Here is a new blog post from a guest author contributing to Lang’s Home Remodeling’s website. All views expressed are those of the author.
The kitchen is the heart of any home, so it only makes sense to keep it in good condition.
Alongside practical and aesthetic benefits, kitchen renovations can be an investment in your future, with experts suggesting even minor remodels can produce an ROI of over 70%.
Whether you’re looking to freshen up your kitchen for your family or preparing your home for a potential future sale, the reality of a renovation can sometimes be a little complicated. How long will it take? What do you need to do to prepare? And, our primary focus for today is what you will do with all of your day-to-day kitchen belongings while the work is being carried out.
Thankfully, there are plenty of options to consider, some more obvious than others. Read on for top tips on preparing your home and safely storing belongings during kitchen renovations.
How to Prepare for a Kitchen Renovation
Before we suggest any top storage tips, we should focus on preparing your kitchen for the work to be done. Not only can this help to speed things along, but it also provides an opportunity to take inventory of your belongings and ensure everything is properly prepared for storage.
Below is a quick step-by-step guide to preparing your space for a typical kitchen renovation:
- Start with Surfaces: Clear all floors, countertops, open shelves, and walls of items that can be removed, such as cooking utensils, small appliances, art, and houseplants.
- Pack Up Utensils: Empty drawers and wrap smaller items, such as cutlery, in plastic wrap to both protect them from damage and keep them organized as they’re being moved.
- Empty Cupboards: Check cupboards and pantries for canned goods and foods with long shelf lives; you might store these items, use them, or donate them to save space.
- Gather Containers: Gather cardboard boxes, plastic tubs, or any suitable containers you have to hand and some cushioning material like bubble wrap or packing peanuts.
- Organize Belongings: Pack items you want to use during the renovation separately from those you don’t and label every container clearly to help avoid confusion later on.
This basic process can be adjusted depending on your plans. For instance, if you’re planning to keep using your kitchen during renovations, you’ll want to keep some crockery and cutlery to hand. Once you’ve packed up everything you intend to store, you can begin sizing up your containers to see how much space you’ll need and which storage options seem appropriate.
5 Storage Options During Kitchen Renovations
When choosing a place to store your belongings during kitchen renovations, it’s important to pick a space that’s secure, easy to check in on, and, of course, suited to your specific budget.
Whether you’re looking to store a large amount of items, split items across multiple spaces, or find an inexpensive option, one or more of the below storage ideas should be a perfect fit.
1. In-Home Storage
The easiest and most cost-effective storage option is simply to move your packed items into another room in your home. You could use a spare bedroom, a rarely-used garage, a family room, or even an outdoor shed, provided it’s well-protected against the weather and intruders.
In-home storage can be a good choice if you have space to spare, but manoeuvring around boxes in a smaller home can quickly become irritating. That said, you could use this issue to sell the idea of a clear-out to the rest of your family, helping you declutter during renovations.
2. Storage Units
For homeowners with limited free space, the next best option is to rent a storage unit. Most modern facilities are climate-controlled, highly secure, and overseen by attentive staff 24/7, giving you peace of mind that your items will be safe and in great condition on their return.
Some storage facilities will also offer discounts for advanced bookings or upfront payments, helping you save some money if you’re well-organized. When weighing up options, choose a facility that runs flexible bookings to give you some cover if work takes longer than expected.
3. Rental Vans
If you’re struggling to find appropriate or available storage facilities in your area, another idea is to hire a rental van. Moving vans can be easier to find, especially at short notice, and offer similar benefits to storage units, at least in terms of flexibility and saving space in your home.
Provided you’ve got room on your drive, this option also ensures you’ll have access to items during renovations. The downside, however, is that the cost of renting a van will usually be much greater than a storage unit over time, likely causing issues during longer renovations.
4. Short-Term Rental
If your kitchen renovation is expected to take a couple of months to complete, you might not intend to continue living in your home while work is being carried out. In this case, it could be wise to move your kitchen items with you into a short-term rental property during this period.
Larger items like appliances can be moved into other areas of your home while you’re away, while smaller things you use regularly can be stored in your rental with you. If you can spare the expense, this can be a great way to avoid a lot of the hassle associated with renovations.
5. Friends and Family
Another option you can try is asking friends and family if they’re willing to help, but this path can introduce some complications. Primarily, you might feel it’s a little imposing to ask other people to give up their space to save you money, but this depends on your unique situation.
If you’re particularly close to your family, your friends have plenty of free space, or someone owes you a favor, asking for a little help storing items during a renovation might not be such a big deal. In most cases, it won’t hurt to ask, and might even help you save a little on costs.
Final Thoughts
Investing in a kitchen renovation can be a smart move for many reasons, from modernizing your space for your own benefit to raising your home’s value for a future sale. However, the work it takes to get there can be sizable, introducing a lot of hassle into your day-to-day life.
As with any home improvement, preparation and organization make things a lot easier, so it’s wise to make plans far in advance of any work being done. When it comes to storing all your items, consider the options discussed above to help lighten your renovation workload.