Kitchen Remodel: How to Prepare

This week the kitchen is getting messy! Sharing what a kitchen remodel looks like and how to prepare.

Never can you truly be prepared for a remodel.

This is the second major remodel I’ve invested in my home…the first being the master bathroom makeover.

Sharing what to expect in a kitchen remodel and how to be prepared!

This is WEEK 4 of the One Room Challenge: WEEK 1 | WEEK 2 | WEEK 3

Kitchen Remodel Prep

I’m definitely a planner by nature and try to anticipate things before they happen.

That helped me think through how to prepare for the first day the contractors arrived, before they started tearing apart the kitchen.

Remodeling a kitchen is definitely disruptive to your daily routine, so I wanted to share some remodel prep work you should consider!

Top 10 Things to Do Before the Contractors Arrive:

1. Forget about cooking! Not in the microwave, stovetop, or oven and plan to get takeout or eat at a restaurant for most of remodel timeframe.
2. Set-up a coffee, tea, wine bar in another room like a guest bedroom. Include jugs of water, a hot plate, coffee maker, sugar, spoons, glasses/cups, etc. You’ll thank me later 🙂
3. Before the contractors arrive, pull out of the cabinets nuts, crackers, cereal, and protein bars for a quick snack when time is limited.
4. Make sure you have the pet food out too and relocate their bowls. 
5. Remove EVERYTHING from the counters and store in another room, so you can keep things organized. Don’t leave it up to the contractors!
6. Roll-up all rugs and store elsewhere plus move breakable items out of the work area that will be covered with plastic.
7. Take dust cloths, cleaners, ziplock bags, a sponge, dish detergent, and paper towels to a bathroom for when needed.
8. Insist they leave at least one refrigerator available to you so you can get to coffee cream, milk, fruit, etc.
9. TURN OFF THE HVAC and open the windows weather permitting. You don’t want the dust sucked into your system.
10. Close doors to all adjacent rooms. 

All I can say is despite the contractor’s best efforts, dust from tearing out drywall and spraying paint will end up EVERYWHERE.

Be mentally prepared for hours worth of clean up, after the job is complete.

I’d say my crew was really neat and respectful, but it was major pain to clean up the entire downstairs of my house.

Here’s my dining room, which is adjacent to the kitchen and where I stored snacks, bags, cleaning products, dog food for easy access.

The tile is in the foreground of this photo and shows you what a pretty blue it is and how it works with the dining room too!

The coffee bar (sorry no picture) was set up in the guest bedroom on a dresser and worked really well!

During the remodel I was drinking wine out of crystal because that’s all I could get to LOL. 

Kitchen Remodel in Full Swing

Last week I shared the mood board and all of the pretty details.

This week is an ugly update LOL.

It really is shocking how bad it gets, before they finish the job!

Here is a reminder of all the items getting a facelift in the kitchen.

Here is a good example of how colors change based on what you pair it with in a room.

Pelican is an exact match to the new Annie Selke Argento Tile, but looks more blue than the gray above. 

It’s like they were made for each other! 

The value of the Pelican color is very light, so it’s going to be a subtle hint of color, but oh so pretty.

I always think of resale value and don’t want anything too polarizing. 

One Room Challenge: Follow Along

I’d appreciate if you would follow along in this design process and see what some of my other design friends are up to as well!

We’ve got four more weeks together so enjoy the ride!

In week 5, I’ll be sharing how to pull together a plan for the contractors to follow so they get it right the first time.

Looking for lots of design inspiration for all of the rooms in your home?

Please visit the One Room Challenge Blog to see all of the guest designer’s plans and the featured designers too!

Some of the rooms I am watching that you may want to too:

• Kate Holcomb’s Narrow Living Room
• Classically Dunn Downstairs Bathroom 
• Jenna Pilant’s Living Room

Each Wednesday, I’ll be sharing a One Room Challenge update via the blog and posting on social media too.

So you don’t miss a post, please subscribe to my email newsletter below or follow me on Facebook and Instagram for the most up to date information.

Have fun following along with the twists and turns of a kitchen makeover!

Until next time…

Porch Daydreamer

Tracey