You have your dream kitchen planned and your imagination pictures the smooth granite countertops, shining hardwood floors, and beautiful wood cabinets that will highlight the heart of your home. And yet, you hesitate on taking the first physical step because you know that the path to your new kitchen leads through the worst metaphorical woods – time with no kitchen at all.

But never fear. We have a few kitchen remodel tips that will help clear the path to your new kitchen, making it a little less bumpy and a little bit easier to clearly see your goal.

First, understand the remodeling process. Talk to your contractor about how long they foresee the kitchen renovation taking, and what the process will be. The contractor will have everything well planned out, with sub-contractors scheduled appropriately, but it is important that you are knowledgeable of each phase of the project. This will help with the next step…

Be patient. Know that your kitchen is well worth waiting for and a little bit of inconvenience won’t be the end of the world.

To deal with the inconvenience of not having a fully-functional kitchen while the renovation is underway, set up a temporary kitchen before your contractor begins the work. Find a place that ideally is close to a water source and a drain (for doing dishes). A garage, basement storage room, or a room adjoining the kitchen may work well as your temporary kitchen.

Additionally, a few small appliances will make your life easier and cooking more varied. Have a toaster, a microwave and a coffee maker on hand. If you have a grill or hot plate, more recipes will be available. Other small items that can be plugged in, such as a blender, may also be helpful. If you have the space, move your refrigerator into the room or use a small bar fridge.

Next move everything you will need out of your kitchen so you don’t have to interrupt the contractors or step through construction. Perhaps a cabinet or bookshelf could be moved near your temporary kitchen to store dishes or food items. Other types of containers could also be used to keep everything organized. Also you may want to use more paper plates and plastic cutlery than you normally would to cut down on the amount of dishes you have to wash at the bathroom sink.

Once the contractor begins work, make sure they seal off all of the openings from the kitchen to other areas of the house. The work can be dusty, but it will make your life easier to contain it all to one space.

Remember, keep your eye on the prize and using these kitchen remodel tips will help you survive your remodel with less stress.