Survival Guide to Living in Your Home While Renovating

Top Suggestions from Those Who Have Experienced Living in their Home During a Renovation

Many homeowners prefer to stay in their homes while renovations are underway whether due to budget, convenience or simply because they want to be on-site whenever possible. Here are some tips that will make your life a little bit easier during the remodel.

Create Makeshift Headquarters 

Designate a room or rooms that will not be disturbed or affected by the renovation as your headquarters. Determine where you will be eating, sleeping, reading, and relaxing. Condensing your home to one or two rooms during a remodel can be a little stressful, so it is important to keep your inhabited space clean and as uncluttered as possible to keep stress to a minimum. Store any items you do not need in a garage or basement. This will prevent your living space from becoming too cluttered.

Create a Temporary Kitchen 

If you are planning a major home renovation, you will most likely be remodeling your kitchen. Set up a temporary kitchen before the demolition of your existing kitchen. Keep items that might need to be unpacked (such as seasonings) in an area that is accessible. Label your boxes - be specific. Remove everything off the walls in your kitchen and adjacent rooms.

Decide where you will prepare food and where you will eat. You may find that you cannot prepare your meals and eat in the same location. Many people use the laundry room or extra bathroom as a makeshift kitchen because there is a sink for dishes and you can plug in your microwave. Find a place where you can set up a small table to eat, perhaps your office or guest room.

• Move your old refrigerator or a small mini-fridge to a convenient space close to a water source. Add a table with a microwave and place a trash can below the table.

• Find a place for your coffee maker, electric kettle, and toaster. Don’t forget coffee grounds and filters or coffee pods, coffee mugs, tea, sugar, and cream. 

• Prepare a space for small appliances such as a toaster oven, hot plate, instant pot, slow cooker, rice cooker and a small electric grill which will be very helpful in preparing home-cooked meals. Important note: the area where you set up your temporary kitchen may not be able to support multiple appliances running at the same time, not to mention other electronic items typically used in that room. You might need to have only one thing plugged in at a time to prevent tripping the circuit breakers.

• You will be without water in the kitchen for a few weeks, so plan to do the dishes in another sink or a bathtub. Or stock up on compostable plates, cups, forks, knives, and spoons. Even if you use compostable eating utensils, there will be a few items you will want to make sure you have set aside for your use: can opener, potato peeler, oven mitts, cooking spoons, cooking spray, steak knives, paring knives, tongs, spatulas, scissors, cutting board, paper towels, dishcloths, dishwasher soap, plastic sandwich bags, plastic freezer bags, trash bags, Tupperware containers with lids, Barbecue tools, and a cookie sheet.

Preplan What Types of Meals You are Going to Eat During Your Remodel

When you do not have an operable kitchen because it is stripped down to the studs, you will need to find an alternate way to prepare meals. Eating during a renovation can prove to be complicated, especially if you are feeding a family. If you plan what you will eat before your remodel begins, you can properly prepare yourself as well as stock your temporary kitchen. This is a great time to explore your family’s favourite casserole dishes or slow cooker meals so you can prepare them and freeze them to eat during your remodel.

 Eating Out Options:

• Sit down restaurants

• Fast food restaurants

• Pizza (this can get old very quickly)

• Use one of the popular online ordering apps, which is a great way to order restaurant food and have it delivered to your house

• Help coordinate a potluck with family or friends at someone else’s house 

• Check out your local grocery store’s prepared food bar

• Prepare homemade meals and freeze them to use during your renovation

• Buy microwavable frozen dinners

• Plan meals around small appliances: microwave, toaster, slow cooker, rice cooker, pressure cooker, electric griddles and skillets, electric hot plate

• Keep a stash of non-perishable snacks such as soups, condiments, canned goods and cereals 

• Spending time outdoors by having picnics or barbecues is a great way to enjoy meals that are home-cooked

Make New Routines

Often our routines are disturbed during a remodel. 

• Maybe you are used to keeping your mail in the kitchen. You may need to find a new secure location to keep your mail so you don’t lose your bills.

• Keep your shoes on in the work area! When living through a renovation, there may be the odd stray nail or screw. 

• Bathroom routines may need to be adjusted if your bathroom is under renovation. Some alternative options are to shower at the gym, at work, or at a friend’s home.

Cover Everything

Remodels are stunning when completed, but do not forget that before it is pretty, it is messy! Dust will be everywhere. Put a sheet over anything you want to protect, and expect dust. Even though Disciple Homes & Improvements Inc. staff cleans up daily, dust will be in the air and will settle at the end of every day. We use zip closures between rooms to minimize the dust as much as possible. 

Maintain Flexibility and a Positive Outlook

You may start to experience a little stir craziness with all of the construction chaos happening around you, but you will survive by keeping in mind that this is just a temporary situation, and the finished product will be more than worth it.

Your privacy will be interrupted. Sometimes a nice walk in the park or a visit to the movie theatre will be just what you need to get out of the construction zone. 

When you become frustrated microwaving your prepackaged meal in your laundry room, just think of the money you’re saving on hotel fees and eating out! Or treat yourself, and take that vacation.

Hiccups happen. There is the possibility that something may get broken, scratched or dented. Don’t worry, if we caused it, we will fix it!

Consider that you may need to find temporary accommodations for a day or two if there is a need for lacquering the woodwork or refinishing the hardwood floor. The smell of the lacquer can be unpleasant, can cause headaches, and you will not be able to walk on the floor.

Enjoy Your Renovation

Remember your home will soon become a worksite. We will do our best to minimize any inconvenience, recognizing the fact we are entering your personal space. With patience, consistent communication, and deliberate preparation, the process will go smoothly. Then, as with all good things that are worth waiting for, you will have a beautiful new space to enjoy coming home to.