Inside: Get been-there recommendation on the way to survive a kitchen rework–and feed your loved ones in the course of the course of.
Almost 20 years in the past, we fell in love with a small, 100-year-old home on a fairly, 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 It was purposeful however outdated.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 exhausting might 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we employed took the kitchen right down to the studs, pushed the ceiling up, leveled the flooring, dismantled an outdated coal chimney, opened up a wall, and located sufficient costly surprises alongside the way in which to go away our unique finances within the mud.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 effectively value it. At present I look again on the “earlier than” images and really feel grateful for our larger, extra fashionable area.
But it surely wasn’t straightforward. And one of many hardest elements was preserving everybody fed with out a 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 Actual Mother Diet Fb group 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 Ideas for Surviving a Kitchen Rework
1. Make a Momentary Kitchen
Our contractor moved our outdated fridge into the lounge, the place we arrange a brief kitchen area with a small desk, microwave, and toaster oven.
A folding desk or card desk is useful for this. And earlier than you pack all the things away, put aside some gadgets that may show you how to in your makeshift kitchen, akin to:
- Espresso maker
- Chopping 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 we have now 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, instantaneous pot, air fryer, and so on all arrange so we might entry it. We used paper plates and cups, and so on. we additionally bought a couple of massive, heavy responsibility plastic shelving models to make use of as momentary pantries. We packed all the things in plastic tubs that we thought we’d use (a reducing board, a couple of knives, and so on) it was rough-but we made it!”
2. Preserve your sink so long as doable
Everybody, together with me, agrees that coping with soiled dishes is the worst a part of a kitchen rework. So should you can, cling on to your kitchen sink so long as doable.
You may additionally have a sink you need to use in a basement, lavatory, storage, or laundry room. However “don’t do dishes within the bathtub,” one reader cautioned. “It’ll 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 sluggish cooker liners.”
3. Lean on small home equipment
Whereas your oven’s out of fee, smaller home equipment can save the day. Listed here are some to contemplate (ask a good friend or neighbor to borrow should you don’t have one):
- On the spot Pot
- Air fryer
- George Foreman grill
- Microwave
- Toaster oven
- Scorching plate/induction burner
- Electrical skillet
- Electrical griddle
- Camp range to cook dinner outdoors
READER TIP: “Be additional good to neighbors and mates within the months/weeks main as much as the renovation so you possibly can name in some favors & get invited to dinner.”
4. Time it proper
If doable, schedule your renovation for hotter months when you need to use your grill and eat outdoors.
Bonus: Summer time can be when mates and neighbors will journey. One reader instructed a swap the place you water their vegetation and fetch the mail in change 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 & suppose E-A-S-Y
Having some form of plan in place can assist scale back stress (you’ll have sufficient of that already). Seize my free meal planning worksheet should you’re a pen-and-paper particular person.
Listed here are some reader recommendations 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 that you would be able to microwave
- Pizza supply as soon as every week
Take into account filling a plastic bin with shelf-stable gadgets you need to use for easy meals and snacks akin to:
- Peanut butter
- Shelf-stable microwavable rice and pasta pouches
- Canned meals akin to canned beans, soup, veggies, and fruit
- Power bars
- Entire grain crackers
- On the spot oatmeal
- Applesauce and fruit cups
- Cereal and granola
Seize extra concepts, plus 10 straightforward meals you can also make with out a range, in my put up 45+ Wholesome Dorm Meals Concepts
READER TIP: “Don’t suppose it’s important to cook dinner – chilly meals are effective, too. Deal with it as an journey.”
6. Let go of guilt
Give your self grace when 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 choosing 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 surroundings in 3 months (that means you need to use paper plates for a couple of weeks to avoid wasting your sanity), and keep your humorousness.”
“Paper plates, cups and plastic cutlery. Shake off no matter guilt you suppose you need to really feel and name it ‘self-care.’ Make an inventory of carry-out/dine-in choices you’ve needed to try to work that expense into the finances should you can.”
“There have been MANY occasions we simply had sandwiches and cereal for all 3 meals.”
“Preserve it easy as a result of life is difficult when your complete kitchen is torn up.”
READER TIP: “You may at all times get compostable paper plates and bowls should you use a composting service.”
Our kitchen rework
Listed here are some before-and-after photographs of our kitchen area, 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 outdated 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 very good time for just a little refresh.
So we changed the backsplash and the pendant lights to provide the room just a little enhance with out spending a complete lot of cash.
Hello! I am Sally, a registered dietitian and mother.
I imagine that EVERY mother can really feel profitable and assured about feeding her youngsters. Be part of my subscriber group and I will ship you my greatest kid-tested recipes.
