Staying Home While Your Kitchen Gets Remodeled
Yes, most families can stay home during a kitchen remodel. You just need a plan for cooking, dust, and noise. Many families stay in their homes the whole time. The key is to set things up before demolition starts. Here is how it works for a kitchen remodeling project in Philadelphia, and how to know when moving out is the smarter choice.
How Do You Live at Home Without a Kitchen?
You set up a small temporary kitchen in another room before the crew starts. A dining room, basement, or spare room works well. Pick a spot near a water source if you can.
Plan on a few basics. A microwave, a toaster oven, an electric kettle, a slow cooker, and a mini fridge cover most meals. Add paper plates, plastic utensils, and a plastic tub for washing dishes in a bathroom sink.
Cook and freeze meals first
Spend the weekend before demolition cooking. Soups, casseroles, and breakfast burritos freeze well and reheat fast. This one step cuts your takeout bill and your stress.
Pack the kitchen the right way
Box up dishes, pots, and small appliances you will not use. Label every box by cabinet. Keep a short list of daily items, like coffee mugs and a few pans, within easy reach.
Ask your contractor to tell you the day your sink, stove, and fridge will be unplugged. Know that date and you can plan every meal around it.
Plan your dishes and trash
Washing dishes is the hardest part for most families. A plastic tub in a bathroom sink works for light use. Paper plates and compostable cups cut the load. Keep a covered trash can in your temporary kitchen so food waste does not pile up.
Set a clear path from the front door to the rooms you use. Crews carry cabinets, appliances, and debris through the house. A short, clear path protects your floors and keeps kids out of the way.
How Long Will You Be Without a Working Kitchen?
Plan on about 4 to 12 weeks for most kitchen projects. A simple update can finish in 1 to 2 weeks. A full gut with layout changes can run up to 16 weeks.
Houzz reports that kitchen remodels take longer than any other room. In its 2020 U.S. Houzz & Home study, homeowners spent about 4.5 months on construction for 2019 projects. That figure covers every kind of kitchen, including very large jobs.
The good news is that you do not lose the kitchen for the whole job. The weeks before demolition are normal life. Permits and cabinet ordering also happen while your kitchen still works.
The chart below shows what each phase feels like at home. Our full kitchen remodel timeline for Philadelphia breaks down every step.
Demolition is the loudest, dustiest stretch. It usually lasts 3 to 5 days. The countertop wait is the longest stretch without a sink. It runs 10 to 21 days because the stone has to be made after the cabinets are set.
What Staying Home Looks Like in Philadelphia
Philadelphia homes bring their own challenges. Many are rowhomes with one floor of living space and a kitchen at the back. Walls are close, so dust and noise travel fast.
We remodeled the kitchen and first floor for Maria and her family in Somerton. They have three small children, including a newborn at the time. The family stayed in the home while we removed load-bearing walls, rerouted HVAC vents and plumbing, and set a new beam.
Maria wrote in her Google review: "Living through construction could have been extremely stressful, but Showcase made it as easy as possible." She also said the crew kept the space clean, organized, and respectful of her home. Our project manager, Santo, kept the schedule tight so the crew was in and out efficiently.
Older homes need one more check. The EPA says about three-quarters of U.S. homes built before 1978 still contain some lead-based paint. Renovation in those homes can create dangerous lead dust. Many Philadelphia homes are that old.
Ask any contractor if they follow lead-safe work practices. Ask how they seal the work area. Plastic walls, covered vents, and a HEPA vacuum at the end of each day all keep dust out of your living space. Keep young children and pregnant family members away from the work zone.
When Should You Move Out Instead?
Stay home if the project is a kitchen update with the same layout. Staying also works when you have another bathroom, a place to wash dishes, and a spare room for a temporary kitchen.
Think hard about leaving if walls are coming down. Moving plumbing, gas, and electrical adds weeks of noise and shutoffs. The same goes for a home with a newborn, a family member with asthma, or a pre-1978 home with paint to be disturbed. Even a short stay with family during demolition can help.
Whatever you choose, talk it through at the start. The most common regrets we hear come from skipped planning. Read our list of the mistakes that cost the most before you sign. Know your budget too. Our guide to what a kitchen remodel costs in Philadelphia helps you set one.
Think about your family too. Kids and pets need a safe space away from tools and open walls. Remote workers need a quiet room, since saws and nail guns are loud. A quick chat with your crew about daily work hours can protect your workday and nap times.
Ask your contractor for a written plan. It should list shutoff dates, dust barriers, daily work hours, and who to call with problems. A clear plan keeps your home livable.
Floors are the messiest week of it. Our guide to which kitchen floors hold up covers what goes down and how long it takes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, with a temporary setup. A microwave, slow cooker, and toaster oven cover most meals. Freeze meals ahead of time. Many Philadelphia families also use a dining room or basement as a temporary kitchen.
For most homes, yes. Dust barriers, covered vents, and daily cleanup keep the living space safe. Pre-1978 homes may have lead paint, so ask for lead-safe work practices. Ask your contractor for the dust plan in writing before demolition.
The crew hangs plastic walls, seals doors and vents, and runs a HEPA vacuum at the end of each day. Close doors in rooms you use. Ask your contractor how they contain dust before the job starts.
Plan a Livable Kitchen Remodel in Philadelphia
Showcase Remodels plans every Philadelphia kitchen remodel around the way your family lives. Call us or book a free design consultation, and we will build a plan for your home.
