Kitchen renovations are disruptive. Plan accordingly…

Ready to get started on your kitchen renovation? Vetted and chose a great contractor like Almar Building and Remodeling Co.? Excited about picking paint colors, cabinets, and lighting? Excellent! First, create a plan for how you’ll stay organized during the renovation. Since March, we’ve been quarantining at home and if you’re like me, you’ve cooked 1,487 meals – at least that’s what it feels like! The upside of all that time at home is that you have a really good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of your kitchen so you can plan accordingly.

Purge. Purge. And Purge some more.

But before renovations can start, you need to pack up the kitchen. Start purging. This is an excellent time to get rid of the excess, the unneeded, and the unused. Bread machines, juicers, other fancy gadgets keep our kitchen overflowing. If you didn’t use this before, you’re not going to use it in your new space. Sort “like with like” items and you may discover you own 6 cookie sheets and 5 muffin tins – and you never bake. Donate or recycle the mismatched and unused plates, glassware, and serving items that jumble up the cabinets and drawers. Dump the old spices and expired food from the pantry. Resist the urge to box everything up and deal with it “after”. You’re creating a beautifully renovated new kitchen; don’t waste valuable space on things you don’t use and don’t love.

Ugh.  I NEED coffee.

Unless you’re moving out during renovations, figure out how you’ll live without a kitchen for several weeks. Create a mock-kitchen in another space – family room, living room, etc.  Move the microwave, toaster oven, coffee maker, hotplate, etc. to the new space and then “walk through your day.” Imagine waking up and wanting coffee, breakfast, snacks for the kids, lunch, and dinner and add items as needed. Bowls and plates, silverware, glasses, serving dishes – these will need space in your temporary kitchen along with food and beverages.   By actually walking through a typical day, you’ll know what to include.

“This, too, shall pass.” Kitchen renovations are really disruptive but the end results are SO worth it. Need help getting started on a project like this? Contact lisa@yourorganizedlife.biz or 617-240-7451.  Bon appetit!