5 Tips To Prepare For Your First Kitchen Renovation

Are you thinking about renovating your kitchen this year, but aren't sure where to start or how to prepare? The thought of a renovation project can be overwhelming and scary, especially if you haven’t gone through one before. It will test you physically, mentally, emotionally, and financially. You will be required to make hundreds of decisions about design, materials, finishes, and fittings, demanding so much of your time that it will affect your life. However, if you follow the 5 tips below for preparing for your first kitchen renovation, it will be so rewarding and worth it to wake up every day in your dream kitchen!

Miss Alice Designs

1. Inspiration

Think about what you want your dream kitchen to look like. If you aren’t sure, search for images of kitchen designs online, in home magazines, or on sites like Pinterest and Houzz. Create an idea book or board of images through Houzz and Pinterest and/or save images from your favorite home magazines. Think about a color scheme that speaks to you, what storage features you need, as well as what your design style is. If you aren’t sure, you can take interior design style quizzes online like this one from DSA to help you figure out what your style is.

2. Budget & Plan

Preparing for your project and organizing it on the front end is crucial. You are less likely to exceed your budget if your renovation plan is more detailed. Do an honest review of your finances and plan your budget. Prepare to factor in 20%-25% over budget for unforeseen factors that can arise during construction including hiring any design professionals. Itemize your budget line by line in Excel or a spreadsheet program.

Think about your living arrangements. Will you be living in the home during renovation or moving out? If you plan to live in it, then what will you use instead of your appliances? Will you be using a camp stove, hot plate, or BBQ? Decide where you will wash your dishes and collect water during construction.

Whether you’re living in a single-family home or condo, you should apply for a permit. Renovating a condo or townhouse requires the extra step of first going through the Homeowner’s Association (HOA) if your property has an HOA. You will need to inform your HOA about your project first and find out what the approval process is on their end before you start speaking with a contractor.

3. Work with a Design Expert

Why is it important to work with a design expert? A design expert has the training and the experience to help guide you through a renovation project which is a huge endeavor. If you try to do this yourself, be prepared to make hundreds of decisions about design, materials, finishes, colors, and fittings to name a few. At some point, you will experience decision fatigue and start questioning if it made sense to go through the living nightmare a renovation can be that’s why I recommend hiring a design expert so you can continue living your life with minimal impact. The benefit of working with an expert is they can help you save time and money by avoiding costly mistakes. In addition, an expert has access to a wide array of resources and has a trained eye to pull all elements together in a balanced and harmonious way.

So, who should you hire? An architect or an interior designer? There are a few overlaps between an architect and an interior designer.

An architect’s main focus is on the exterior of buildings, structural elements, foundation, roof, and more. If you want to add a second or third story to your home, add an extra bathroom, create a balcony, add an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU), or expand your home, an architect is the one to help you. Architects can work on the interior architecture as well.

An interior designer focuses not only on aesthetics, but functional, code-compliant, healthy interior spaces involving cabinetry, millwork, lighting, floors, surfaces, and more. An interior designer also creates an interior layout that works best for each client and can suggest moving walls, doors, windows, etc... This is an overlap between an interior designer and an architect. Interior designers also research and recommend furniture, fixtures, finishes, accessories, and colors. Most architects don’t specify materials and furniture. But, architects can specify doors and windows, which overlap with the work of interior designers.

Both an architect and an interior designer can produce drawings. However, a single kitchen remodel is usually a smaller project that most architects will not take on, so an interior designer would be the best expert to provide the most value for your money.

4. Meet with Licensed Contractors

First, ask family and friends for referrals to licensed general contractors. If they don’t know any good contractors they can recommend, research general contractors online. Your design expert can also recommend contractors. Vet them thoroughly and ask detailed questions about their process such as "change orders" when vetting contractors. Read customer reviews and schedule time to see the contractor’s work in person. In addition, ask the contractor if you can speak with past clients to share their experiences.

Select no more than 3 contractors that you resonate with to meet you onsite, assess your kitchen, and discuss the scope. The licensed general contractor will usually bring their sub-trades (electrician, plumber, painters, etc...) to the onsite meeting. If you are planning on removing a wall and need to determine if it is load-bearing, then plan to have a structural engineer meet onsite at some point. Please keep in mind, some general contractors will not provide a bid until they have drawings, which will help the contractor understand the full scope of work involved and then be able to provide an accurate bid.

A general contractor’s main focus is to take drawings produced by a design expert and build the design based on the drawings.  They usually do not purchase any materials such as faucets, sinks, appliances, tile, furniture, or accessories. These items are specified and can be purchased by an interior designer. Contractors only purchase building materials like sheetrock, lumber, plywood, siding, and waterproofing to name a few.

I would recommend hiring a design expert first so they can come up with a design concept/vision for your kitchen and produce drawings. After that, reach out to a few contractors to get accurate bids.

Finally, please don't be so eager to get the lowest bid. Opting for the "cheaper" contractor or the lowest bid can quickly push you over your renovation budget from low quality of work to lack of experience to hidden change orders. You may end up paying more in the long run if you only focus on the lowest bid.

5. Order Materials & Appliance Search

If you have specific requirements for your appliances and prefer to select them yourself, provide the model numbers to the design expert. They will download specification sheets and ensure all cabinets are built around these specs. Start your search early and order as soon as possible as there can be long lead times for appliances (up to 6 or more months) depending on the model and brand you are interested in. A design expert can also select appliances for you if you are a busy professional with little to no time to make design decisions.

It’s also very important to make sure all the materials are ordered as soon as the design is finalized as each item will have different lead times depending on the vendor. In addition, delays in shipping can be affected by weather, labor shortages, supply chain issues, and other factors so please keep this in mind. If you are on a tight timeline and want to start construction as soon as possible, it’s going to be very challenging to get the work to flow smoothly and finish on time if you are waiting on items to arrive.

The thought of a kitchen renovation can be overwhelming and scary, especially if you haven’t gone through one before. But, if you prepare in advance, do your research (knowing when to end your due diligence at some point), talk with experts, and follow the 5 tips listed above, it can be so rewarding.

If you need a designer's help to guide you through your first kitchen renovation, please schedule a complimentary 30-minute discovery call here. I will help you bring your vision to reality, so you wake up every day to your dream kitchen!