Tips for Staying Sane (and slim) During a Kitchen Reno

[QueenofAllThings]

I am finally getting my 60's kitchen re-done  - yay!

I plan on moving my fridge, microwave, coffee pot and toaster into the dining room. We have an outdoor grill, but it's currently 20 degrees F and we won't grill much.  I will fill the freezer with per-made stuff from my crock pot, and occasionally rely on a neighbor's kitchen - I don't want to cook in the dining room too much (grease, smells). There is a sink in my laundry room - I hope to use paper and plastic as much as I can.

My contractor says I'll be out a month, so I'm planning 6 weeks. We will, on occasion, eat out or order in. 

Tips, hints, suggestions?

[heartmug]

I used my crock pot a lot during my kitchen remodel.  If you have some simple recipes, so there isn't too much slicing/preparing to do, I would do that.  (I know you said you didn't want smells in the living room.)

Also, get creative with sandwiches 

And YAY for a new kitchen.  You can get thru the next 5 - 6 weeks to get something new.

[magicdomino]

How dust-proof can you make the dining room?  My biggest problem when I had my kitchen remodeled was the plaster and drywall dust.  It even seeped into the bedroom where I had my mini-kitchen set-up, despite plastic over the hallway opening, and the closed bedroom door. Most of the time, it wasn't bad, but there were a couple of nights when the layer was thick enough that I went out to dinner and cleaned up later.

My minikitchen:  small refrigerator, toaster oven, microwave.  I ate a lot of frozen entrees.   

[buvezdevin]

We are in the last lap of our kitchen renovation, and I will second the idea of being prepared to deal with dust even if sealing off the area.

The reason ours is not yet done is primarily the countertop for the new island, as our first, and only two choices were not readily available due to limited availability for a Silestone choice we opted out of, and back order delay in availability of the Cambria quartz (Toquay) we did opt to get.  These were the two I was willing to go with, as we are keeping some existing Corian counters, and the new one needed to be complimentary to those. 

That said, just to suggest you verify timelines for delivery of new appliances, cabinets, flooring, counter, etc - which we had done, just had a surprise a couple of weeks in after the first few weeks went really well and on tight schedule.

As for managing without a kitchen, or full kitchen, we have had all appliances excepting a stovetop available since week three, but I am still trying to figure out where we put certain things "temporarily" during demo, so - if I had it to do over - I would more carefully organize and label things being put away for renovation duration.

[darling]

My parents set up the office as a mini-kitchen/dining room during their reno/addition. I helped organize the temporary kitchen, and we even wheeled in the dining table so they could have a place to eat and prep.

The only thing I might add to your setup is a hot-plate. They were told a month, and it ended up being two. They were super-glad they had bought a double-burner hot plate, as it helped cut down on the monotony of crock-pot and microwave meals. We also moved one of the old kitchen cabinets to the office to hold food and cooking supplies. Mom was still following weight watchers at the time, and I think she was able to stay on it fairly well (no fast food in my hometown, which probably helped!).

[Bees]

Hide your electronics from the drywall dust it is a killer to fans.

Got a place in your laundry room for a microwave and a portable griddle? Might be worth having along with the crock pot.

Personally, I am going to take the opportunity to visit some of my neighborhood restaurants for one hot meal
and a quiet place to sit.

[PastryGoddess]

Do you eat leftovers?  If so can ask a friend or family member if you can use their kitchen one day a week to make a large meal that you can eat for lunch or dinner throughout the week?

Your crockpot is your friend

[EmmaJ.]

You can do a lot with a George Foreman grill.  Meats of all kinds, grilled vegetables, paninis, reheating restaurant leftovers.

Congrats on the re-do!   Be sure and take before and after photos.

[QueenofAllThings]

Thanks for the tips, everyone. I am delighted to be getting a new kitchen and hoping the process won't be too painful.  The King has tossed around a gazillion 'rules' and doesn't see that this will be at all stressful for me  he has conceded that I can put the refrigerator and coffee pot in the dining room, but I m 'forbidden' to cook in there. He wants no frozen or processed food ( I don't like it either, but there may be days ....) He has accepted paper and plastic plates (woo hoo!) but won't drink his martini out of a Solo cup - for which I can't blame him.

Basically, he informed me that he's 53, works hard, and isn't  interested in suffering or giving up his creature comforts. So there!

I think Ms. Chardonnay and I are going to be good friends....   

[Snooks]

Thanks for the tips, everyone. I am delighted to be getting a new kitchen and hoping the process won't be too painful.  The King has tossed around a gazillion 'rules' and doesn't see that this will be at all stressful for me  he has conceded that I can put the refrigerator and coffee pot in the dining room, but I m 'forbidden' to cook in there. He wants no frozen or processed food ( I don't like it either, but there may be days ....) He has accepted paper and plastic plates (woo hoo!) but won't drink his martini out of a Solo cup - for which I can't blame him.

Basically, he informed me that he's 53, works hard, and isn't  interested in suffering or giving up his creature comforts. So there!

I think Ms. Chardonnay and I are going to be good friends....   

I'd be telling him I look forward to seeing what he's making for dinner!  We had a lot of takeaways, microwave meals and one or two meals at my parents' house.  We didn't have a fridge save for a tiny under desk one I borrowed from work which fitted a block of cheese and a pint of milk in it.  We were lucky to live walking distance to the shops so we bought our food daily. 

It might be worth asking if they can leave anything connected, the contractor who did my parents' kitchen managed to reconnect the stove top/oven every evening up until the last few days.

[Hmmmmm]

So what is King planning to cook?

One additional suggestion is to pre-brown ground beef and then freezing. It makes it easy to throw into a slow cooker.  You can do the same with beef cubes for stews. It takes up less room in the freezer than putting in a complete casserole. I kept my slow cooker and toaster oven in the laundry room.

Also, identify bathe spices you use most often and keep those handy.

[magicdomino]

So what is King planning to cook?

He's going to be standing at the grill in those 20 degree temperatures. 

My kitchen remodel went pretty quickly, thanks to a good kitchen designer.  He had been in business for 10 or 15 years, and had narrowed down the companies that he worked with to a few very reliable ones.  It took about 3 months to plan, but only 3 weeks from demolition to contruction, not counting painting.  My one regret is that I didn't take "before" photos.

[Bethalize]

Basically, he informed me that he's 53, works hard, and isn't  interested in suffering or giving up his creature comforts. So there!

Is he expecting you to pay for his creature comforts in sweat and stress?

You can get some really good home caterers. Just saying.

[MindsEye]

Crock pot.  You can plug those in anywhere (bathroom, laundry room, garage...) and just leave them for however long they need.  That should take care of those pesky "food smells".     (I do a lot of crock pot cooking, and in the summer the crock pot practically lives in the garage, because it won't heat up the house there!)

Also, can you split up meal planning and handling with your DH?  Tell him that you can take care of 4 dinners a week (lunches and breakfasts should be easy enough as long as cold cereal, fruit, and sandwiches are acceptable) and that he needs to organize the other 3.

[2littlemonkeys]

I can't help you with the sane part, I HATE remodeling.  We still have a bathroom to do and I'm not looking forward to it.  At least the plumbing and tub is set up.  We just need to tile the walls, the floor and install the toilet and sink/vanity.  I hope it's painless but I'm not holding my breath.

Anyway, when we did our kitchen reno, we did eat a lot of takeout and used the leftovers for other meals.  I also used a toaster for breakfast waffles/pancakes and we ate a lot of cold deli sandwiches.   If you're not allowed to serve frozen or processed foods, I sure hope it warms up soon.  Grilling in 20 degree weather is not comfortable.

Good luck and I hope it goes fast!