When preparing for a construction project, it is helpful to remember that there are two key actions: avoid denial and prepare. Everything you need to do falls under one of these two categories. Below are the basic steps to take in getting ready for the first day of construction.
1. Before construction begins, make a list of items you need to have onsite.
To make your life easier during the build process, make a list of items you need to have onsite when construction begins. This way, you won’t have to worry about ordering your sink and tap or scheduling appliance deliveries during a period of time that will be very hectic anyway.
Communicate with all parties involved to ensure that all deadlines & requirements are set out prior to any work commencing. This will prevent any ‘on-the-job’ last minute changes, hiccups or purchases. The last thing you want is for your fridge to be positioned 3 metres away from your water outlet, all because of crossed wires and poor communication.
2. Be ruthless
There comes a point where you have to start deciding what will transferred to your new kitchen, and what will get thrown out. Being ruthless from the get-go saves time making 4 or even 5 passes to slowly eliminate what won’t fit later on down the line. From our experience, only your edible items are worth transferring over, oh and that George Forman grill you use 3 times a year!
All your old appliances will likely be integrated into your lavish new modern kitchen layout. This makes your old ones unneeded and right in the way. Dealing with these as early as possible (we understand… you still need to live) makes life so much easier when your kitchen arrives.
If you’re extending your property as well as overhauling your kitchen set, this is even more important. You don’t want to cluttering up your fresh new living space with old, tatty and probably dusty belongings. It’s just not the vibe you want, trust us.
3. Do a tip run… or 5!
Now popping out to the top isn’t necessarily on the forefront of everyone’s mind, but by getting just 1 tip run out of the way, you’ll quickly realise what a powerful little life-hack this is.
Allowing you to freely fill & stack countless bags of junk and general rubbish without worrying where it has to go, or whether you’ve got enough space in your bin to be chucking out all this old tinned food. General waste, old appliances, old decorations and even furniture – the tip will take it all!
Now you’re free to start your new kitchen makeover fresh & decluttered.
4. Create a temporary kitchen/food preparation space.
Ideally, your new kitchen will be finished in just a flash – the reality is, it usually takes at least a couple of days to physically remove your old kitchen, with a similar time taken to install your new one. You’re looking at a minimum of 3 days disruption to your usual cooking routine at best. Preparing a second kitchen space can help alleviate how many takeaways your buying & how much junk is consumed!
We find that batch cooking before removal can also help if you’re limited with what appliances you can place elsewhere in the house. A simple microwave with pre-cooked meals can give you a quick and healthy alternative to 3 – 4 nights worth of chip-shop and curries. Likewise, a slow cooker is a great alternative to a hob or even an oven for the right meal.
5. Use trusted companies/tradesman.
This might sound obvious, but taking risks with the cheapest company to take care of building work or any additional work that you may be having completed can throw a real curve ball into the mix. The last thing you need as your kitchen arrives with your install team is to find out that your new floor still needs 48 hours to cure, or your newly built orangery roof won’t be sealed until next week…
Using trusted or recommended companies helps alleviate any chances of mishaps or overrun schedules. It also means that communication with other involved parties is much higher up on their list and they’re likely experienced with this. Communicating clear deadlines across teams & ensuring complete coherence for your project.
However, if you hire Matthew James Kitchens you can avoid all the hassle – we’ll take care of absolutely everything!
