in between the renovation space and living spaces to cut down on dust. They also were very conscious of the time of day it was; always checking in before they stayed late or arrived early.
Pick your appliances early in the process.
Appliance selection can be difficult and there can be delays in delivery. You don’t want to be waiting on your oven or cooktop while the rest of the kitchen is finished. Of course, if you do order appliances ahead of time, make sure you have somewhere out of the way of construction to store them.
