Surviving Renovations: Tips & Tricks

If you plan to undertake major renovation projects in your home soon, your daily routine will get disrupted for a while.

When a renovation is happening in the 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 endeavor. 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? 

DECLUTTER AND DONATE

When packing up your kitchen, make sure to go through and check expiry dates on all spices, pantry and fridge items. Group all opened food together in their own bin and all unopened food in another. Keep the bin of opened food items handy for cooking, snacking, etc. If these items get mixed and stored for the duration of the renovation, they may go stale and you are more likely to throw them away.

Donate any old and unused dishes, containers, platters, bowls that you no longer need.

Recycle any mismatched container sets.

ORGANIZE AND STORE

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. I really like these bins from Amazon because they fit dishes nicely without getting too heavy.

These bins are also great of storing and organizing pantry items. If you are cooking in your temporary kitchen you will easily be able to see what is where and not need to make a trip to the store because you cannot find the salt.

DETERMINE A SECONDARY KITCHEN/DINING AREA 

You will need to move all the equipment, appliances 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.

Use a folding table to set up a work area. You will want to keep your kitchen table free for actually enjoying meals.

SELECT AND REDUCE YOUR KITCHEN TOOLS 

Evaluate what you have in your cabinets for an easy alternative to your oven. Slow cooker, hot plate, microwave, toaster oven or simple toaster will be your best friends for weeks to come. If you cannot relocate your fridge to the temporary location, use or borrow a mini fridge to keep essentials handy.

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. 

I love this set from Amazon. It has 350 pieces (50 sets) and they are microwave safe. Plates are made from sugar cane, the cutlery and cups are made from cornstarch, and the straw comes from wheat stalk which is plant-based and eco-friendly. The entire set is biodegradable. We actually used this set for my brothers wedding last year to serve his 250 guests.

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. 

My favorite thing to do before packing up the kitchen for demolition is to prep and freeze a bunch of slow cooker meals. When you pop the meals into the slow cooker, remember to use a slow cooker liner to keep the pot clean and dishes to a minimum.

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! 

Renovations can be unpredictable…
But the end result is always worth it!

MAKE SURE YOU ORGANIZE AND PREPARE FOR
SEVERAL WEEKS OF DISRUPTED DAILY ACTIVITIES. YOU WILL BE GRATEFUL YOU DID!