Hahahahahahah! Heeheehee! Here, let me wipe the tears off, snicker, giggle, guffaw! I only got through the first page of the website referenced in your post, but the description of the remodelling homeowner having the same kind of control over the scheduling of the GC and the trades as s/he does over the choices of appliances and countertops was so totally foreign to my own experience that I couldn't help laughing!

Fortunately my DH and I had already expanded the master suite to include a laundryroom/closet that we were able to turn into a kitchenette for the duration, and it's all upstairs so we locked the door to the stairwell and played "one bedroom apartment" throughout the chaos downstairs. That reduced the disruption substantially. But the rest was a test of patience and endurance that is almost, but not entirely, complete after 10 months.

I don't know how things are where you live, but here in LA, there is stiff demand for remodelling contractors and if you have a GC who does decent work, s/he will probably be scheduling your work around other jobs that s/he is doing at the same time. Then there are the trades: plumbers and electricians are so busy that you take 'em when you can get 'em, if you can get 'em. My GC's regular hardwood floor guy didn't even return phone calls for months: he'd gotten hired at the last minute to put in 16,000 sf of hardwood into Julia Roberts' house. Plus, we had some surprises on our remodel, like finding out that the previous resident/remodeller, a judge if you please, had to have bribed the building inspector to get approval for shoddy or dangerously unacceptable work - all of which had to be improved or torn out and rebuilt, with further delays and complications to our GC's schedule. Then her husband/framer/rough carpenter had to be hospitalized for a couple of weeks due to a non-work-related injury, and her son/finish carpenter didn't show up when his band had a gig. And when our "Best of Broan" downdraft broke before it could be installed, it took 6 WEEKS for the officially sanctioned repairman to fix it, which of course held up the hvac guys. . .

So pardon me for laughing, Skip. I don't mean to insult you. I think it would be wonderful for it all to go like clockwork. It would be so different from what I went through! I'm looking forward to seeing your kitchen on the FKB.

well that guy #1 had a small remodel, and #2 had no kids living at home and #3 did a fair amount of the work himself. He really didn't offer any usable tips other than how he did it in his own kitchen. His saving grace was that he didn't have to move his sink or relocated it. I'd love to see him give some real tips if he DOES ever do a major remodel - gutting to the studs.

Hey, Skip, are you Dr. Ed Warde? I noticed that all of your posts link to Dr. Ed Warde's website. If you are, why did you say "I agree with this article", instead of just saying, "I wrote this article"?

I think it's nice that you are pleased with your handiwork, and your experience is certainly relevant for moderately-sized DIY projects, but not so much for major gut-jobs involving steps such as pouring new foundation piers, removing or fortifying walls, or significant addition to or movement of plumbing, electrical and ventilation systems.

He's posting here (and probably other places too) because when you read his article, he gets paid a little tiny bit.

So that's the game! Thanks, Kevin. I didn't want to be snobby or unkind before, but Skip's remodelled kitchen is about as attractive as his ethics.

Yes, this link has been posted on other decorating/remodeling boards under various aliases...

Excuse me for offending your collective sense of what constitutes a 'remodel' as well as your sense of ethics. I do NOT generate these posts to create income (which is so small as to be laughable) but rather to hopefully add some constructive content. Yes I have posted to other forums since I feel the content might be useful to some other folks. Apparently since someone noticed an article elsewhere they feel it's ok for themselves to take part in other forums. I do write under the pen name used in the articles and tend to refer to the articles as I did since I don't want to wave my flag by saying see this article "I wrote". I can say I have never had another complaint about my articles as being too trivial and of no substance. People locally have given me compliments on my kitchen remodel no matter how modest you feel it was. Based on my experience even this job could have turned out to be a nightmare if I approached it as many contractors would. If this forum is only for high end or contractor driven remodels I beg your pardon for wasting your time. By the way since you are concerned about writing for money remember that every written contribution any of you make to this forum also generates money through the many ads that appear on the forums. The only difference is that they generate a lot more money then any pennies I have seen plus you are doing it for someone else's benefit rather then your own.

I need to correct you skip. The money made on this forum for GW helps maintain THIS site which we chose to participate in. (And I am sure they are making a profit.) I don't think that anyone was thinking we were getting anything for free.

Believe me, I have benefited from this forum.

Doc - brace yourself, but you asked for it.

1. You've got to admit, you're spamming here. You know very well that forums are places to ask questions and give advice in response.

2. First rule of writing is know your audience; people on this forum know what a kitchen is for. (Para 2, pg 1.) The article reads like it was written just for the sake of writing, and yes, it is trivial and boring, at least for the GW kitchen forum and I suspect anyone living in the first world, equipped with running water.

3. Next time, try to actually bring something to the table; be helpful. If someone had posted, asking for suggestions on how to smooth a remodel experience, then you might have answered briefly and included a link to your article.

4. And what's with all the random hyperlinks scattered throughout the text. I doubt those are your doing so I'm just curious. I was afraid to click on one for fear of waking a malevolent virus.