Having your kitchen remodelled or renovated, but living through the actual work is rarely much fun. Having your kitchen out of action is difficult, with nowhere to cook your meals and a house full of building dust and workmen. Here’s how to survive a major kitchen remodel.
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- Set up a temporary kitchen. Move your fridge out of the kitchen into another room and make yourself a makeshift kitchen with some of your smaller appliances. The kettle, toaster, microwave and crockpot can all be used anywhere you can plug them in, so you can cook without the oven. You could also use the barbecue or camping cooking equipment if the weather is good enough to cook outdoors.
- Buy disposable tableware. Washing dishes when you can’t access the kitchen sink is tricky. Instead of trying to wash up in the bathroom, buy a set of disposable plates, cups and cutlery. This will be a lot easier, and there are lots of good recyclable options out there so you aren’t generating waste.
- Take time over all the decisions. With any kind of remodel or renovation, there will be a lot of decisions to make and things to consider, especially if you’re having an extension built. Make sure you understand all the choices that you have to make, whether you’re deciding if you want a conduction hob or what kind of flooring you want. If you’re struggling, you can ask your remodelers for their advice and input. They’re the experts after all!
- Manage the dust. Remodelling will always generate a lot of dust no matter how careful your contractors are, and that dust can get everywhere in the house. Protect anything special, such as art or delicate furniture, with dust or plastic sheets. If you’ve set up a temporary kitchen, cover it when you’re not using it, so it doesn’t get full of dust too.
- Stay with friends. If you have a friend who is kind enough to make the offer, stay overnight outside of your house. Take some food and a bottle of wine over with you to say thank you, so all they need to do is give you a bed for the night. A break from all the mess and noise can be a big relief, even if it’s only for one night.
- Keep the neighbors in the loop. Noisy work going on next door can be very annoying for your neighbors. Before the work starts, make sure you warn anyone who might be disturbed by the noise. Let them know the timelines of the work you have planned and exactly what will be done. Make sure your workmen work during sociable hours and do what they can to lessen the impact on your neighbors.
- Be prepared for problems. No remodel ever goes completely smoothly. Delays and problems are inevitable. If you’re prepared for problems coming up, like the tiles you ordered being delayed or the tap you wanted going out of stock, they won’t seem so stressful.