Has anyone lived through a kitchen remodel? How long did it take? How did you eat meals during that time? What about washing dishes? Thanks!
We went through a full remodel last year. It took about 8 weeks. That considers some delays in materials for to supply chain issues.
We escaped to our beach house for the first 3 weeks or so, when the heavy demo was going on. After we got back, we became masters of microwave and air fryer meals. Used paper plates and utensils when we could, and washed other stuff in the bathroom sink.
The remodel included most of our first floor - the kitchen, eating area, family room, powder room. And the rest of the first floor was full of boxes and stuff. So we pretty much lived in the second floor. We temporarily turned one of the spare bedrooms into a place where we could hang out, watch TV, and eat.
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A couple of friends are doing this now.
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They are anticipating it will take double the amount of time the contractor is suggesting.
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Both moved a fridge to an adjacent space (one in the dining room…the other in a garage).
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They both set up 6 foot tables and have a microwave and toaster oven on that. And coffee maker or water heating pot.
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Both bought a big package of paper plates, cups and disposable eating utensils….which they will use. Both have said they will wash some smaller things in their 1/2 bath sinks.
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Both plan to order out something two days a week.
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Both use their grills year round and both have side burners on the grills. Between the grill, microwave, toaster oven, they don’t anticipate cooking issues. Oh….and crockpot or instant pot.
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Yes! I was fortunate to have had it done before labor and material shortages. Mine took only 6 weeks. Completely gutted old kitchen. We used crock pot several time, grilled (it was summer), ate way too much pizza and planned vacation in the middle of the redo. I set up a table in my dining room for coffee maker and crockpot. We did dishes outside. Plan to eat out often!!
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We remodeled our kitchen piecemeal; the big advantage was not changing the footprint or ripping out the cabinets because they were in decent shape. We hired a pro to replace the countertops. Then we took out the rusted ovens and cooktop and installed new ones and added a hood above the cooktop. We were able to eat and manage dishes throughout these stages just fine - there are only 2 of us in this house. Then came the time to reface the cabinets… that was a biggie. I specifically wanted this stage to happen in the summer when a salad would be OK for a meal. Also used our grill a lot during that time. Paper plates came quite handy, too. Thankfully, it was only 3 weeks, and I had access to the fridge.
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Twice as long as we thought it would! They kept the sink and stove in place as long as possible. The fridge and microwave were moved to another room. Moved the kitchen table and chairs to that room. Once the sink and stove were gone, we microwaved and grilled. Used paper plates, washed what wasn’t paper in the bathroom sink.
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We’ve gone through it three times, no less than 8 weeks each time. For this last one, we just used the laundry utility tub for the sink as the laundry room connects to the kitchen so only a few steps from the missing sink. Fridge was only moved in one of the remodels but to an adjacent room so still usable. Ovens/micro stayed put, so we could “cook,” but we mainly grilled or ate dinner out. Breakfast and lunch didn’t require much cooking so not a big problem for those meals. I would think the InstantPot would be a game changer during renos now. We didn’t have one until after our last redo but it’s basically a portable kitchen.
As @thumper1’s friends are doing, you’ll probably need to set up a temporary kitchen in another space in the house that works. Our laundry room has a very long counter, so we set up in there. Can’t say it was convenient, but renos sure make you doubly appreciate your new kitchen. Good luck. You’ll get through it.
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Biggest mistake of my life was living through a kitchen remodel. It was a total gut and it was awful. Also took twice as long as expected. The worst part wasn’t necessarily living without the kitchen, it was the dirt, dust, and noise.
We had access to a fridge, microwave, and my H had his coffee maker. We also had the grill. We used disposable plates/cups/cutlery. We got a lot of food from the salad bar at the market.
If I had to do it again, I’d get a short term rental and live there for the duration.
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We did it last year. Having one kid away helped. It wasn’t fun at the time but well worth it.
I ordered everything I could well in advance and stored in the basement. Sink, microwave, faucet, disposal and miscellaneous wiring, hoses, etc.
Tons of paper plates and plastic cups.
An air fryer is your friend. Grill if it’s warm enough.
Keep some plywood handy. We covered the new cabinets until the countertops were done.
We did this several years ago - four weeks from demo to finish. Beginning to think I was very lucky based on this thread. Contractor was great - kept to the schedule. He also helped us keep the stove and sink functional for part of that month.
Kids were home then. So, we moved the fridge and microwave to the dining room. Ate out a fair amount. Lived on some “instant” meals. Kids thought it was an adventure. The noise wasn’t that much of an issue since most of us were out of the house during the days. The dust was controlled pretty well - he had zippered doors closing off the kitchen from the rest of the house.
Biggest issue for the kids was that we couldn’t get to our family room (and only TV) for the entire month. So, no march madness!
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If you’re buying appliances–check right now on what’s available in your preferred time frame. When I ordered a SubZero ice maker and wine cooler (replacements) last fall, the dealer estimated that I’d have to wait for 8-12 months.
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Ours was 12 years ago. We did an IKEA kitchen so I did all of the assembly but that is for another thread. It took about 8 weeks from demolition to completion. We did ours in the winter in Ohio. We set up a makeshift kitchen in the basement which included a microwave, a single burner, a crockpot and of course a coffeemaker. We prepared much of our food in advance and had it divided into individual meals and put in our deep freeze. We had an older and smaller refrigerator in our basement. The biggest thing we lacked was an oven. We did end up eating more pizza and eating out in general than we normally did (maybe once a week) and both of our parents lived nearby and we ate at their homes more often. It was a fascinating project but I don’t think I will do it again. We did it 12 years ago and those years make a difference in what I’m motivated to do. Luckily I’m still very happy with the results of the first remodel.
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Better yet, sell the house and buy one that has a kitchen you like.
The worst thing we ever lived through was a total refloor of a one-story 3,000 sq. ft house. 3,000 sq. ft of tile jackhammered out while we were living there. The noise/dirt/silt was unbelievable. I don’t think I ever got that house completely clean again. Never, EVER do this. Just sell the house and buy one that has a floor you like. It’s just easier. And cleaner.
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This is almost exactly what we did. We did it in the summer so could use our grill. Moved the old refrigerator to the dining room. Went to Costco for paper plates, plastic utensils, etc. Set up shop on the dining room table. It was just the two of us at home so we did get take out and go out some. I really don’t remember it being that bad - probably because I really hated the old kitchen and loved the new one. Well worth the hassle.
I think it took about 8 weeks.
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We did it a few years back. It was a complete gut & redo, but our kitchen isn’t huge. I can’t remember how long it took, maybe a month … we had to wait a few extra weeks for the countertops, but at that point the kitchen was functional while we waited. We set up a dorm fridge in the basement, along with a microwave (both compliments of our kids, who no longer needed them). We used disposable plates, cups and utensils as much as possible. We washed what needed to be washed in the laundry tub, and we grilled a lot. To be completely honest, it wasn’t as bad as we thought it would be.
So jealous of those of you who managed a full kitchen redo in 8 weeks. Our kitchen was demo’d in mid May and it wasn’t fully done until October (partly because some of our custom cabinets “went missing” and had to be re-ordered).
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We had a kitchen design firm help us design the layout, and they took care of so much for us. The designer ordered the cabinets, suggested/ordered sink & countertops, ordered flooring, kept us on task for the things we needed to do (e.g., appliance shopping, garbage disposal, lights), lined up an installer, helped us choose (then ordered) the backsplash tile, etc. She communicated with the installer regarding when everything would be ready, then had everything delivered to our house so it was all ready when the installer was set to start the job. We couldn’t have done it without her.
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We did a renovation but not a full gut. We moved some appliances, removed a closet, and replaced all cabinets and counters, but we didn’t have to tear down any walls or replace flooring. It took 3-4 weeks.
I am so happy I did it! I thought about it several times but kept falling down a rabbit hole: if we do a, b, and c, we may as well do d, e, and f, and at that point we may as well buy a new house! But we did a, b, and c and I am so happy. I love the new ceiling-height cabinets, moving the location of the range made it so much more functional, and I just like to look at it now, lol!
We ate out a lot, but the contractor made sure we had access to the fridge and sink for as long as possible, and I had a microwave, too.
Dust wasn’t bad, but our contractor is meticulous. We had used him before and he puts up plastic to contain the dust and he vacuums often.
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23 days - it should have been a bit shorter (20 was budgeted for) but they broke my countertop and needed to recut a new one. I stayed in an extended stay hotel (like Residence Inn, can’t recall the name) where I had a kitchen and a living room. I think I moved things along because I financed (1 year no interest) but my contractor rec’d zero until I signed off on the final…we did have a bit of a back and forth at the end but I stood my ground and did not accept “we’ll schedule it for next week, just sign the papers” - nope. In the end it was worth it, and no way I could have lived in the house during it - the noxious fumes alone would have killed me (and I really feel for the workers who all said “I don’t smell anything”).
We are planning a kitchen renovation, along with renovating bathrooms and other things, to start this Fall. We will probably move into a friends’ rental condo, or maybe an airbnb, while the renovations are done – the workers will need to cut off electricity at certain points, so it will probably be best just to get out of the house completely.
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