The kitchen is the both the heart and stomach of your home.  Frederick the Great said, “An army marches on its stomach,” talking about the importance of food in an army’s effectiveness.  East Bay Home Improvements’ team keeps the importance of your home’s center in mind throughout our work.

While we’re working, you’re still going to need to feed your family, whether they’re demanding like an army or just eating like one.  Here are some things to think about before we get started:

Backup Kitchen

While your usual go-to pantry, prep space and cooking area is being rehabbed and overhauled,  you’re going to need another place to make breakfast, sandwiches and midnight snacks.  Find a couple hot plates, a small table and put down a drop cloth to protect the floors in your pop-in kitchen.  Keep the pet food and water dishes in there, too, while you’re at it.

A mini fridge would be a good idea, too, to minimize the amount of time you need to spend getting perishables from the room that’s in disarray.  Make a bunch of big meals ahead of time, and freeze them for during the renovation. Your family will thank you.  Take a lot of before pictures.

Waste makes haste

Stock up on microwave dinners and paper plates. Disposable cups, utensils and napkins are also going to come in handy.

No one has time to wash dishes, and your sink is probably going to be out of reach for long periods of time.  Don’t rely on being able to use it often or at on a whim.  Pizza and take-out will probably be your constant companions. Add a notch to your belt while you’re at it.

Hit the road

You’ve got a little time before the work begins, so now’s the time to plan ahead with a short trip to give yourself a break from a temporarily upended life.  Wait till the project’s nearly done and just come back once everything’s finished.  Invite friends over a few times to create some good will you can lean on when you need a break from the construction.