The first phase of your Chicago kitchen remodeling project includes all the fun stuff - meeting with designers, planning your dream kitchen, choosing the finishes and fixtures, etc. Then, there are the practical steps required to prepare your family for the construction portion of the project. Consider that the average kitchen remodel takes between five and six weeks from start to finish. During this time, your kitchen will be partly to fully out of commission depending on the construction calendar.
The following steps can help you to keep your home functional and your family and pets as de-stressed as possible while your kitchen gets its much anticipated face lift.
Plan Ahead to Keep Your Sanity Throughout Your Chicago Kitchen Remodel
- Create a schedule. Have your contractor sit down and review the construction schedule so have an idea of when certain areas of your kitchen, such as the sink and dishwasher, will be unusable. Notice we said an idea. This is because the schedule is subject to change depending on issues that may be out of your contractor's control.
- Prepare to eat out. During the heaviest portions of the remodel, you may want to eat out so you can enjoy a neat and orderly environment where food is prepared for you and no cleanup is required.
- Accommodate eating in. Get takeout menus from your favorite restaurants so you can order food to bring home and that doesn't require your oven, sink, or dishwasher for preparation or cleanup. Toaster ovens and microwaves will be your saving grace throughout the remodel.
- Schedule a vacation. Many clients use this time to plan a vacation. We don't advise leaving for the entirety of the project unless one of you can stay close by, in case you're needed for last minute decisions or change order approvals. But if it's possible for the kids and pets to be away for a couple of weeks, it can help to keep things from feeling too chaotic.
- Plan day trips. This might be a great time to do all those things you've been adding to your to-do-and-see list. We joke that tourists know more about the areas where we live than we do, right? Your kitchen remodeling project gives you the perfect excuse to become a tourist and visit the local sights you've never gotten around to exploring. It will get you out of the house and away from construction noise, and will mitigate the need for kitchen space.
- Keep it a pet-friendly remodel. Home renovation projects can be extremely stressful on pets, and pets can't be meandering through the construction zone. Therefore, it's important to plan what you'll do with pets on a daily basis. We recommend moving pet beds, food and water into a different zone of the house and that you keep pets contained in that area during construction hours.
Contact Kitchens & Baths Unlimited to learn more about how your family can prepare for a safe, friendly, and stress-free Chicago Kitchen remodeling project.
