How to Prepare Your Home for a Kitchen Remodel: A Homeowner’s Checklist

There are many ways to prepare to ease the process of your renovation, and they all boil down to one key concept; the setup of your temporary kitchen. Pack up all of your supplies and all of your appliances, try to prevent floor damage, and maintain the quality of the air by limiting the number of obstructions in your home. If you plan to do these things ahead of time, the first day of the remodel will be less of a hassle.

We do our best to help the homeowners of Los Angeles, the San Fernando Valley, and Tarzana the least stressed during their Kitchen remodels as the prep from our clients has helped the renovation go easier and contained the mess.

The following temporary kitchen setup will help on the first day of the cabinet removal.

KEY TAKEAWAY The goal of prep is simple; keep your daily life running as it was before and protect the rest of your home while your kitchen is out of service for a few weeks.

How Some Preparation for Your Kitchen Remodel Makes Your Life Easier

The time you spend planning ahead decreases the time you have to spend cleaning and stressing about last minute re-arranging of areas for your crew to work.

Less hassle and stress

Your rest of your home will not be under more strain during the renovation. Dust and movement will not spread past the remodeled area if you simply protect the work space and cover the other areas of your house.

Setting up a temporary kitchen

Pick a spot where there won’t be construction, like a dining room or a laundry room (or even a garage if you have the space!). You’ll be surprised at how well functional families can get by with comfort using just the essentials.

Leading up to Construction Day: The Checklist

This is what you can do to prepare in the time before your start date. These will help you be ready the day the construction crew comes.

Prep a temporary kitchen

Pick a space that will not be a construction zone. Laundry rooms and dining rooms work great! Using some of the space there to set up a small, functional kitchen is better than nothing. You’ll be surprised at how comfortable functional families can get using just the essentials.

Your must-haves list:

• Microwave.
• Toaster oven.
• Coffee maker or electric kettle.
• Refrigerator or mini-fridge, with accessible power.
• Disposable kitchen utensils to avoid the dishes.
• A folding table and a water holding bin if the sink is out.

Set up your temporary kitchen a day or two before demolition.

Pack and relocate kitchen stuff.

Empty cabinets and drawers. Everything will need to come out eventually, so why not do it methodically and organize the unpacking?

• Pack dishes, cookware and small appliances into labeled boxes.
• Keep packed boxes, but maintain a small “daily use” box that contains what you use regularly.
• Store the boxes out of the way, either in your garage or somewhere else you won’t need to access.
• Get rid of things you haven’t touched in a year.
• The floors, furniture and overall air quality will appreciate this.

Talk with your contractor to see how they will address the situation, and handle everything on your side.

• Make an access path from the entryway to the kitchen for teams and materials.
• Remove breakables, and move other furniture to adjacent rooms.
• Ensure that the dust barriers will fully seal the kitchen from the rest of the home.
• Vacate or cover nearby vents to avoid passing dust through the HVAC.

Working Around Kids, Pets, and Other Daily Concerns

Obviously, there’s a human and pet element of your household that need a plan for the dusty, noisy period of the project.

Safe areas and access routes

Pets should be moved to a secured room away from the project area and from the open access doors. For young children, clearly define off-limits project areas.

Communicating with your crew

Prior to the beginning of work, provide the time of arrival for the crew, along with their access to parking and use of a bathroom. A brief daily, or even weekly, update call can ensure small issues don’t become project related matters.

Last Preparations a Week Before Demo

Before the scheduled start date, some last minute items allow for a smooth first day for the project crew.

1. Verify you have finalized every selection. Verify materials have been ordered or delivered.
2. Finish setting up your temporary kitchen and move out the last of the cabinets.
3. Meet your project manager for a quick walk through to review the project scope and start date.
4. Move all vehicles out of the driveway. Setting will allow delivery trucks and dumpsters to access construction sites.
5. Take pictures of the current state of the kitchen.

Once these tasks are done, you are ready. The construction crew will not have to wait on you to start work. The construction site will be messy - like it will be during a kitchen remodel - but you have a plan for how your family will function without a kitchen.

Planning a kitchen remodel in Los Angeles or the San Fernando Valley? Green Star Remodeling will provide you a checklist for preparing your home for a remodel. Sign up here for a free consultation.

Plan Your Remodel With the Right Team

Organization is important, but so is the right team. Check out how we organize our kitchen remodeling services in Los Angeles. Our full remodeling services cover multiple room remodeling, so check out our resources on how long it takes for a kitchen remodel to complete.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I set up a temporary kitchen during a remodel?

Find an empty room and set up a microwave, toaster oven, and coffee kettle or coffee maker. Keep your fridge or a mini-fridge nearby. Have some paper plates and disposable utensils so you don’t have to wash dishes without a sink. A folding table gives you a great space for prep.

How much notice should I give before a kitchen remodel starts?

Allow yourself about a week for the removal of the kitchen and the preparation of the temporary kitchen and clearance of the area. This should be done without rushing, so allow extra time to order the last items and make the necessary arrangements for pets.

How can I contain the dust during my remodel?

Draft your contractor to put up dust barriers, cover or close off nearby ventilation, and place a protective cover on the floor along the work path. Many homeowners place air purifiers in adjacent rooms, and schedule a duct cleaning after the remodel to rid the system of any dust that may have gotten into it.

Should I move out for a kitchen remodel?

To be honest, most homeowners don’t have to. With proper dust containment and a temporary kitchen, most people are able to live in the house while the remodel is ongoing.

In the end, some families decide to leave the house during the loudest phases of demolition, but that is more of a comfort thing than anything.

Where do I store my kitchen items during a remodel?

Pack everything into labeled boxes and store them out of the way, like in a garage or spare room. Keep one small box of daily essentials handy for your temporary kitchen. It is also a good moment to donate or throw out anything you no longer use.

Ready to Start Your Kitchen Remodel?

Ready to remodel without the chaos? A little prep goes a long way, but the right team makes all the difference. Green Star Remodeling has helped homeowners across Los Angeles, the San Fernando Valley, and Tarzana move through their kitchen remodels with less stress, tighter dust control, and a clear plan from demo day to final walkthrough. We’ll walk you through exactly how to prepare your home and what to expect at every phase. Schedule your free consultation today and let’s build a kitchen you’ll love, the right way, from day one.