Guides & rules
How to Survive a Kitchen Remodel
The part nobody quotes for is the weeks of living without a kitchen. It is manageable, but only if it is planned rather than endured.
Set up the temporary kitchen before demolition
Not on day three, when it is already miserable. Somewhere with a power outlet and ideally near a sink: microwave, kettle, toaster, a few plates, and a bin. Wash-up capacity is what people underestimate — a bathroom sink is workable, a utility sink is far better, and a dishwasher-shaped gap in your routine causes more friction than the cooking does.
Move the fridge, do not lose it
The refrigerator can usually be relocated to a garage, hall or dining room for the duration. Confirm early that there is a suitable outlet where it is going, and that it is not on a circuit about to be worked on.
Dust travels further than you expect
Demolition dust reaches rooms nowhere near the kitchen. Plastic sheeting over doorways, covers on soft furnishings, and a plan for the HVAC returns all help. In a home built before 1978, containment is not optional courtesy — work disturbing paint falls under the EPA's lead-safe renovation rule, and the certified firm doing it is required to work in a contained way.
Decide about staying honestly
Most people stay, and most people can. Staying is harder with very young children, with anyone working from home in earshot, or where the only bathroom is beyond the work zone. If you are going to leave for the noisiest phase, demolition and rough-in is the week to pick.
Expect the schedule to move once
Something inside a wall is usually different from what was assumed, and countertops cannot be templated until cabinets are installed. A schedule with no slack in it is a schedule that will disappoint you. Ask what the plan is if the first inspection does not pass, and you will learn a lot about how the firm operates.
Common questions
How long will I be without a kitchen?
Should we move out?
Sources
Have a kitchen in mind?
We quote around the rules this guide describes.