Even if everything goes according to schedule, having your house turned upside-down for any length of time is stressful. As I've said before, planning is the best way to alleviate some of that stress.
First off, how do you plan to eat during the upheaval?
Set up a temp kitchen in the basement, garage, dining room, living room
Collect coupons for your favorite local restaurants
Plan your menu around finger foods - sandwiches and baby carrots, yum
Stock up on disposable plates, glasses and silverware
Do you have relatives nearby? Stock their frig and eat over there
Freeze meals that can be heated in a microwave - or buy microwave dinners
Next up is moving everything out. Don't do this step too soon; use your kitchen as long as you can.
Separate items by what you need and don't need during the renovation
For items you won't be using, group and store according to where they're going in the new kitchen (the make moving in fun and easy)
Make sure you have a place that's clean and dry for cabinets and appliances to be stored. If it's the garage, cover the floor with a few layers of cardboard to make sure nothing gets scuffed up.
Spend time talking to the family about what's going to happen. Make sure kids know to stay out of the work area without permission. Let everyone in on the timeline.
Cover doors leading to other rooms with plastic. If a lot of demolition is being done, make sure the plastic is tight.
Relax! Get out of the house and away from it all, if only for a few hours. Don't get too stressed before any work has begun.
(Our clients with the highest levels of stress are wives of do-it-yourself, save-a-few-bucks husbands. There's nothing wrong with taking on a few of the jobs in a remodel, but keep to the timeline. In these situations, the husbands seem to have a 'no worries, I'll get to it' attitude. While the wives are anxious to get it done, get it done, get it done.
If you aren't certain that you can stick to a timeline, hiring a job done can save a lot of internal family stress. Generally, it's better to be anxious and frantic about a job with a stranger than with a spouse.)
