When my husband and I first bought our home, we knew that at some point the kitchen was going to need a complete makeover. After a few years, with a lot of planning, saving, and dreaming, we finally made it happen.
Good-Bye to the Old Kitchen
So without a hint of regret, we said good-bye to the sad Americana-inspired vinyl flooring (eagles, flags, and anchors), dingy white laminate countertop, a copper exhaust vent that never worked, scratched-up knotty pine cabinets, and the lighting fixture that looked like a flying saucer. We were ruthless!
Of course, going through any kind of remodel looks easy. Like so many others, I fell victim to the idea that makeovers happened like on TV, and that after a week, I would have a fabulous new kitchen. Now, after having lived through a kitchen remodel, I know better. Here are my top five hard-learned lessons.
Planning a Remodel
Plan for your kitchen remodel to take X amount of time – but expect it will take 2 or even 3 times longer. From start to finish, it took over a month for our kitchen to be completed. Whatever your budget, add 10% for unexpected expenses. Create a budget for your kitchen, including your must-haves and your nice-to-haves, then prioritize your list, and decide what stays and what goes. Make room near the kitchen for storing your new appliances, flooring boxes, lighting fixtures, etc., when they’re delivered. I learned this lesson the hard way when I had to move my dining room table to create space for my new kitchen cabinets.
Create a temporary “kitchen” and stock up on frozen dinners and paper plates. During your remodel, you won’t be able to use your kitchen. No sink, no stove, no dishwasher, and no countertop. Unless you’re eating out every night, you’ll need a back-up plan for meals and clean-up. For a month, I had a microwave in my dining room, the fridge in the garage, a drying rack on my washing machine, and I cleaned dishes in a utility sink.
It’s All Worth It
Recognize that there will be bumps in the road and that your “gypsy” lifestyle is only temporary. But keep the end goal in mind. Once you’re sitting in your brand-new kitchen sipping a favorite beverage, the hassles that you had to endure will just be a distant memory.
Modesty Guarente is a member of the marketing department at Armstrong, with a focus on residential tile, particularly Alterna and Luxe Plank. A self-proclaimed home improvement junkie, she’s survived several remodeling projects (kitchen, basement, deck, etc.). She loves watching HGTV, gardening, reading, and most of all spending time with her husband, Jason and their two small children.
This entry was posted on Friday, January 18th, 2013 at 4:13 pm and is filed under Kitchen Remodeling, Luxury Vinyl. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
