Prepping for a Move: Create a Kitchen Map

This is the fourth post in our prepping for a move series. Last week I taught you all about move maps, but today we are talking specifically about the kitchen move map. I feel this map is one of the most important because this is the first room most people organize post-move. It is also the area people tend to try to help you setup. The purpose of the kitchen map is to plan out and clearly identify what should go in each space. It helps you think about your layout and where you want everything to go.

Now as you know, during our last move process I was "REALLY" pregnant and I didn't expect to be around during the moving process, so I was really working to get everything planned out and identified for all the people who were going to be helping on move day. Needless to say it was a roller-coaster ride, but we made it through. Now, lets get started with your kitchen move map!

Get Photos of Your Future Kitchen

The first step is to try and get photo(s) of your future kitchen.  I'm a big proponent of taking photos during your home hunt because it helps you remember the homes you really like when you are comparing them. However, if you didn't snap any, no worries, you can get them when you conduct your final walk-through.  I actually got mine from the pictures that were posted online.

You (your realtor) can also ask the seller's realtor to send them over as well.  If possible, you want to be sure to get all of the drawers and cabinets too. I just took pictures of them closed, but if there are additional shelves or unique setups in the space it's helpful to get photos of the insides too. This is especially true if the new space has a large pantry.

Map Out The Kitchen

Use your word processing tools to layer numbers or letters on top of the photos.  I used PowerPoint to create mine since it was made to do this.  I used the notes section of the slide to create the map key, which specified what was in each drawer/cabinet.  As you pack your kitchen for the move you could go one step further and label the box with the location number/letter of where it should go.

Don't Jump To The Wrong Stage

I commonly see new homeowners immediately running out and purchasing all these new things for their home.  I know you're excited and want to get things setup, but you need to first ensure you have developed the system that will truly work for your new space.  On average, I recommend you setup temporary systems for two weeks to ensure you like the way everything is working.

By doing this, it gives you breathing room and lets you change your mind if a system doesn't quite work.  In our kitchen, we have changed a number of systems and then there are some that have been setup since we moved in 9 years ago.  Remember the five stages of organizing. It will really help you during this process.

My Move Experience

Unfortunately (or fortunately) I wasn't able to use our kitchen map because we ended up not getting the house we originally had a contract on [remember a disappointment oftentimes is a blessing in disguise].  I ran out of time with our current home since I had a baby and found a new home all in a week's time. SMH, yes...life is crazy...but all the prep work we had done made it a lot smoother than it would have been.

The kitchen move map was still extremely helpful because I had already thought about how I wanted to set our kitchen up.  I just had to tweak the plan a little for the new space and wala!  I also was blessed enough to have my parents there to help get everything set up the way I wanted.

I encourage you to create your kitchen map and let me know how it helps your move process. I'd love to see photos of your map too. Check out how Amy of RoRo's Baking company did her map.