Tips For Planning a Kitchen Renovation

Several months ago (I know this post is long overdue), my husband and I decided to update our kitchen. We moved to Houston in 2014. The kitchen was an area of the house I wasn’t a huge fan of. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love the size of the space but the countertops and backsplash really annoyed me, lol. I felt like it was way too busy with the colors and patterns. Our home was built in 2013 and we are the first owners.

Please note, we are still not 100% done with our kitchen project. We are planning to paint the walls and trim and also change the lighting. We may add some wood beams as well. Still working on those details.

Tips For Planning a Kitchen Renovation

Wanted to share my tips for planning a kitchen renovation that may be helpful if you are considering renovating your kitchen or are in the beginning parts of planning. Hoping that my experience can help you in some way.

Money Talks

This is THE MOST important part of planning any home renovation. Sitting down and coming up with a budget can be difficult but making sure you stay within your financial boundaries is important. Part of that set dollar amount budget you also need to make sure to add about 10-15% to it. This will help just in case if anything unexpected comes up during the renovation.

Here’s an example that happened to us. When we started ripping off the backsplash in our kitchen we quickly learned that the sheetrock underneath wouldn’t be strong enough to hold the new backsplash. We had to take down the old sheetrock and add new sheetrocking. Something we did not plan for. It added more material cost along with labor time for workers. This is why its important to add additional budget dollars just in case.

Clear Vision

One of the best things I can recommend is having some sort of vision board to share with whoever you are working with on the kitchen renovation. It helps to have something visual on hand when explaining how you envision the space. It’s also a great way to stay on the same page with your spouse/partner/significant other. Having something “sketched out” is a great way to get all parties involved on the same page.

A free platform that I would recommend to gather up inspirations and ideas is Pinterest. Print out some images and tape them onto a construction sheet of paper or regular copy paper. Or you can use another free platform canva.com to put together a vision board. It’s so much easier to present your ideas visually to show someone you are working with to share exactly what you are looking to do.

More Time

With a clear vision in mind, the next tip would be to plan for extra time. I know this one is hard for many of us of but there are so many variables that need to come together for a kitchen renovation. If a project takes 4 weeks plan for 6 weeks. That way if things do come up during the renovation you won’t be left super disappointed since you already mentally prepared yourself for this.

Flexibility

Plan for accommodations while the renovation is taking place. You may not have access to your kitchen for a while and cooking may not be possible unless you use an outdoor grill or electric cooktop. You may have to do more take-out or restaurant visits during your kitchen renovation time. Adding those additional costs to your budget is also important.

NOTE: Ask your contractor, a lot of questions so that you know exactly what to expect. Will you be able to access your fridge, stove, microwave, pantry, etc.

Another thing to consider is if you should physically move out of the space for a while. Do you have a reaction to paint fumes? Are you allergic to dust? Will it be difficult to keep your young children on a nap schedule? These are just some things to think about and maybe moving for a bit may be a good option for you.

Proper Ventilation

In our home, our daughter has terrible allergies. We have to consider it every time we plan any sort of indoor renovation. Ask your contractor questions about how they will contain dust or particles. If they will bring in fans or will you need to have any to help with air quality?

From our experience, we have found that most workers are used to dust, fumes, and particles so what may be a bigger concern for you may not be as big of a deal for them which is why it’s important to communicate clearly what your needs are and if it will have to require you to do any of your own prepping.

Removal of Debris

This was something that wasn’t even on our radar. We didn’t even consider what happens to the trash/debris. When it came time to remove the countertops we were asked where we would like to store it. I thought they just took it with them and got rid of it for us. But that is not always the case. Be sure to ask if there is anything you will be responsible for when they remove. In our case, it was only the granite countertops.

Luckily, our contractor was able to remove and dispose of the granite countertops at no additional charge.

With any home project, there will always be unexpected things that can happen or pop up. Workers can get sick, materials can be on backorder, and so on. Delays can happen which is why it’s important you work with someone you feel completely comfortable with and someone you can communicate easily with. Someone you jive with has incredible value.

I really love how everything turned out with our kitchen renovation. The white counters and light marble backsplash really help brighten up the space. We decided to also add stainless hardware on the cabinet doors to tie in the stainless appliances and giving it a classic look.