Your Victoria Kitchen Renovation Guide: What to Expect During the 8-12 Week Process

Create a Temporary Kitchen

Choose a space in your home to act as your temporary kitchen. The things you’ll need on hand – a good sink to wash dishes, sufficient power to run your devices, and a worktop to create your kitchen concoctions. For many homeowners, the garage or laundry room can be transformed into a temporary kitchen relatively easily. A spare bedroom might work if there’s a bathroom nearby to give you access to hot and cold water, as well as the ability to wash your dishes. If you have an outside kitchen, make sure the space is comfortable so you’re not standing in the rain grilling up supper for the family.

To minimize disruption in your life, you can use shelving as a temporary pantry, a mini-fridge for perishables, and cylindrical cutlery bins can hold all of your cutlery with the bonus of being easy to bring to the table. Don’t forget to set up a coffee or tea station to make it quick’n easy to grab your caffeine and go.

In the weeks before your renovation, pay attention to how you use your kitchen and make notes on which tools and appliances you use regularly. You’ll want to make space for these in your temporary kitchen.

ProTip: Don’t have all of your appliances running on the same circuit. Your air fryer, coffee maker, toaster oven, and hot plate all need a fair bit of power to run, so try and have them on separate breakers — with separate extension cords, if you’re using them. If that’s not an option, try not to use them at the same time to avoid overloading the circuit and tripping a breaker.

Meal Prep

Here’s your chance to showcase your amazing planning skills. While you still have a kitchen, figure out what works best for you and your family for meals. Create a calendar to show when you’ll eat out, or go to eat with friends or family, and if possible, plan a little getaway so you don’t have to do any cooking for part of the renovation. Once you’ve figured out when you’ll be eating at home, put together a menu to make it easy to make meals ahead. Comfort foods, like lasagna or casseroles, can be batched, so you can make them in multiples and just pull them out of the freezer when you need them. Pair them with a fresh salad, and you’ve got a quick and delicious meal that requires minimal cleanup.

The Batch Lady has a ton of great recipes and information about cooking for even the pickiest of eaters.

If you haven’t tried meal prep services, like Hello Fresh or Chef’s Plate, your renovation might be a great time to try them out. You get pretty much everything you need to feed your family — including spices, sauces, and ingredients —  so you can enjoy a fresh, home-cooked meal with minimal effort and excellent results.

ProTip: Be judicious in what you choose to keep in your temporary kitchen. Go with the basics to maximize your storage space and keep things simple. Put the cloves, dry mustard, and bundt pans in storage for now – you’ll be fine.

Demolition

The first few weeks of your renovation are going to be busy, loud, and probably a bit dusty. We’ll have poly-barriers up to minimize the dust and protective coverings for your floor while the crews are busy cleaning out the space before they can begin building. This is definitely a good time to visit your local library, go to an art gallery, check out the museum, or just watch some of the newest blockbuster movies – outside of your home.

There’s the potential to find surprises in this stage — many of Victoria’s homes have been renovated many times throughout their lives, and not all of these renovations were completed by a trusted local contractor. We are highly experienced in this, but you never really know what’s hidden behind the drywall until you remove it. If and when we find something, we’re able to fix it up to ensure it doesn’t detract from your new kitchen dreams.

ProTip: A water cooler (especially one that does hot and cold water) is a handy investment during your renovation. There are potentially times when your water will be turned off for the plumbers to do their thing.

Protect the Pets

Remember that your renovation will cause disruption to everyone in your home – including your pets. Be sure to give them a comfortable space away from the noise and keep them secure at all times so they don’t sneak out a door left open to move material or brush up against wet paint. They might be more comfortable staying at a friend’s place or a trusted border for the duration of the project.