Living Through Your Remodel

Living Through Your Remodel

Surviving a kitchen remodel can be a challenge. Learning to live without a kitchen isn’t easy, and remodeling creates disorder in your home that can make it tough to stay organized. With some preparation, however, you can ease the restrictions and disruptions of a kitchen remodel.

How do you set up a temporary kitchen in a remodel?

Take away the stove, oven, and kitchen sink, and cooking becomes a herculean task. Before your project begins, find an area of your house such as the basement, dining room or even the garage where you can set up a temporary kitchen. Consider including:

  • A folding table to serve as a countertop
  • Smaller appliances such as a toaster oven, slow cooker, a multicooker (Instant Pot®), microwave, and coffee pot
  • Plastic storage tub for utensils and cookware
  • Another storage tub for supplies such as storage bags, aluminum foil, plastic wrap, and trash bags
  • Disposable utensils, plates, bowls and cups
  • Ready-to-eat items such as pantry staples like crackers, peanut butter, cereal, canned soups
  • Heat-and-eat items such as pre-made meals from your grocer’s deli or freezer section


How do I plan for storage during a kitchen remodeling project?

If you’re doing a full kitchen remodel, you will need to remove everything from your cabinets and countertops. This is a great opportunity to purge items past their expiration date, storage container lids that don’t fit, and that collection of coffee mugs that grows with each vacation. Pack everything else that isn’t going into your temporary kitchen in totes or boxes, carefully labeling what is inside each box, and then find a safe, out-of-the-way corner of your home to stack them in.

You should also plan on clearing out an area of your home or garage for storing your new cabinetry and other construction materials until it is time for them to be installed.

How do you keep dust down when remodeling?

First, admit to yourself that it is likely going to be impossible to completely eliminate the dust from your kitchen remodel project. Then consider taking the following steps. They’ll help minimize the impact.

  • Seal off the doorways to the work area. Use lightweight plastic if you’re able to completely seal the doorway and heavier plastic if you’ll need to still use the doorway periodically.
  • Close off all the vents on the level of your home where the construction is happening.
  • Clean your HVAC filter daily and change it frequently