Many people, once they get done with their kitchen remodel, say that if they had known better they would’ve done a few things to differently to prepare before the construction began.  Kitchen remodels are one of those things where it’s easy to get there and say “Oops I wish I would’ve thought of that!” 

We don’t want you to say the same thing, so we’ll give you a few pointers that will better prepare you for your Chicagoland kitchen remodel.

Taking advantage of these steps will ensure you are ready to handle anything that comes up and won’t interrupt your life as much as it could be otherwise. 

4 Steps to Prepare Ahead of Time

1)   Move out of your Kitchen – You’ll want to move out of your kitchen like you’re going to move to another house.  There are many reasons for this, including the installer needing all the space. But also mainly because it’s now a construction zone and you don’t want everything caked with dust, debris or damaged.  Consider what you will do with your kitchen appliances for the time of the project if you are planning on keeping them.  If you are getting new appliances make sure the old ones have been removed and are out of the way. If you will need access to use your refrigerator, you may need to move it to a different location temporarily. 

2)   Prepare for Construction in Other Rooms – Are there adjoining rooms to your kitchen that you should worry about?  You will want to consider preparing these rooms for major dust and traffic if they are between the entry door and the kitchen. You might want to put up plastic as a temporary door between the kitchen and other rooms to keep as much dust out as possible.  These plastic door shields are inexpensive and do well at keeping dust in the kitchen only.

3)   Protect Your Valuables – Remember the construction zone doesn’t just include your kitchen.  It includes everything from your entry door to your kitchen, and rooms around your kitchen. You may want to cover up furniture or electronics so that dust doesn’t settle in them. Also consider walkways where workers could be carrying long materials and have to walk around corners. Furniture can easily get in the way and get damaged when heavy materials are being brought into the house from outside.

4)   Determine How You Will Live For X Number of Days – Consider how you will feed your family and function without a kitchen for any number of days. Remember designers and installers can estimate how long they think it will take, but gotchas occasionally come up (particularly in older homes) that cause more time to resolve. Be prepared to have a back up plan if 30-50% more time is needed to finish your kitchen.

Just a little prep work ahead of time can save a lot of stress and contribute to a successful kitchen remodel.  Brakur Custom Cabinetry wants to help you be prepared and enjoy the remodeling process. We will make sure that you are informed and know what to expect ahead of time and not on the day of your remodel.  If you have other questions or are interested in talking to one of our remodeling experts you can contact us here.

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