Living at home while the kitchen is rebuilt

A kitchen renovation usually takes three to five weeks. You can live through it comfortably if the house is set up for it before we arrive.

Set up a temporary kitchen

A kettle, a microwave, a toaster and a fridge are enough for most families. Put them in a room with a socket and a table, away from the dust, and keep a washing-up bowl for the bathroom sink.

• Plan simple meals for the first week, when the water may be off for a day.
• Pack the kitchen into labelled boxes, room by room, not drawer by drawer.
• Keep a list of what you will need first when the new kitchen is in.

Agree the quiet hours

We start at eight and finish at five. If someone works from home or a child naps, tell us; we can usually move the noisiest tasks around.

Dust and access

We sheet the floors, seal the doorway and take rubble out through the shortest route. Each evening the site is swept so the rest of the house stays usable.