Surviving A Kitchen Renovation Part 2

Renovations of any sort can be tiring and stressful.  As you will remember, we had our kitchen and flooring replaced last year.  We had a crazy three weeks last August and I'm so glad I took the time to plan ahead.  Here's what I did to keep some organisation during a time of chaos -

*  Decluttering ahead of time.  When it's time to pack up your kitchen ( before it gets ripped out ),  do a major declutter / throw out.  Have a look at what you are storing in your cupboards and drawers.  Are you using everything ?  Do you want these items in your new kitchen ?  Do you like the colors / style ?  Is it broken / chipped ?  Do you have too many of the same thing ? 

There is absolutely no point in packing up items you just know you'll throw out later.  Set aside a couple of boxes and fill them up to donate to your local op shop.  When it's time to restock your new kitchen,  have another declutter.  You might find that things don't fit in or look right.

*  Having a budget for takeaway.  Even the most organised person will need takeaway during a renovation.  I can remember one day when our house was in total chaos.  Our carpet was being replaced at the same time our kitchen was having the kickboards and end panels installed.  Darren,  Jessica and myself were confined to a couple of metres in the family room.  Darren was perched on a kitchen stool.  I was balancing on a couch arm rest with Jessica sitting on the floor at my feet.   We couldn't access any other part of our home for three hours.  Darren had to make an escape through the sliding door to get Subway for lunch.

A couple of other times we'd had such busy days packing up and cleaning.  My hands were so sore from all the hard work that I couldn't pick up a knife to prepare a meal.  Fish and chips came to the rescue one night and a bought roast chicken for the other night.  Our girls prepared a little salad to go with each meal.

*  Cleaning as you go.  Yes the house will get really messy and dusty.  I tried to clean up the dust and bits and pieces off the floor at the end of each day just before dinner.  Jessica and I suffer from allergies so regular cleaning was important.  By doing this each day it kept the cleaning job to a manageable timeframe.  I'm a neat freak,  so knowing  parts of the house were clean helped me relax somewhat.  I used our old vacuum cleaner to keep the floors reasonable.  There was no way my brand new Dyson was coming out of the box until the renos were completed.

*  Preparing the house for renovations.  A renovation doesn't just happen.  It takes months of planning.  I used this time to declutter other rooms in our home.  The week before our renos started  I filled the toilet roll holders,  cleaned the bathrooms from top to bottom,  refilled all the Miracle Spray bottles,  paid the bills and got the finances and filing up to date.  These tasks might seem a bit odd to do just before a reno but when your house has been turned upside down,  you don't want to be searching for toilet rolls or a misplaced bill.

Here's the link to part one of surviving a kitchen renovation http://myabundantlife07.blogspot.com.au/2016/10/surviving-kitchen-renovation-part-1.html

I hope these ideas will come in handy when you are planning a renovation.

The finished product

Can you see the arm of the couch on the right ?  That's where I perched for three hours with Jessica at my feet and all this mess around us.  Lots of fun - NOT !!!

Our makeshift kitchen

Planning A Kitchen That Works - Part 2

A lot of thought should go into planning a new kitchen.  After all,  it is the heart of the home and probably the hardest working room.  A kitchen should function well and be easy to use.  Here are some of the ideas I've used in my kitchen and things I've learnt from cleaning for almost 18 years.

*  Side opening ovens.  Most people don't know side opening ovens exist.  Yes they do and they are fabulous.  Only a few brands offer this option and they can be hard to find on display in retail stores.  I found mine by searching on the internet and was pleasantly suprised to find Westinghouse makes them.  Then I went to a retailer and asked for them. They are a special order and cost a little more but so worth it.  I've only ever had side opening ovens ( they came with our house ).  They are great for safety reasons.  No burning your arms on the door.  Those who are older or have back problems will find them easy to use.

*  Deep drawers.  Switching from cupboards to drawers makes life easier.  No more digging into the back of a cupboard.  Be aware that drawers don't always come with full sides.  Generally the side of the drawer comes part of the way up with a rail at the top.  To fit all your appliances and crockery,  deep drawers hold more and are a better option .  Save the shallow drawers just for cutlery.

*  Shelf under sink.  When I was designing my kitchen, I was offered drawers and slide out bins under the sink.  When I had a look at the space these provided,  I knew I wouldn't be able to store all the bottles of dishwashing liquid,  Miracle Spray and assorted washing / cleaning items I stockpile.  The slide out bin was a waste of space and too large.  I like to empty my bin at the end of each day.  Adding an adjustable shelf under the sink gave me lots of space to use.

*  Pantry shelves.  Getting the right height of each shelf is very important.  I don't have a walk in pantry so space comes at a premium.  My old pantry shelves could fit three 410 g tins stacked on top of each other.  I made sure the kitchen builders took measurements to replicate what I had.  Don't leave it to the builders to design the shelves.  You know what you need and how you use each shelf.

*  Soft closing drawers.  Yes they cost just a little more but no one can slam the drawers anymore.  Suddenly the kitchen seems a little quieter.

*  Extra shelves in cupboards.  The cupboards above my stove hold the glasses,  mugs and teapots.  I requested an extra shelf in each cupboard to maximise space and make reaching things easier.  If you don't end up using them,  at least you have the option further down the track when you see how your kitchen works.

*  Bin cut out.  In the cupboard under the sink I asked for a bin cut out from the shelf.  This gives me options for bin sizes and a swing top lid.  The bin I have now won't last forever and a replacement might not be the same size

*  What  to put in each drawer / cupboard.  When designing a new kitchen,  think about where you have things stored and if there is a better option.  I had my stand mixer on top of the fridge because it was too tall for any of my cupboards.  The corner cupboard was designed with a shelf tall enough to accommodate the mixer.

*  Handles that are easy on the hands. Remember,  a good kitchen should last more than 20 years.  Tiny round knobs might not be suitable on your hands as you get older.  The same is true for vintage door pulls.  Modern slick handles with sharp ends REALLY,  REALLY hurt when you knock yourself on them.  I've been bruised many times when cleaning people's kitchens..

*  Extra power points.  If you don't have enough power points then now is the time to request more.

This deep drawer holds crockery for 12

Extra shelves

A bi cut out on the shelf

Easy use handles

Side opening ovens

If you missed the first kitchen planning installment here's the link  http://myabundantlife07.blogspot.com.au/2016/09/planning-kitchen-that-works-part-1.html

Surviving A Kitchen Renovation. Part 1

Planning ahead of time is the key to surviving and staying sane.   The kitchen is the heart of a home so when it gets ripped out,  chaos can arrive.  Here are some ideas and hints that we used to survive our kitchen renovations.


*  Setting up a temporary kitchen.  This can be quite a big task.  For starters,  you'll need to empty your kitchen completely.  I started by packing everything I haven't used in a while.  All these items were boxed up,  labelled and stored under the dining table out of the way.

Then I worked out a menu for the next two weeks.  After that I got out every utensil,  pot and appliance I needed to make those meals.  All these things were stacked neatly on top of the dining table.  I tried to keep things in groups for each meal.  Anything that would be used regularly was put to the front of the dining table.

Here are the items we used often -

Kettle,  toaster,  microwave,  microwave veggie steamer, chopping boards,  sharp knives,  cutlery, tongs,  peeler,  electric fry pan,  medium fry pan,  medium saucepan,  portable electric hot plate,  dinner set ( 4 of each item only ),  serving spoons,  cling wrap,  foil,  plastic bags,  plastic storage containers,  serviettes, glasses and paper towel.  I left out the slow cooker but didn't use it.

*  Planning a menu.  For a couple of months leading up to our kitchen renovations,  I froze every single leftover from our main meal.  No one got a chance to have second helpings.  By the time our kitchen had been ripped out,  I had enough single serves for four nights ( 16 serves ).

When I wrote out our menu,  I spaced out the freezer meals so that we wouldn't be using them up straight away.  I also tried to use those meals on days when we couldn't get into the kitchen area to do anything.  In between those meals I tried to fit in easy cook meals like spag bol,  bbq and salad,   honey mustard chicken,  sliced meat baked potatoes and salad, 

*  Eating healthy.  This was really important for me to be able to still provide good meals for my family.  Darren joked that we could have takeaway for two weeks straight.  Infact,  we had quite a few people tell us this was the way to go.  For starters we can't afford takeaway that often.  Secondly,  I don't like many takeaway options.  Thirdly,  I'd feel sick after a few days.  We always have lots of fresh and frozen veggies on hand.  Some nights the meals looked a little different to the usual but we always had a few veggies on the plate.

*  Going to bed at a decent time.  Some nights this was hard to do but I tried to be in bed by 11 or 11.30pm.  We soon learnt that tradies work to a different clock.  They like a really early start.  One tradie tried to come to our place at 7am only to be told by the kitchen company that was unacceptable..  This is why getting enough sleep is important. You need to be showered,  fed and presentable before the tradies show up.

The finished product was worth it.

Our temporary kitchen

The items we needed

Trying to keep everything in order.

 Stayed tuned for Part 2 coming soon.

Planning A Kitchen That Works - Part 1.

I love my new kitchen.  It's clean,  shiny and works so well.  I guess 20 years of dreaming and planning has paid off.  It also helps that I've been cleaning other people's kitchens for the last 18+ years too.  This has given me the chance to see what works and what doesn't.    Here are some things to consider when planning a new kitchen -

*  Pull out tap. These taps make it easy to rinse off large pots and to swish a sink clean.

*  Stone bench top color and edge.  If you get a stone bench top,  consider the color you choose.  A black or dark color is very hard to keep clean.  Every wipe mark and smear shows up no matter how hard you try to keep it clean.  Stone benches will have joins in them.  Choosing a light color with detail helps to conceal the joins.  The edge of the bench matters too. If you pick a slightly rounded edge it prevents damage to your clothes.  

* Drawers. Replacing cupboards with drawers makes it easy to access everything.  No more bending down and digging into the back of a cupboards.  Please note,  drawers might not hold as much as you think.  I had to do another declutter to fit everything in.  At least  I've only kept the things I really love.

*  Corner cupboards - lazy susan or not.  When I picked out my kitchen,  I was shown a corner cupboard with a lazy susan in it.  At first glance it seems like a great way to access everything.  Unfortunately the shelving is not as strong as a regular cupboard shelf.  I like to stack casserole dishes inside each other to maximise space.  A lazy susan would only be good in a plastics cupboard.

*  Sinks are smaller.  When I was researching the sinks available to buy,  I was quite suprised to find that sinks have shrunk in size over the years. Please keep this in mind when choosing one for your kitchen.  I picked the biggest I could find.  Even doing that,  I lost 20 centimetres off my old one.

*  Range hood with canopy or pull out.  Range hoods with a canopy might seem like all the rage on those cooking shows.  Keeping them clean is another issue.  When cooking,  steam rises.  So does the oil you cook with.  Before you know it your range hood has a layer of grease that can be a pain to remove.  Even if you do remove it,  you'll see the wipe marks from your cloth.  I've wasted so much time cleaning clients canopy range hoods only to see they are still not perfectly clean.  I chose a Westinghouse 90 centimetre pull out range hood.  The filters can be pulled down and cleaned in the dishwasher.

Drawers

Pull out tap

Detail in a bench hides the join

My New Kitchen

It's now time to reveal my new kitchen - YAY  !!!  The tiling was completed today and I've just given them a wipe over.  We are still waiting on our second oven which is being made somewhere overseas right at this moment.  We've been told it will arrive in Victoria sometime in the first week of September.  I couldn't wait that long to show you the kitchen I've been dreaming about for over 20 years.  Darren has some painting to do around the door trim and on the new cornices but he's having a little rest after working so hard on the new skirtings throughout the house.

So here it is -

My soft apple green splashback tiles

The entire kitchen

Double sink 

Pull out tap

In sink drainer

We've ditched the cupboards and gone with drawers

Fisher and Paykel stove top

New kettle

Side opening oven ( one of them )

Caesar stone bench top

New phone connection.  It was up on the wall on a shelf before

Oh so new and shiny

The fridge has a more fitted look.

Slightly wider bench top

Drawer handles

Cupboard handles

New bamboo flooring and skirtings.

The old kitchen

Stay tuned for follow up posts on -

How to survive a kitchen renovation     and

How to plan a kitchen that works.