How to Stay Organized and Stress-Free During a Kitchen Remodel
Home & Garden Insider
How to Stay Organized and Stress-Free During a Kitchen Remodel
Embarking on a kitchen remodel can be both exciting and overwhelming. This article offers practical strategies to maintain organization and reduce stress throughout the process. Drawing from expert insights, readers will discover essential tips for efficient planning, temporary kitchen setup, and documenting the transformation.
- Plan Your Kitchen Storage Layout Early
- Use Dual-Format Project Organization System
- Create a Functional Temporary Kitchen Zone
- Document Remodel Stages with Photos
- Build a Comprehensive Design Board
Plan Your Kitchen Storage Layout Early
I recommend creating a functional layout for the items that will be stored in your kitchen before the kitchen design is finalized. Architectural layouts typically indicate where lighting, cabinets, and large appliances will go, but not the actual items you store in your kitchen like food, small appliances, and cookware. Start by listing everything currently in your kitchen, as well as any additional items you plan to buy. Using the design blueprints, decide where you will put every single item.
Think in terms of zones. Do you need a coffee bar? A snack area? A charging station? This approach allows you to potentially alter plans before completion. For example, is there an outlet where you want to plug in your toaster? If not, you can inform the builder in advance. Consider not only what makes sense practically, such as having drink glasses in a cabinet near the fridge, but preferences as well. Do you want to reach up and get your dinner plates out of a cabinet? Or is it better for you to lift them out of a pull-out drawer? Do you have younger children? Think about putting their plates, cups, and lunchboxes in lower cabinets so they can access them independently.
If you find you have "filled" every cabinet but still have more items to store, it's better to figure it out in advance so you can address and resolve it. Once you outline where everything will be stored, it is much easier to put things away and enjoy your new space stress-free when your kitchen is completed!
Use Dual-Format Project Organization System
Blowing the Budget... Unreliable Subcontractors... Renovation Meltdowns...
Let's face it, renovating can be stressful! Like us, you've probably heard some terrible stories over the years, but your home renovation doesn't have to be a nightmare. I've been renovating homes in the greater Cleveland area for over 20 years and have completed over 2,100 projects with my experienced team. Our most helpful organizational system is a dual-format approach - providing clients with a physical project binder containing their contract, design plans, material selections, timeline calendar, and contact information, while mirroring this in a shared digital folder accessible anytime.
This ensures nothing gets lost in the construction chaos. The physical binder gives something tangible during meetings, while the digital version enables real-time updates. This level of organization allows our clients to navigate their kitchen renovations with minimal stress, even when challenges arise.
-Zakhar Keselman, CEO, Keselman Construction Group
Create a Functional Temporary Kitchen Zone
One tip for staying organized and managing stress during a kitchen remodel is to create a "temporary kitchen zone" before demolition begins. Set up a small area with essentials like a microwave, toaster oven, coffee maker, paper goods, and a few go-to pantry items. Keep it all contained in labeled bins or drawers so you're not digging through boxes every time you want a snack or cup of coffee.
As a professional organizer and productivity expert, I've found that clear plastic bins, drawer dividers, and rolling carts can be lifesavers in temporary setups. Bonus: You'll likely repurpose these organizers once your dream kitchen is complete. Staying flexible and giving everything a home—even if it's a short-term one—makes the chaos much more manageable.
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Document Remodel Stages with Photos
One of the best ways to stay organized (and sane) during a kitchen remodel is to take lots of photos and catalog them as you go.
It's easy to forget what's behind a wall or under the subfloor once it's covered up.
By photographing each stage—plumbing rough-ins, electrical layouts, cabinet deliveries—you give yourself a visual record that your brain can let go of.
You don't have to hold all the details in your head, and that alone reduces stress. When your brain knows it can refer back to a record, it naturally relaxes.
It's like giving yourself permission not to remember everything.
Build a Comprehensive Design Board
I recommend my clients build a design board that provides a comprehensive library of the styles, colors, textures, and materials that they want in the finished build. Pinterest is the most common format, but it can also just be a collection of pictures taped to a sheet of white cardboard. It's also super helpful to include physical materials like wood and tile samples that you like, so a small box as well as pictures could be helpful.
A design board gives all parties - you, the designer, the builders, suppliers, everyone - a single goal. Then, as questions arise, which they always do, you can compare them to the board and see if recommendations and alternatives match your original vision. So if the tile you want is out of stock, or the faucet you like has been discontinued, any new products can be compared to your vision for a good fit without worrying about your whole look falling apart when it's all done.
Even better, builders like me love it when the design board includes the actual products you want and where to buy them, along with links, which removes ambiguity about what's going to be installed. This also speeds up the project because the builder can easily look up installation instructions for that exact product if needed.
