What to Expect With a Whole Kitchen Remodel
Having any part of your home remodeled can be a big headache and disrupt your life considerably no matter how careful and respectful the contractors and laborers are. Having your kitchen remodeled is at the top of the list for disruption, however. After all, you will not have access to your appliances, dishes or food storage for the duration.
If you want to get through a whole kitchen remodel with your sanity intact, be prepared for these intrusions on your life:
1 – Dust, dirt and garbage. Even with the careful preparation and consideration of a professional remodeling team, there will be dust, dirt and garbage in the kitchen, speaking into other rooms of your house and in your driveway or on the street. None of this should be left around lying in unsightly fashion, but extensive remodels to require garbage skips conveniently located and things will simply look messy for a while.
2 – Constant loud noise. All sorts of electric tools such as saws and sanders will be running for many hours during the day. After all, you want your entire kitchen remodel to be done quickly, so it makes sense that the workers have to work long hours. Hand tools like hammers and even the noise of workers talking and calling to each other can become abrasive after a while.
If you cannot spend some time in a hotel room or friend’s house, invest in some comfortable earplugs or noise-canceling headphones. This can be especially helpful for any children that live in the home.
3 – Really unpleasant surprises. Most homeowners do not know the precise history of their home or what is going on inside the walls floorboards. When a whole kitchen remodel takes place, there is a high chance of finding something unpleasant and unexpected. This could be water damage or mold near pipes and plumbing, evidence of past fires that have been covered up, insects or rodent evidence or even substandard subfloors supports for cabinetry.
4 – Over budget, over deadline. Professional contractors and construction crews understand the importance of sticking to the homeowner’s budget and working as quickly and diligently as they can get the job done on time. However, a kitchen remodel requires many different things to make it complete: cabinets built and installed, plumbing upgraded, painters, stonecutters to make the countertops, glaziers for new windows and flooring experts for the tile.
All of these smaller jobs need to fit neatly together so that every team has enough time and space to work. For example, it is impossible to installing cabinets while someone is retitling the floor. If one thing goes wrong such as a breakage, a back order or even an illness, the deadline can get pushed back. If any of the unexpected surprises mentioned in #3 above occurs, the budget can be affected negatively as well.
As long as you choose the right company to handle your whole kitchen remodel and expect the unexpected during the whole process, it should go by with minimal disruption and headaches. No matter what, standing in the middle of your new kitchen when everything is done will be worth it.
