How To Survive A Kitchen Renovation: With a Toddler
All the best tips & tricks to help you survive a kitchen renovation, even with a toddler
I don’t know if I have ever written a more important post than this one.
I desperately wish I had known these things before we started our 22 week kitchen renovation…
If I could tell y’all it wasn’t that bad then I absolutely would, but I can’t lie, so the best I can do is give you these most know tips & tricks to survive your kitchen renovation.
Let me start by saying that while a kitchen renovation is a bit stressful it is worth it!
On our initial walk-thru of our forever house we knew the kitchen would need to be dealt with immediately.
It was small, dated & it did not have a lot of storage space.
This renovation needed more than just new cabinets & countertops, it needed to be completely reconfigured.
That’s one of the reasons this renovation was a bit daunting.
We tore down the back wall that held the laundry room & made it apart of the kitchen.
A lot of plumbing & electrical had to be relocated, plus we replaced the small window about the sink with a wider one, so lots of demo & lots of work.
Here are the must-know tips & tricks that we eventually figured out that helped us survive this big kitchen renovation!
Tip 1: Plan Plan Plan
This seems like a give-in but we did not do enough planning before we started ripping things out & tearing things down.
Before you start your renovation create a concrete plan of your space.
Make a design board, draw out the space & decide if anything needs to be moved or relocated.
Set your budget & figure out how much money you can allocate for things like cabinets, countertops, hardware, appliances, etc.
Tip 2: Order New Before You Scrap Old
We got a little ahead of ourselves with this kitchen renovation & ripped out all the countertops, cabinets, appliances before we even ordered the new ones…
Why did we do this you might be asking yourself?
I wish I had an answer but all I can say is we got overly excited & demo day got the best of us!
This was a big stressor because that lead to us going 22 weeks without a kitchen & working sink…
You can find my entire review of Lowes countertops, cabinets, & installation here!
Basically, wait as long as you can before removing anything that will make life easier for you.
If you can’t wait, use folding tables to act as countertop space, we used the existing island because we are keeping it!
We also used one of these cube organizers & bins to store dry groceries & snacks in, this gave us some semblance of being organized.
Tip 3: Paper & Plastic
Those two things will be your biggest friends y’all.
I know that it’s not great for the environment, but if you don’t use them you will lose your sanity, plus it’s only for a little while.
Here are the paper & plastic products we could not have survived without:
- Paper Coffee Cups
- Paper Plates
- Plastic Cups
- Paper Bowls
- Disposable Wine Glasses (trust me you’ll need these)
- Plastic Silverware
- Disposable Cutting Board
- Disposable Takeout Pans
If you do have a toddler or baby & you are brave enough to take on a kitchen renovation I recommend buying a bunch of Dollar Store bottles & sippy cups so that they can be thrown away when handwashing them isn’t an option.
Tip 4: Small Appliances = Big Deal
For the entire 22 weeks of the kitchen renovation we basically survived off of small appliances.
We had no stove so we can to get creative when it came to meal time.
Small appliances we couldn’t have lived without:
A big goto when we were feeling the renovation blues were these easy air fryer donuts!
We also utilized Adam’s favorite Fathers Day gift ever = pellet grill & our large griddle a lot!
Tip 5: Keep Essentials Close
You will need to keep some kitchen essentials on hand; knives, spatulas, spices etc
Keep them all in a clear tote in your “make shift” kitchen area to help you stay a little more organized.
Clear totes will make finding what you need easier than digging through solid bins.
Everything you won’t be needing in the immediate future, pack up & either store in a different location out of the way.
The less clutter the better!
Tip 6: Hang Up Plastic Curtains
Renovations are messy y’all!
Plastic curtains will help keep the mess & dust contained to the kitchen.
We did not do this initially & definitely paid the price!
If you are keeping your flooring, it would also be helpful to cover it in plastic in case of paint spills or other accidents.
Tip 7: Kit Projects
If you plan on diy-ing any part of this renovation kitting will be a life saver!
We use this method on all our diy projects.
Here’s how it works:
- Get a large clear plastic storage bin & tape a piece of paper to the top
- Put everything you will need for that project in the bin: tools/supplies/paint/etc
- Write down everything that the box contains on the tapped on paper
This kept us from going crazy trying to find the supplies for the different projects.
Tip 8: Embrace The Madness
Yes a renovation mess can suck, it is going to be crazy & hectic & not all deadlines will be met on time…
Embrace it, expect it, & try & laugh about it.
I know it’s easier said than done but if you can take a few deep breaths & push through it will all be worth it!
On the really hard days it helps to play some Vance Joy & pull out the plastic wine glasses we talked about earlier 😉
Celebrate the progress & just know you will (soon) be standing in your dream kitchen & it will all be worth it!
