NH Kitchen and Bath LLC

Preparing for your Project

In order for you and your family to retain your sanity during the remodeling process, there is a list of things you should prepare.  It can be a dusty, messy, and downright long process to have the kitchen or bath of your dreams, but preparing for the project and having patience will pay off in the end. 

Meal Planning

Before the work even begins, make an extensive list of restaurants you enjoy going to.  If you are remodeling your kitchen, you probably won’t be able to use your stove very often, and the microwave will far outlast its welcome. 

The next thing you should do is talk to your contractor, architect, or designer and let them know where you plan on setting up a temporary kitchen. Everyone should be on the same page before the remodeling starts. 

Important things to have in your temporary kitchen: 

1. The refrigerator. 
   If you are replacing yours, buying or borrowing a small dorm refrigerator works great for storing frozen dinners or meat for the grill. (Going out to eat every day can be more expensive than your remodeling project!)
2.  Make sure you know where your water source is going to be so that you have a temporary sink.  If you’re remodeling both your kitchen and your bath at the same time, this could be a potential problem, so make sure you address this with your contractor.  And remember, the tub is a great source of water, but not exactly the best place to being doing the dishes!
3. Keep all of your trash bags, zip lock bags, dish towels, cleaning supplies, tin foil etc. located for easy reach.
4. Microwave. 
5. Coffee maker along with extra coffee and filters!  (You’re gonna need it!)
6.  Common utensils such as knives, forks, spoons, bottle and can opener, spatulas etc.
7.  A toaster or a toaster oven.
8. Keep all of your condiments handy such as spices, butter, salt and pepper etc.
9. Have a small area set up for eating and food preparation. (Try to keep this near where your temporary microwave and refrigerator have been set up.)
10. Have plenty of paper cups, plates and napkins readily available.  The fewer dishes you have to wash, the better off you’ll be!
11. If it’s a bathroom remodel, pretend you’re packing to go on a trip. Remember the hairdryer, toothpaste, razors and curling iron!

Preparing for Contractors

Arrange to have the contractor scheduled around the kitchen installation timeframe. You may have to arrange for a certified electrician or plumber to upgrade and install mechanicals such as wiring or plumbing (if you don’t have a General Contractor and are doing a simple kitchen / bath replacement.) The small details such as lighting, plumbing fixtures, paint colors and kitchen flooring selections have to be planned for far in advance so make sure you do plenty of research in these areas. 

Before the cabinets arrive, decide on a safe enclosed area for the cabinets and appliances to be delivered to.  Usually the garage is a good location, and is probably the best storage area.  The installer or contractor will most likely be using this area to work as well. Also, decide in advance where you’d like the installers to store their tools.  

 Arrange Access:

 Someone needs to be available to let the contractor into your home. Coordinate this with family members and convey all times when contractors are coming and going.  Also, if you are unavailable, have a secret place for a key so that, in your absence, the contractor may still enter your house to perform work.  Remember to give security codes to front gates, and passwords for alarm systems to people who are going to be doing work in your home in case you are unavailable.  DO NOT forget to reset the passwords and codes when all work has been completed in your home.

Demolition:  

 Make sure that you have completely emptied all your cabinets and removed all items from the countertops from the work area well before the remodel commencement date. While this is a great time to "spring clean" your shelves, don’t forget to label the storage boxes well.  This will make the unpacking process a lot easier and a lot more fun!  Items that are fragile should be marked and stored in an area away from the construction. The contractor will expect to have all furniture and items removed from the room so that he or she can maneuver without destroying valuables or injuring him/herself. 

Always remember that construction = DUST.  If the word "DUST" drives you crazy you may want to rethink your remodeling project, or, you may just want to go on that two month European vacation you keep telling everyone about.  Dust is everywhere, so to keep your peace-of-mind, let the contractor or installer do their thing, and clean AFTER they have left for the evening or when the project is complete.  To minimize some of the dust, you can use plastic sheeting and tape to seal off doorways into other rooms.  

If there is a fish tank or electrical equipment in close proximity to the work – remember to keep them well covered! 

Move all pictures, mirrors, and furniture away from the walls of adjacent rooms—vibrations from the construction could cause damage.

Plan Safely:

Don’t forget that children and pets have to be kept out of the kitchen and bath area for safety during remodeling. If there isn’t an area in your home to keep pets safely away from construction, especially during certain phases, it maybe a perfect time to treat your pet to a vacation at the kennel or a play date at a friend’s home.