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How To Prepare To Remodel Your Kitchen

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Remodeling your kitchen? It is every homemaker’s dream – or nightmare, depending on who you are talking to. Yes, there are some challenges in the process but, if you are unhappy with your kitchen, why not make a change? Let me share some tidbits of wisdom that I gained from my own kitchen remodeling experience.
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FIrst let me say that I was very excited by the project. Our kitchen was outdated and way too small. It had been our dream for quite a while to take down the wall between our little kitchen and dining room, making it one big kitchen. Finally, we got up the courage to do it!
My son-in-law and adult grandkids are all experienced craftsmen. They renovate homes all the time. So, we hired them to do the lion’s share of the work. We did hire a professional tiling company to design and install  the backsplash. The rest of this renovation, though, is a homegrown masterpiece.
 
Our Project: we combined a dining room and kitchen into one big room. It involved removing a wall. We also replaced the normal sized windows for two French doors that open onto a new deck in the backyard. In the spot where the dividing wall had been is a peninsula counter. All of the kitchen cupboards are brand new.
 
Tearing down the wall and adding a peninsula was the best decision we ever made. It kept walking areas wide open. Had we added an island, it would have cut the room up too much. And the backsplash is gorgeous! We selected tile that looks like stone. Four years later, I still love it!

How To Prepare For Your Project

As the mom, it was my job to get every cupboard emptied and figure out what to do for meals while the kitchen was unavailable.
It took time, muscle and planning. Know that you will be tired. You probably will be stressed out. Just keep your eye on the prize. Your kitchen is going to be beautiful and very functional soon. Word of wisdom:  EXPECT a MESS!

 

kitchen redo, remodeling, home renovations, tired puppy
 

Here are some tips to help you through the process:

Plan ahead – think about what you won’t be able to do while your kitchen is being redone and have an alternative. Eat out? Grill? Will you have refrigeration? How long will the stove, microwave, dishwasher and kitchen sink be unavailable? Know what you will do before you are in the midst of it and it becomes a problem.

Make room – you are going to have to empty every cupboard and drawer. It is a great opportunity to purge kitchen items, such as old plastic storage containers that you never use. Lids with no bowls? Bowls with no lids? Say “goodbye” to whatever has been just taking up space unnecessarily. Give away good stuff that you do not want anymore.

Use up your food – this is the perfect time to get rid of all items on your shelves that are expired. Read labels and toss ’em.  With the rest, use it up before the project starts. The less you have to move the better.

Label – you are going to want to know where you put everything. We stored items on tables in our “new” dining room area. (photos above) It was out of the way and spacious. Problem was, I lost track of where things were. It was very frustrating. Eventually I found it all but I did discover that we had thrown away the blender accidentally! We thought we only had the base and no container. The container was so far back in the old cupboards that it traveled home with my son-in-law. He was going to use the old cupboards for storage in his garage! So, I got a new blender out of the deal.

Expect things to be a mess – this is inevitable, no matter how organized you are. Hey, you’ve got “invaders” in your home ripping it apart! Keep in mind that it is not forever. Our kitchen adventure lasted about 2 weeks.

Get out of the way – find a safe place to relax and think happy thoughts. Visit a friend. Go read a book. Hide at your workplace. If the weather is nice, sit outside. You will want to get away from it.  My yellow lab, Lexi, slept her way through it! LOL

Setting up your new kitchen – this isn’t as simple as it may sound. It is unlikely that you will do it in one day, especially if you are on your own. Plan on taking a couple of days and try to enjoy it. Put on some music. Pour your favorite beverage and savor the moment. Your kitchen is NEW!

 

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What about picking out the materials for your new kitchen?  There are some great companies that offer a large variety of brands and styles. PlumbTile.com is one of them. I like the idea of “one stop shopping.” Why not go to someone who has all of the choices available for you? Check them out!

Thank you for letting me share my kitchen renovation adventure with you. This post was sponsored by Plumb Tile – the story, tips and opinions are totally mine.

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