We’re Remodeling Our Kitchen: I’m SCARED!

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We’re Remodeling Our Kitchen: I’m SCARED!

By JLP | March 15, 2007

Our house was built in the early 60s and I’m pretty sure we are using the orginal oven and cooktop (they’re that reddish-brown color). We have lived here nearly eight years but haven’t done a thing to the kitchen. Anyway, it is TIME to get this project knocked out. We put off doing anything for a long time because we weren’t sure what exactly we wanted to do.

Today we are heading over to Home Depot to see what they have to offer. I’ll keep you posted. I’ll also try to throw up some pictures of our kitchen now as well as any progress we make as the project is completed.

Stay tuned…

Topics: Budgeting |

Comments to “We’re Remodeling Our Kitchen: I’m SCARED!”

Jeremy Says:
March 15th, 2007 at 10:56 am

Good luck! We’re looking at a bit of cosmetic improvements for our kitchen and bathroom right now as well. Our house isn’t terribly old, but it was previously a vacation cottage and designed for occasional use.

So while it may look ok, it is not holding up to the everyday wear and tear. One thing that really irritates me was putting wallpaper in the bathroom! It didn’t take long for that to start peeling from the walls after 2 steamy showers every day.

Hopefully you aren’t as shocked by the price of materials and labor as I was

Miguel Says:
March 15th, 2007 at 12:30 pm

You should be afraid - very afraid. I’ve had experience with every imaginable type of renovation or home improvement (my home is over 100 yrs old) and it hardly ever comes in on-budget or on-time.

Make sure you get references from your contractor for RECENT work, then CALL those references, and then VISIT those references to inspect the work. You’d be surprised by how generous total strangers will be about inviting you over to see the work that was done on their house. And most people are pretty upfront about what they did or did not like about the contractor.

In fact, one couple we visited in the process of due diligence on our general contractor later became great friends of ours, as we helped each other thru our renovations and combined resources.

And don’t make the mistake of simply taking somebody’s word on a contractor or using somebody because they go to your church (so they must be okay). You really have to check out the past work and ask around about their operating style (do they return calls, show up on time, hold you hostage for more money, etc.). Don’t take question for granted. You’ll be married to your contractor for several months.

Good luck.

paul Says:
March 15th, 2007 at 1:21 pm

Don’t know if HD has these, but Lowes offers a project card. Get 6 months interest free for any materials or work they do for this project. I use it for houses I flip

Adam Says:
March 15th, 2007 at 3:17 pm

If you have any questions about quality or something, just drop me an email. My family owns a custom cabinet company and I’ve been around this stuff my whole life.

Jerry Says:
March 15th, 2007 at 6:14 pm

DIY? It isn’t to bad but time consuming if you opt to handle it all. I’m finishing up a bathroom I ripped down to the studs.

indio Says:
March 15th, 2007 at 6:15 pm

I bought a lot of Home Depot 10% and 20% discount coupons on ebay to pay for the renovation I did. They can be used at Expo store too.

bluntmoney Says:
March 15th, 2007 at 9:35 pm

Well, I’m excited for you, I love projects like that. Looking forward to the pictures

Roy Says:
March 16th, 2007 at 2:54 am

I’ve done my second kitchen for myself and installed cabinets for a neighbor.

Do it yourself if you can….you’ll save a ton of money on labor. Try not to move the sink, stove, and dishwasher locations, then you can leave the plumbing, 220V, and ductwork as is, unless it needs repair.

I like laminate counter tops. With vacuum formed edges, they can look nice and even the custom ordered ones are cheaper then granite or Corian.

Cabinets, if you go with stock sizes, you could get them right from the store off the shelf for a decent price. Trade off is that they will be a lower grade. Custom cabinets are nice but tend to be pricey.

My kitchen floors are sheet vinyl just because they are the greatest in spills. Also decent in price. Tile is pretty popular but if you drop a glass on em’, it’s done for. Also, if the grout isn’t sealed, it stains. Forever. Seen wood floors in kitchens, just don’t recommend it, they get water damaged after awhile.

Hope this helps.

Charles Says:
March 16th, 2007 at 8:15 am

Are there any other places to look at? IKEA is great if you have one near you. Obviously checking out every Home Improvement place is necessary, too. As far as DIY - it depends on what sort of skills you have and just what needs to be done in the kitchen. (Of course, if you have family or friends who are willing to help, that always is a plus.)

My wife and I plan to redo the kitchen as well. Most of the carpentry/installation of the cabinets, countertops, etc. we can do on our own. We’ll finally install a dishwasher! We may look into adding some circuitry and replacing a gas stove/range with an electric one. Some of that probably will require professionals. We also plan to lay the floor ourselves.

The moral of this tale (such as it is): get a detailed plan on what you want/need to do first - then plan for how it will be done.

Miguel Says:
March 16th, 2007 at 8:34 am

If you’re going to DIY, then clearly you don’t need the contractor advice I posted yesterday. I’m always impressed when people DIY, especially on projects like a bath or kitchen. But, even though I have most of the skills, I hire contractors because:

1) The fact is, no matter how skilled you are, that there is a big learning curve to any complex project (like a kitchen reno). I don’t install cabinets and counters everyday, so I would be reinventing the wheel along the way.

2) The accident risks are not worth it. If I were injured, the cost in terms of lost income potential could be huge (disability insurance would not fully replace income).

3) I don’t have the excess time or energy. My career is intensive and requires a great deal of focus. Evenings and weekends are important time for R&R and family. I find that DIY projects tend to become exhausting and drag on far longer than anticipated. Again, a big project would distract focus from from the bread-winning activities that pay the bills and put money in retirement savings.

My theory is that unless you happen to be one of those very fortunate people with lots of time on their hands, and an income that does not depend on your productivity, then its best to hire professionals for big home improvement projects and stick to doing whatever it is you do best to earn a living.

Charles Says:
March 16th, 2007 at 9:47 am

Well, part of my desire to do DIY projects such as this is my enjoyment of the process. Sure, I may get extremely frustrated at times during the project, but when I complete it, it feels really good! I also do have enough experience to be able to know when I can do something and when I have to call in a professional.

fivecentnickel.com Says:
March 18th, 2007 at 8:04 pm

Weekly Roundup - 03/16/07

Here’s a quick look at some of the articles that caught my eye over the past week…

JLP is remodeling his kitchen. See here for a followup.
Flexo got busted for driving like a maniac.
Jim has an interesting post about fixed mortgage paymen…

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We’re Remodeling Our Kitchen: I’m SCARED!