Knowing how to survive a kitchen remodel starts with one fact: your house becomes a job site, and you still live in it. The refrigerator moves. The microwave moves. Dinner happens somewhere else for a while. Living through a kitchen remodel is manageable, and most of the stress comes from surprises you can plan for. This guide covers what matters most, from setting up a temporary kitchen to what demo day sounds like.
Preparing for a kitchen remodel starts before demolition
Preparation begins with the work zone. Hantel puts up a zip wall, a floor-to-ceiling pole system hung with plastic sheeting, to cordon off the construction area. A zipper in the middle lets you pass through when you need to. The crew also lays runners at the entry and uses only the door the homeowner picks. That protects your floors.
Expect some dust anyway. No renovation is dust-free. A zip wall reduces what travels through the house, but it can’t stop all of it. Two steps on your side help:
- Pack a daily-use bin before demo day with a coffee maker, a few plates and utensils, a pot, and a pan. Nobody wants to dig through moving boxes at dinnertime.
- Turn off central air or heat on sanding days, and stock extra filters so you can change them often.
Planning on the front end matters just as much. Hantel doesn’t break ground until every material is on site, so the construction phase moves without stalls. Our Nashville remodel timeline guide explains how the design and construction phases fit together.
Setting up a temporary kitchen during your remodel
A temporary kitchen during a remodel needs a spot for the refrigerator, a microwave, and a place to wash dishes. The rest depends on how much you want to cook.
Where everything goes in a temporary kitchen setup
Which room works best depends on your house, and some homeowners use the garage. The basics:
- Refrigerator: Move it into an adjacent room, such as a dining room or family room. It stays within reach and out of the work zone.
- Microwave: Put it in the same room. If yours is built in, a small countertop model is worth buying.
- Dishwashing: A laundry room with a sink works well.
- Cooking: Some homeowners add a camp burner that runs on small fuel cans. Check the manufacturer’s instructions for indoor use first.
What mealtimes look like
Most clients underestimate how often they’ll eat out or bring in prepared meals. Losing the oven is the hardest part for many people. A toaster oven can fill part of that gap. Plug it into a different circuit than the microwave, since running both on one circuit can trip the breaker. If you own a grill, it can cook some dinners too.
When Laura Duddy, Hantel’s designer, renovated her own home, her household ate a lot of salads, used paper plates, and washed up in a bathroom sink. Simple worked.
Curious how your own floor plan would work as a temporary kitchen? Talk it through with Hantel’s design team before your project starts.
What demo day sounds like
Demolition is the loudest part of the project. It can take a day or stretch to a week. Not every day is that noisy, so plan around the loudest days.
- Working from home: A coffee shop is a good backup on demo days.
- Kids: They change how disruptive the project feels. Line up activities away from the house if you can.
- Pets: Hantel’s team has pets of their own and is glad to have them around, but demo days are the exception because of the noise. The best option is to have pets out of the house. Otherwise, confine them to one area, such as a basement.
Some homeowners leave for the duration
Many homeowners skip the disruption altogether. One couple left the day work started and went to a second home out of state. They returned a week after the project finished. Hantel sent photos at the end of each week so they could follow the progress.
Staying home works too, with a clear communication routine. Hantel’s check-ins depend on where you are:
- You’re home: The crew checks in daily and talks with you as the work goes.
- You’re out of town: Hantel checks in weekly with photos and phone calls, and more often if questions come up.
Ask any contractor about this before you sign. The guide on how to hire the right remodeling contractor in Nashville lists the questions worth asking.
How to survive a kitchen remodel: plan before day one
If you’re still deciding how far to go, the guide to signs your Nashville kitchen needs more than simple updates is a good starting point. When you’re ready, schedule a consultation with Hantel Kitchens & Baths to talk through your layout and timeline, plus how your household will live during construction.