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Being able to justify a full-scale kitchen renovation, exactly to your preferences and specifications, is the dream of any home cook. You don’t necessarily need to make this space look like a professional kitchen outfit where you’ll be knocking up two hundred covers in an evening (though we can’t assume how large your family is!), you may wish for more comforts and practical utilities than other people usually have.

But no matter how you’ve decided to change this space, odds are you need to tear out some old fixtures or remove some appliances to ensure the work can be done. This means preparation work, which your contractor may not be able to achieve for you, is necessary.

With that in mind, we hope to offer some advice to make this process easier. Without further ado, please consider:

Have Your Preserves, Larder Items & Appliances Stored

You probably don’t realize how much food you have tucked away until you have to move it. It’s also true that shelves, cabinets, and pantries hold more than you think. The last thing you want is to be knee-deep in renovation dust, realizing you left your bag of rice or your blender in a cabinet that’s now gone.

Before letting the contractors in, take some time to go through your dry goods, canned food, and smaller appliances. Sort what you’ll actually use during the renovation and put the rest in storage. If you have a temporary kitchen setup somewhere else (even just a microwave and kettle), keep the essentials close by so you can maintain some level of comfort.

Protect Or Remove Any Retained Elements

Not everything is getting replaced in most kitchen renovations, as maybe you love your countertops, or you’re keeping the flooring as is. If so, it’s smart to sure those elements are protected before the work starts. After all, dust, debris, and accidental damage can happen quite easily in a renovation zone.

For anything that’s staying, use plastic sheeting, drop cloths, or even old bedsheets to cover and shield surfaces, or if you have movable items, like a dining table or freestanding shelve, it’s worth shifting them somewhere safe until the work is done. You may even be able to take out your range or oven before the work starts, and that’s worthwhile.

Plan Meals & Food Budget For When You Can’t Cook

Even if you have a microwave, an air fryer, or a hot plate, you’re probably not going to be whipping up gourmet meals every night. That’s why planning ahead is key depending on how extensive the work is. You can think about easy, no-cook meals you can make, like sandwiches, salads, or pre-made meal kits. If you have access to a slow cooker or an electric griddle, you can still make some simple hot meals without a full kitchen.  Also, be realistic about how often you’ll be ordering takeaway food and budget accordingly, because some nights, cooking in a makeshift setup just won’t be worth the trouble.

With this advice, we hope you can feel more confident about renovating your kitchen.