Kitchen Remodel - pray for me!

Today is the day - they're coming to rip out my cabinets & counters. Everything is stacked everywhere (did I mention, I'm the queen of "neat"?). I should be grateful that I can have a really nice kitchen with hickory cabinets & corian countertops. The current kitchen is original & 28 years old.

It's going to be a two week job. I've had construction in my house - I hate the noise, the dust & general upheaval. My PCP suggested I take my dog & go to the mountains, letting my DH handle it. Right - if I don't mind the sink installed backwards & me washing dishes in the living room. :eek:

I'm open to any experience, strength and hope around this. Ugh...

Do a search for Tulip's kitchen remodel. The before and after pictures will give you hope! Her after is awesome.

Good luck. I don't envy you now, but in two weeks time I will!!!

We went through a kitchen re-model as we moved into our home about 4 years ago. Our cabinet maker took a 4 week "vacation" in the middle - so it took about 2 months total.

I absolutely agree with you about disliking the chaos - I'm right there with you. The 2 things that helped me the most were trying to keep an area of the house that wasn't chaos where I could stay and having planned breaks (e.g., a coffee shop break, a dinner out, etc.). I can handle things better if I know when they will end.

When I remodeled my circa 1939 kitchen 17 years ago (yikes!) they said it would take 2 weeks and it took exactly that, even with putting in a doorway and demolishing part of a wall. I just got new granite countertops, flooring, and appliances, and it looks brand new again. It will be worth it.

Two weeks? Piece of cake! Ours was a major project and took 3 miserable months. However, it was worth it and our kitchen/great room is now our favorite place in the house. Also, we very rarely eat out because (a) I love to cook; and (b) we especially love cooking in our beautiful kitchen. :)

Mine also took 2 months, vs. the 3-week estimate before we started. Cabinets were damaged in shipping, some by water in the truck and some just broken. Most of the damage was to base cabinets, so that delayed the counter top measuring. Then there was a 2-week delay between measuring for counters and installing them, and another week delay for the floor installation, because by the time all the other delays were done the floor guy had another big job he had to do first.

I still have a few boxes of kitchen stuff in my bedroom. Also one of the cabinet doors needs to be replaced, because it's damaged. I just haven't had the energy to deal with it.

But, it looks really good now.

Here's an excerpt from an article called the Ups and Downs of Remodeling. All I can say is that no truer words have ever been written about the remodeling process

Remodeling projects seem to have some common high and low points for many owners. If you are a seasoned remodeling veteran, you may already know what to expect and may not need to read this article. If you have not lived through a remodeling project before; however, you are probably approaching your project with some degree of both anxiety and excitement. The purpose of this article is not to cast a shadow of doubt on your project before it starts, but rather to simply point out some of these high and low points that naturally occur in the course of most remodeling projects. This way, you will have a realistic idea of what to expect.

Click on the link for the rest of the article:

http://atdremodel.wordpress.com/2010...of-remodeling/

If this job is just cabinets and tops, and you are not moving any plumbing or electric around, and no rotted areas are discovered when the cabinets are removed, it could be a two week job. But the nature of remodeling dictates that once you open up a wall, a cabinet, a floor, or a ceiing, you invariably find something else that needs to be addressed. The scheduled work stops while the repairs are effected and that is when the delays start and how your two week project turns into 2 months. Then once the schedule is blown the the painter/electrician/plumber/whomever has recast his schedule and can't get back to your house for xxx more days/weeks.

Best to keep a very open mind and to be flexible over the coming weeks. Focus on how nice the finished project will be, and don't even think about the grueling steps it is taking to get there.

On the other hand, this give you the opportunity to visit all those restaruants in your neighborhood that you've been wanting to try.

I was able to prepare food at home for all except the first two days. The fridge was hooked up in the next room, the stove and microwave were in place and plugged in, and I made a temporary counter area by keeping a few of the old cabinet doors and laying them on top of the new cabinets that the contractors were able to install while we waited for the damaged ones to be replaced. I put a toaster oven on one of them, and used another as a small prep area. I had to use the bathroom sink for water.

I went through lots of paper plates and paper cups. I swiped some plastic knives, forks and spoons from work because we have really sturdy ones in our kitchen here. I was even able to find 20 oz. plastic disposable bowls for cereal.

I got tired of having to move my temporary kitchen set-up into another room every morning and setting it up again every night, and I was limited to simple meals and things you could make in the microwave, but I didn't have to eat out all the time.

BTW anyone doing any kind of remodeling needs to rent Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040613/

Mine was a long job, although my house, and therefore my kitchen, is very small. There was no kitchen when I bought the house, so for two months before the work began, I was living out of a microwave and my college dorm fridge from 1985. No, it did not work very well, and yes I got sick twice because of it. Buy a new dorm fridge--don't use your old one!

I got a panini maker, a blender, and a crock pot, with which I was able to make just about everything.

The work took a long time (removing walls, etc) but the result really is wonderful and I love being in my kitchen. It's open to the rest of the house, so it's not like I'm ever stuck "in" a kitchen.

The saga is on TE somewhere; I'm sure you can find it if you really want to.

I have some black candles to light and a goat here to sacrifice on behalf of your kitchen remodel. Good luck!

Abandon all hope! Run away! Run away! We remodeled the kitchen about 15 years ago....I'm still traumatized. :D

Honestly, I wish you luck, and truly hope it is completed quickly.

I found Tulip's kitchen pictures - beautiful!!! Very warm & inviting but open & airy too. I love it!

I made the mistake of watching "Holmes on Homes" the night before they gutted my kitchen. I'm pretty sure that jinxed me... :eek:

I had to go outside and through my basement level garage so I could climb a ladder from the basement to my wall-mounted microwave on the first floor for 2 months until we finally had a floor.

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Originally Posted by FlyingScot

I had to go outside and through my basement level garage so I could climb a ladder from the basement to my wall-mounted microwave on the first floor for 2 months until we finally had a floor.

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I think you win. :D

I took a bazillion photos to show the work that was done every day. Of course I haven't uploaded them all yet. I'll try to work on that soon.

But I will say, for all the hassle, it was so worth it.

I'm buried in it now.

One tiny scratch in the surface dreck revealed a complete disaster, complete with burned and rotten flooring and mysterious/hazardous wiring. Not sure when we're going to even move in, let alone have a finished kitchen. At least we still can watch the TdF at the old place.

:)

I wonder: does remodeling have its own patron saint or do we go straight to St. Jude?

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Originally Posted by malkin

I wonder: does remodeling have its own patron saint or do we go straight to St. Jude?

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I'm thinking straight to the Virgin Mary. She's a woman - she'll understand.

Eleven cabinets, one corner turntable thingie (love it!!), a bunch of drawers, a cabinet that has sliding shelves - in 1.5 days!!! That's demo of the old stuff including countertops & installation of cabinets!! Now - where to put everything??

Waiting for final measuring of countertops so they can install corian. No water because corian will include the sink. Then installation of new stove & microwave and repair of tile. So, still doing dishes in bathroom sink & no microwave but at least the stove is hooked up & we put old shelving over the new cabinets to make a temporary counter.

I used a local company known for its upscale work. Heard too many horror stories about Home Depot, Lowe's, etc. I wanted to be able to grab the owner by the throat if necessary. These people aren't cheap and I had to wait 1 month for the cabinets to be made, but so far, so good.:D

We did a major kitchen remodel after moving into this house and it went exactly as planned. They said 6 wks. and it took 5. We set up a microwave and burner on the table (we have a separate eating area) and put the fridge in the dining room. Bought lots of paper plates and prepared foods from the grocery store. I did have to wash things in the bathtub, upstairs, but right when we got sick of it, it was over. I am a super neat freak, too, but there was not much you could do about the dust. Our family room and bedroom are on a different level, so that helped. Not all construction is a nightmare. The same people did a gut job and remodel of our master bath and there was only one glitch, not their fault when the guy who they hired to do some work on the hard wood floor didn't come when he was supposed to. However, DH was able to be at home for most of the work and he really knows about this stuff. Me, I looked at the plans and said fine to something in the bathroom, and I ended up not liking it. I don't have the patience to deal with the details or planning of this stuff. I like nice things, but I know nothing about house stuff, to the point that after 31 years, this is the first time I participated in any buying, remodeling decisions, except for furniture. I mean, i made the decision about which house to buy for all of the moves, but not the carpets, floor, window treatments, landscaping. I find this stuff to be boring; maybe I didn't get the female gene here?

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Originally Posted by Crankin

but I know nothing about house stuff, to the point that after 31 years, this is the first time I participated in any buying, remodeling decisions, except for furniture. I mean, i made the decision about which house to buy for all of the moves, but not the carpets, floor, window treatments, landscaping. I find this stuff to be boring; maybe I didn't get the female gene here?

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I'm with you here. I have zero taste. Wish I knew about colors, etc., but I just don't. DH is the decorator. He has exquisite taste. I'll think that something is really hideous, but when it's in, painted, installed, etc., it's gorgeous. For example, our tile is shades of beige and our walls are light peach. When I walked in after they painted it, I almost threw up. But after everything was moved in, it's really nice & peaceful. (A MAN picking out pale peach?)

When you live alone, you have no choice, you have to make all the decisions, do all the legwork, etc. My brother gave me a good tip about getting magazines at Home Depot that show kitchens and baths. That gave me some good ideas. Then I used google images to see more examples of rooms in the style I liked. Plus I watch lots of HGTV, particularly shows like Designed to Sell and Get it Sold that stick to low budgets and avoid designs with themes.

I had at least 3 marathon sessions at Lowe's to pick out cabinets and then look for other stuff like tile, grout, hardware, lighting. Also spent hours at a specialty lighting store, and drove all over northern Virginia looking for a cool white 3x6 tile that didn't cost 5x more than the warm white stock tiles at Home Depot and Lowes.

I had help along the way from some people who worked in the stores I went to. Most friends and family reacted to my decisions by questioning them (don't you want a different shade of blue? why don't you want tile on the floor?).

When I finally save up enought to gut the bathroom, I expect it to be much easier. Kitchens are just more complex, because of all the cabinets.