After you have stuffed yourself with turkey and all the fixings on Thanksgiving, you can turn around and start preparing for Christmas or Chanukkah. It is a little over three weeks away (almost four weeks), and there is a lot to do. However, after sitting the family down at Thanksgiving, you may have realized that your kitchen could do with an expansion. If you have the money and you are able to secure a contractor on short notice, you could buy yourself an early present of kitchen remodeling. Here is how to prepare.

Hire a Licensed Remodeling Contractor

To get this project rolling, you will need to line up appointments in the next few days with at least six licensed contractors to get estimates on the work you want to be completed. Then pick one of those six and hire him/her. Check for licensing, insurance, and bonding so that you know with absolute certainty that your new kitchen will be ready for Christmas/Chanukkah.

Move All Furniture and Cabinet Contents out of the Kitchen in Advance

You are probably not going to have more than two or three days to do this, so try to work it out over a weekend such that you have the free time to move all of the kitchen furniture out. Then remove everything from the kitchen cabinets and place the cabinets' contents in the same room with your kitchen furniture. Empty all of the drawers, too, seeing as a lot of your cabinetry and drawers are going to be pulled out and tossed. When your kitchen is completely empty, your contractor can come in with a small crew and start removing everything, from cabinets and drawers to walls, without worrying about everything else getting in the way or slowing up the project. 

Choose a Wall to Knock Down

If you are going to extend the kitchen outward, choose a wall for the contractor to knock down. As long as it is not a load-bearing wall, the expansion of your kitchen can be completed as planned. If you have any furniture or wall decorations on the other side of the wall you want to knock down, make sure those items are removed and placed far out of the way before the contractor and his/her crew arrives. Expect to be without a kitchen until the project is complete. You may need to microwave a lot of food or eat out from now until the next holiday, but your kitchen will look amazing for the next family party. 

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