Inside: Get been-there recommendation on the right way to survive a kitchen rework–and feed your loved ones throughout the course of.
Practically 20 years in the past, we fell in love with a small, 100-year-old home on a reasonably, tree-lined road.
Largely, we fell in love with the bones of the home.
The kitchen, not as a lot.
The counters had been blue, the range was black, the fridge was off-white. It was purposeful however outdated. Clear however cramped.
We purchased the home figuring we’d have the kitchen transformed. As a result of how arduous may that be?
Yeah, proper!
The corporate we employed took the kitchen right down to the studs, pushed the ceiling up, leveled the flooring, dismantled an previous coal chimney, opened up a wall, and located sufficient costly surprises alongside the way in which to go away our unique finances within the mud.
Did I point out I used to be additionally pregnant, sick with nausea and vomiting, and had a toddler?
In fact it was properly value it. In the present day I look again on the “earlier than” images and really feel grateful for our larger, extra trendy house.
But it surely wasn’t straightforward. And one of many hardest components was holding everybody fed with no working kitchen.
So I made a decision to stroll down reminiscence lane with our personal kitchen makeover in case you’ve bought a rework in your future and need assistance surviving the method.
I additionally reached out to my Real Mom Nutrition Facebook community for his or her greatest recommendation and bought so many nice suggestions, I needed to share them right here too.
Plus, I’m sharing before-and-after images of our renovation and the little “kitchen glow-up” we not too long ago did.
6 Suggestions for Surviving a Kitchen Rework
1. Make a Non permanent Kitchen
Our contractor moved our previous fridge into the lounge, the place we arrange a short lived kitchen house with a small desk, microwave, and toaster oven.
A folding desk or card desk is useful for this. And earlier than you pack the whole lot away, put aside some objects that may make it easier to in your makeshift kitchen, comparable to:
- Espresso maker
- Reducing board
- Pots/pans
- Strainer
- Can opener
- Spatula and different cooking utensils/instruments
- Spices & cooking spray
Right here’s some reader recommendation:
“Discovering a devoted spot to have zones for various issues helped us. Cooking space, prep space, place for making lunches and so on. fortunately now we have an enclosed facet porch that labored completely.”
“We moved fridge & microwave to our stroll out basement, purchased a scorching plate, toaster oven, and hubby constructed a kitchenette.”
“I had my makeshift kitchen arrange within the storage with the fridge, an induction scorching plate, toaster/convection oven and a microwave. Additionally had the crockpot and rice cooker useful.”
“We sealed off our eating room and made it a makeshift kitchen. We had our fridge in there, a desk, on the spot pot, air fryer, and so on all arrange so we may entry it. We used paper plates and cups, and so on. we additionally bought just a few giant, heavy obligation plastic shelving models to make use of as short-term pantries. We packed the whole lot in plastic tubs that we thought we would use (a reducing board, just a few knives, and so on) it was rough-but we made it!”
2. Maintain your sink so long as attainable
Everybody, together with me, agrees that coping with soiled dishes is the worst a part of a kitchen rework. So in case you can, cling on to your kitchen sink so long as attainable.
You might also have a sink you should utilize in a basement, lavatory, storage, or laundry room. However “don’t do dishes within the bathtub,” one reader cautioned. “It is going to kill your again. I ended up in PT due to that.”
READER TIP: “I stocked my freezer with crock pot dinners earlier than the work began and used gradual cooker liners.”
3. Lean on small home equipment
Whereas your oven’s out of fee, smaller home equipment can save the day. Listed below are some to contemplate (ask a pal or neighbor to borrow in case you don’t have one):
- Immediate Pot
- Air fryer
- George Foreman grill
- Microwave
- Toaster oven
- Scorching plate/induction burner
- Electrical skillet
- Electrical griddle
- Camp range to cook dinner exterior
READER TIP: “Be additional good to neighbors and buddies within the months/weeks main as much as the renovation so you’ll be able to name in some favors & get invited to dinner.”
4. Time it proper
If attainable, schedule your renovation for hotter months when you should utilize your grill and eat exterior.
Bonus: Summer season can also be when buddies and neighbors will journey. One reader instructed a swap the place you water their crops and fetch the mail in trade for utilizing their kitchen whereas they’re gone.
READER TIP: “Our Blackstone grill is savinnngg me proper now. It principally does most of what you are able to do on a stovetop in a pan, it’s only a griddle: Stir fry model dishes, breakfast hash, and so on. in addition to burgers and whatnot.”
5. Meal plan & assume E-A-S-Y
Having some sort of plan in place may also help cut back stress (you’ll have sufficient of that already). Grab my free meal planning worksheet in case you’re a pen-and-paper particular person.
Listed below are some reader strategies for lower-effort meals:
- Costco pre-made dinners
- Sandwiches
- Salad kits
- Dealer Joe’s frozen/microwavable meals
- Pre-prepped meal supply service
- Freezer meals you’ve made prematurely which you could microwave
- Pizza supply as soon as every week
Think about filling a plastic bin with shelf-stable objects you should utilize for easy meals and snacks comparable to:
- Peanut butter
- Shelf-stable microwavable rice and pasta pouches
- Canned meals comparable to canned beans, soup, veggies, and fruit
- Vitality bars
- Complete grain crackers
- Immediate oatmeal
- Applesauce and fruit cups
- Cereal and granola
Seize extra concepts, plus 10 straightforward meals you can also make with no range, in my publish 45+ Healthy Dorm Food Ideas
READER TIP: “Don’t assume it’s a must to cook dinner – chilly meals are high quality, too. Deal with it as an journey.”
6. Let go of guilt
Give your self grace whilst you’re going by way of a rework. As an alternative of beating your self up over disposable plates and frozen dinners, channel that power into selecting out new home equipment and selecting between 500 kinds of drawer pulls. Right here’s what else Actual Mother readers needed to say:
“Don’t attempt to save the atmosphere in 3 months (which means you should utilize paper plates for just a few weeks to avoid wasting your sanity), and keep your humorousness.”
“Paper plates, cups and plastic cutlery. Shake off no matter guilt you assume it’s best to really feel and name it ‘self-care.’ Make an inventory of carry-out/dine-in choices you may have wished to attempt to work that expense into the finances in case you can.”
“There have been MANY instances we simply had sandwiches and cereal for all 3 meals.”
“Maintain it easy as a result of life is difficult when your entire kitchen is torn up.”
READER TIP: “You possibly can at all times get compostable paper plates and bowls in case you use a composting service.”
Our kitchen rework
Listed below are some before-and-after pictures of our kitchen house, which was renovated 16 years in the past. What they did:
- Eliminated an higher block of kitchen cupboards and a peninsula separating the kitchen and consuming space to make one large room.
- Eliminated a part of an previous coal chimney and turned it into one facet of an ornamental mantle over our range (the facet cupboards have cabinets for spices, and so on.).
- Opened up a kitchen wall into the eating room.
- Eliminated a drop ceiling.
- Eliminated laminate flooring and wove the unique ground from the eating room into matching hardwood within the kitchen.
- Put in new perimeter cupboards and black granite counters, plus a kitchen island with a soapstone countertop.
- Relocated the again door.
Our kitchen “glow-up”
Now that our kitchen is sufficiently old to drive, it felt like a great time for somewhat refresh.
So we changed the backsplash and the pendant lights to offer the room somewhat increase with out spending a complete lot of cash.
