How to Survive a Kitchen Renovation

If you plan to undertake major renovation projects in your home soon, your daily routine may be disrupted for a while. When the renovation is happening in a central part of the house such as the kitchen, it is important to plan the next few weeks carefully to avoid the possible inconveniences that the process may involve. 

Renovating your kitchen, whether at a large or small scale, could be a costly endeavour. It is, therefore, best to minimize additional expenses, such as restaurant meals, and plan your options so that everything goes as smoothly as possible. 

What to do when your kitchen is not accessible during renovations? 

Determine a secondary kitchen/dining area 

You will need to move all the equipment and food out of the kitchen before starting work. If you have an area in the house where you can temporarily set up a place to eat and prepare your meals, make sure it is as far away from the worksite as possible. 

From personal experience, my parents were able to plan their renovation based on the departure of one of their tenants, subsequently moving the kitchen to use that of the apartment upstairs until the end of the work. Otherwise, a place like a basement or a living room can work out just as well. 

Organization and preparation 

Keep your unused dishes and utensils organized so that you can find things more easily once the work is done and you must put everything back in its place. By using transparent plastic bins, you will not only have a visual idea of what is there, but you will also be able to identify things by categories. 

Source: Pinterest 

Select and reduce your kitchen tools 

Evaluate what you have in your cabinets for an easy alternative to your oven. Slow cooker, raclette plate, microwave, toaster oven or simple toaster will be your best friends for weeks to come. If it is impossible to move your fridge, consider investing in a miniature fridge. You will probably find a use for it in the future.  

Disposable, but eco-friendly tableware 

Since you may not have access to a sink for an indefinite period, it is best to reduce the use of dishes to a minimum. However, do try to keep your ecological footprint limited if using disposable utensils and dishes. Some places will offer compostable or biodegradable options that are a good alternative to plastic. 

Source: EcoElegantTableWare on Etsy 

Plan your meals intelligently 

The fewer meals you have to cook, the better things will go as the renovation process moves along. Plan your meals according to the tools you have and make sure that the meals you cook are big enough for several leftovers to reduce prep time. If the weather allows for it, the barbecue will be one of your greatest allies. 

Family, friends and neighbours will be your best allies 

Even when everything is going well and you can manage suppers without the help of an oven, you and your family may still miss a good homecooked meal. Ask your close ones if they can share their kitchen or provide a homecooked meal in exchange for your eternal gratitude as the renovation process is happening.

This is a good opportunity for you to spend time with those you love, in addition to giving you a break from the chaos at home! 

To help you learn more about stress management during renovations at home, here is a practical link where you will find more tips: 

• 6 tips for managing stress-related to renovations