How Long did your kitchen remodel take?
sabjimata
12 years ago
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karin_2015
12 years agoRelated Discussions
How long does it take to adjust to a new home?
Comments (104)Kathleen, it took me moving here to realize what "home" is. Different things to different people. Also, for some, home is a place to hang their hat while they're off doing things elsewhere. For others, it's their sanctuary and they fix it up to suit their wants and needs. I never realized how much "familiarity" meant to me. I have no close friends in my previous city, but everything I did and was since at 14 is there and I feel I belong there. Others do not share this perspective on life. Had I realized how lonely, miserable and anxious I was going to be here, I would NEVER HAVE left, even if it meant a studio apartment and a broken marriage....See MorePOLL: How long does it take to choose a paint color?
Comments (71)When we built our current home three hours away I had so many samples that I say I could've painted the interior just with the samples☺️. I tried them out on different walls in each room, to understand the light, and at different times of the day. Getting the whole house "right" was a chore I do not wish to repeat. Only one room today that I would like to change, tho. Oh, and one I had the painter change as soon as I saw it in the room, and another I made him change because he used a BenMoore "match" to SW paint I spec'd. We knew right away it was wrong, and figured out what he did. I knew my husband would not be up for repainting☺️...See MoreHow to remodel your kitchen
Comments (0)You've decided to remodel your kitchen. Now what? Not knowing where to start, many homeowners fall into two camps. Some start by looking at appliances. Others start by collecting inspiring kitchen photos. Some decide they need more room. Others simply want to upgrade their current kitchen. Homeowners may find themselves in this exploration stage for a year or longer before they start interviewing kitchen designers or general contractors. Once you've pondered long enough and you're ready to green-light a kitchen remodeling project, then what? We'll start with the first 9 steps and we'll get into the nitty-gritty details under specific steps as we move through the complete workbook. Mary Evelyn Interiors SaveEmail Step 1: Think about what you need Think about your priorities: how many people will be cooking and gathering here, and how they’ll need to move around in it. Do you need an addition? Or can you work with your existing kitchen footprint? If you haven’t already, start saving photos of kitchens with features that suit your style. Your collection can be organized and beautiful like a scrapbook or it can be filled with random, unorganized images. How to Organize Your Ideas Dijeau Poage Construction SaveEmail Step 2: Research and plan Ready to green-light that project and take the plunge? The best place to start is by formulating what's commonly referred to as a scope of work and figuring out your preliminary budget. Both of these may be subject to change, so don't feel like you have only once chance at this. Budget and scope are intertwined and often change many times during the design process as you become more educated and able to reconcile what you want and what you can afford. As a homeowner, you're not expected to walk into this knowing what everything should cost. Remember, this is an educational process. Step 3: Find the professionals you will need Even if you're going the DIY route, unless you're building your own kitchen cabinets and doing your own electrical and plumbing, you're going to have to work with a professional at some point. It may be as brief as leaning on your salesperson to help you in selecting and ordering your appliances or cabinets, but it's something to plan on either way. Some people start by visiting big-box stores or cabinet showrooms where they can see everything. Many homeowners get referrals from friends or colleagues and start by hiring an architect or designer. Still others might work on their own with a builder or contractor. Pros are available to help you with everything from contracts and permits to space planning, budgets, choosing finishes and fixtures, shopping, ordering products, helping you set up a temporary kitchen, and managing your project from start to finish. Urban Homes - Innovative Design for Kitchen & Bath SaveEmail Step 4: Schematic design This phase includes sketches, space planning, preliminary floor plans and elevations showing the layout and cabinet sizes. I try to keep my clients focused more on layout and space planning, even though the temptation is to talk about what the kitchen will look like. But I find that getting caught up in the look too early can distract from the space planning phase. Plus, you need a plan in order to figure out what materials will go where, and how many square feet you will need, and ultimately how much this will cost. I like to begin the contractor interview process early and give them a preliminary drawing packet and scope of work so we can get some ballpark construction numbers. At the same time you can be sending out drawings for estimates on some top choices of finishes and fixtures. Step 5: Fixture and finish specification Throughout this process, and probably long before, you have been saving photos of kitchens you love into your ideabooks and folders. You've found your style, whether it's modern, classic, traditional, cottage or a personal style in between. You probably know if you want a white kitchen, a natural wood kitchen, or some color. Now you need to make your final selection of finishes and fixtures. This usually includes: Cabinetry construction type, doorstyle, finish and color Countertop material Refrigerators and other appliances Kitchen sink and faucet Light fixtures Flooring Backsplash Decorative hardware Buckminster Green LLC SaveEmail Step 6: Work on design development and construction documents This is the stage when you finalize the design and prepare final floor plans, elevations, details and, if applicable, mechanical and electrical drawings, lighting switch plans, and exterior elevations. This is where your final permit set or Construction Drawings (CDs) come into play. It's important to have finishes and fixtures selected at this time, since this is what will be considered in the final pricing from the contractor. You'll submit drawings for permits. These have a lead time, so check the timing with your local village. You'll need an architect, designer or licensed contractor signed up to finalize the paperwork and pick up your permits, so get ready to hire someone in the next step. I often find that we're submitting for permits around the same time or a little bit after we've placed the cabinet order, due to similar lead times. Step 7: Get contractor estimates If you don't already have a licensed contractor on your project, your next step is to find one to carry the project through. I always recommend to my clients to get at least 3 different contractor estimates. I like to do preliminary walk-throughs with the contractors once the schematic designs are done so we can get some ballpark estimates and find out if we're on the right track or need to pull back some to fit the budget. Step 8: Get ready for demo The big day is upon us, most likely something like 4-8 weeks from when you submitted for permits. Time to get that schedule firmed up and plan on cleaning out the cabinets, putting what you don't need in storage and — if you're living in the house during construction — setting up a temporary kitchen so you don't lose your mind! You may be moving out of your house temporarily, but most homeowners white-knuckle it and try to live in the house through construction. Preparation and organization can save your sanity. Discuss the logistics ahead of time with your contractor. Will you meet once a week for updates? Will you have to be out of the house for certain tasks like demo or flooring? What about debris removal and dust? Are there any family allergy issues? What is a typical work day for the crew? Getting all this on the table beforehand can set expectations and make for a smoother ride. Step 9: Surviving the dreaded punch list Once construction is over, well ... almost over ... there's always this annoying little list of items that are missing, wrong, or simply forgotten about. A missing light switch plate, a caulk line that shrank and pulled away from the wall, paint touch ups — small things like this, and sometimes bigger things like the hood doesn't work, or there's a big scratch in the newly refinished floor. Sometimes the homeowner does the punch list. It can be as informal as an emailed list of items that need to be fixed or finished. I like to use a little form I put together that identifies the item to be fixed or finished, the responsible party and the date of completion. I send it to the client for review, changes and additions, and then off to the contractor. It's inevitable that the contractor may have to make multiple visits back to the house to finish these items; prepare yourself for more than one visit and you'll be fine.The best way to approach this is with a Zen attitude. Things happen, little things get missed. It's sort of like making a list for the grocery store and still forgetting some key ingredient. We all do it....See MoreHow long do you wait before taking over a kid's bedroom?
Comments (113)Well, every time our kids move out and in the remaining kids play fruit basket turnover with the bedrooms. Once a child (child 1) laid claim to her bedroom for a year before we let someone else move in and take over. That was a couple years ago and now that child (child 2) that moved into child 1's room has moved out and we have been moving stuff we have found belonging to child 1 to child 1's house. We didn't wait a few weeks after child 2 moved out to start moving my grandchild in. We boxed up child 2's stuff as soon as child 2 moved into an apartment and child 2's stuff is in a closet. Come get it whenever... I was going to claim child 2's room as my new craft room but alas a grandchild beat me to it. If the grandchild goes back home to her mom..... It will immediately become my new craft room or my new office...unless...I decide I like the craft room I am setting myself up now which is the room the grandchild just moved out of. I have six kids and I think each of them has lived in each bedroom we have at one point in time or the other but I couldn't swear to it!! Usually once you move out you loose it and the lay claim to it right then so its not long! We had a vacancy for a few years as one son joined the air force but he came home but child 1 had moved out by then and he got child 2s room and then child2 moved into child1s room. Child 1 was distraught that we moved her shrine but she had moved even if she wasn't ready to acknowledge that she had moved!!! Of course grandpa is living with us and he's on hospice now so who knows what the future holds!! Son 1 who didn't join the airforce said he's done and he's not moving and noone will ever get his room again as he waited to long for that room! Son 2 doesn't want child2's room as he has painted his room and fixed it up really nice so no problem there. Child 2's room is the second best kid bedroom in the house which is why the furor over who gets it happens so quickly. Of course there has been talk about my now craft room becoming a grand baby nursery so....... we will see!!! The grandchild's room is lovingly called the aquarium because of the fabulous paintings done on the walls....See Morelive_wire_oak
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