The Ins and Outs of Kitchen Renovations

Kitchen remodelling is a big job but when it’s finally complete, you can have entirely transformed your cooking space and added value to your home. However, these projects need careful planning if they’re to be done properly. There’s no way of entirely avoiding disruption to your home life while a kitchen renovation is being carried out but with some careful preparation and consideration ahead of time, you can at least minimise the impact. Here, we cover the basics of what you can expect and with our help, how to best manage it – so you’ll be cooking in your new kitchen as soon as possible!

Coping without a kitchen (temporarily)

For a full kitchen refit, you’ll usually be unable to access the room in the way you would usually. The exact time for which you’ll go without one depends on the size and scale of the renovation, but it’s not uncommon for this to be a week or over. 
Firstly, you’ll need to empty the kitchen of everything bar the fixtures and fittings. Dishes, silverware, food, condiments, cookware and appliances will all need to be boxed and moved elsewhere in the house so that contractors are able to access the relevant areas to fit them out. Keep these as far out of the way as possible – if for no other reason than lots of kitchen equipment is breakable and with people walking past them often, the risk of an accident happening is high!
If your pets eat or drink in the kitchen, you’ll need to consider moving this. Preparing pets ahead of time is key; start by moving things around at least a week before the refit begins so that they’re used to it ahead of time and don’t fall back into the habit and wander into the workspace. 
If you are able to install a microwave or other small cookery appliance elsewhere in the house so you can still cook even without your full kitchen, do so. Mini fridges can also make for a great space to chill snacks and drinks. Otherwise, you may find you’re opting for a lot of takeaways over the refit time – and that will add to the overall project cost!

Keeping communication open

Our Refresh Renovations experts are very experienced and will be able to share a whole host of advice with you on what to expect throughout any kitchen renovation project. But discussing ahead of time an estimated schedule for work completion and the order in which the refit will happen is the best policy to ensure you’re prepared.
There may be times during the renovation when you’re able to partially access your kitchen again even if not wholly – our expert teams of contractors will be able to advise you of this in advance, so don’t be afraid to ask. 
You should also be kept informed of progress as it happens as well as updates on who needs access to your property and why. Throughout the process it’s not uncommon for lots of different contractors to work on a kitchen refit project but you should never find a strange face in your house so make sure your project manager or main kitchen fitter is able to introduce you to everyone.
During the refit there may be times where contractors stop work or are unable to progress further because you are still in the home. Instead, they will return the next day to complete a job. This can be frustrating but if it is to be the case, you may wish to consider leaving the house and staying elsewhere in order to allow for the renovation work to be optimised.

Preparing to clean

Once your new kitchen has been fitted, it’s ready to use – but it’ll need a good clean first! A fine layer of dust will usually have gathered on most surfaces as a result of work and disruption, and particles from tiles or walls may still be present. Kitchen fitting contractors will minimise dust where possible but it’s impossible to negate it entirely, so be prepared to clean up once they’ve left.
Talk through containment options with your contractors before work begins; it may be that you’re able to cover some items or areas in plastic or to erect a temporary barrier to prevent dust and debris entering the rest of the house.
If you have new work surfaces they may require specialist cleaning products and your contractors will be able to advise you of this. Indeed the pre-renovation cupboard clear-out may have uncovered some unused cleaning products for just this job or you can stock up ahead of the big finish. 

Buy yourself more time

No project is perfect, and delays happen. Kitchen remodelling takes time and if someone gets sick, something breaks unexpectedly, someone is held up or a part is put on backorder the whole timeline can be thrown off. Be sure to have a back-up plan in place so that if things do start to look as though they’ll go on for longer than expected, you’re still able to get on with your daily life and routines.
Staying elsewhere temporarily can help reduce the impact of delays but also removes you from what is often a very loud and crowded living situation, so it may help your stress levels too. 

Plan to party!

Once the job is finally complete and your new kitchen has settled in a bit, you’ll be wanting to show it off to your friends and family. Enjoy the grand reveal and get in some quality time with loved ones; who needs an excuse?!

Get in touch!

Ready to remodel the heart of your home? Get in touch with your local renovation specialist to find out more about transforming your current or installing a brand new dreamy kitchen today.