The Secret of a Successful Kitchen or Bath Remodel – Part 2

You finally trudged through the weeds and its time to get started.  If not, you don’t want to miss our first post in this series on the kitchen or bath remodel process.

What’s next?  The first stage in the process was probably familiar and predictable.  The next stage can be very grey to someone on the outside.  With your savings and dreams on the line, being on the outside can be unsettling and stressful.  That is the last thing we want.  A quality kitchen and bathroom dealer should walk with their clients from start to finish because we believe that any renovation or remodel should be exciting and fun.

Acquiring the materials

After you order your materials it can take 4-6 weeks or longer for delivery.

Once you hire a firm or designer the next step is to sign the required documents and in most cases you will pay at least a portion of the estimate.  Once that is done things move rather slowly.  The order will be placed for your cabinetry and your hardware.  Once this order goes through it will take anywhere from 4-6 weeks for those materials to arrive.  During busy times of the year this timeline could be extended further.

Demolition

You can contract out your demolition or do it yourself to save a little money on your renovation project

You may have chosen to take on the dirty work of demolition, or you might have decided to pay your contractor or installation team to take on the project.  In either case, you will still need to prep for this step.  Ask your designer or contractor if you will need to move the appliances out of the kitchen.  You will need to make sure that you empty all of your belongings out of the space to make way for the existing items to come out.  Make sure that you place items you will still need in a place that is easy to access because once the show starts it might be hard to have to dig through everything looking for what you need.

Before demolition starts you will need to consider what to do with your existing cabinets.  You may want to check out our blog post about reusing your old cabinets and fixtures here.  If you are not going to be giving your items a new life then you may need to decide if you will need to get a roll off dumpster while you undergo this process.  The contractor or designer should be able to let you know what they would recommend doing.  You might also check with your trash company to see if they have an upcoming big trash day or if you can pay a little extra to have them haul it for you.  There are also dumpster bag options available but first make sure you will be able to meet the weight and size restrictions.

Be Prepared

With so many moving parts there are likely to be a least a few hiccups.

It’s the old boy scout rule to always be prepared.  Like most anything else, that motto will serve you well.  Remodeling is a very exciting time and it is amazing to watch as a dream goes from your mind’s eye, to paper, to actual tangible results.  Try and manage your expectations.  Like so many other things in life this process takes time.  It also requires that you make a mess before you see the fulfillment of your design.  Having flexibility throughout this process is going to help you better enjoy the crazy adventure.

When you take on even a “simple” remodel you are going down a path that consists of several moving parts.  In many cases these parts will move smoothly and work together as planned.  However, that is not always the case.  There will likely be some form of hiccup at some or maybe even all stages of this process.  Most trades that are involved in your project will do whatever they can to minimize delays and inconvenience when it is possible.  What is important here is to remember that this is a messy process and focus on the end result.  Everyone working on the project has the same end in their mind.  We all want to see the reality of your vision.

• Order your supplies and materials

• Begin or prepare for the demolition

• Have a realistic expectation of progress and delays

Related Posts

The Secret of a Successful Kitchen or Bath Remodel Part One – Getting started

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