Kitchen Renovation. 5 Survival Saves.

This is not our first rodeo when it comes to a kitchen renovation.  It is, however, the most extensive renovation.  When the electrician showed up yesterday and said “this is not bad”– I let out a deep sigh of relief.  I thought those of you considering a renovation, particularly a kitchen reno, would appreciate knowing  someone else’s  survival saves during the process. I’ve been reading other kitchen renovation blogs and found it helpful on many levels from making do without a kitchen to design ideas, and decorating.

Here are 5 Survival Saves we are thankful for:

1.  Keurig Coffee Maker– I was hesitant to welcome this big coffee appliance into my life, but it does make for less steps and no waste when it comes to making coffee or hot tea. Robert said he got a deal on this at Costco.

2.  Screened Porch–Our screened porch is about 400 square feet in size. It was the deal maker when we bought this house.There is plenty of room for kitchen necessities such as the refrigerator, a shelf for basic pantry items, electric skillet,toaster oven and such. The bonuses of an outdoor grill just outside the porch and listening to the birds at 6am, make this a step up from survival! I will take pictures of the temporary kitchen as soon as I straighten up.

 

3.   Flowers— You knew that had to be tossed in somewhere, right?  Several studies show that having live plant material on your kitchen table or in a room where you spend the most time, increase feelings of happiness and decrease anxiety.  That is a no brainer right there.  Someone in the family started getting wiggie even before the tear out of the existing kitchen, so I was on the flower save right away!

4.   Electric griddle– Once we moved the refrigerator out to the porch, set up the pantry, and figured out the outlet situation, I headed to Target for this Oster non-stick electric griddle. I use the heck out of this thing! Right now I am without a microwave so I heat up leftovers such as meat and rice, cook pancakes and eggs, and bacon all on the griddle. I know the neighbors are drooling over the smell of bacon wafting from the porch.

 

5.   ARHITECT-  The details involved in this renovation are similar to planning a wedding! This is a kitchen renovation “save” that we appreciate so much! Ellen Pruitt, our design architect, has covered all bases when she drew out several versions of plans for my dream kitchen. The last step of drawings were the construction drawings— all complete with every detail and tons of notes for each sub-contractor to follow.