Scared and overwhelmed to start planning kitchen renovation

[MamaBearTeacher]

We need to renovate our kitchen very very badly and I want to do it in June. I went to Home Depot to ask and I got the impression that the whole renovation process takes about 3 weeks and that there is about 10 days where you don't have an oven. All of that scares me a lot with special needs children with severe behavior problems on special diets. They are homeschooled and we are in the house all the time and have nowhere to go to eat but the backyard. I cannot feed them in the dining room unless I handfeed each of them one at a time because they are so messy.

But what scares me the most is the planning. I just don't know what to do. The kitchen is extremely bright so I am thinking of black cabinets. I was also thinking of a large island for 6 instead of a table. I would also like a desk along the side that would sit two people, a broom closet and a pantry but I don't know if there's room. Our kitchen is about 11x16. I just feel so overwhelmed between homeschooling all day, the children's sleep problems, the children's outside activities, the children's medical problems and tests, grocery shopping, cleaning and the stress and noise of the severe behavior problems. If I have a free hour here or there every week I am usually not thinking clearly. I just don't know if I can do this.

 

Any advice?

[Perogi]

Oh boy! That does sound overwhelming! I haven't ever done something like that so unfortunately I don't have any advice. We were recently talking about renovating our basement and I got very overwhelmed as well thinking about where we would put everything while we tear it apart and what I would want it to look like when it's put back together again. It is such a big decision!

 

Do you have anyone there who can help you who might have more experience?

[mom2l&j]

It is a very overwhelming project. We have redone 2 kitchens and I used to be a kitchen designer. Yes, the house is torn apart for several weeks between demo, install of cabinets, and the install of counter tops. (Typically the counter tops aren't manufactured until the cabinets are installed. The manufacturing time of the counter tops will vary based on the material you use.) It is SO worth it though! I has completely changed the feel of both our homes.

 

I would suggest finding a designer who asks you ALL kinds of questions. I started as a designer at Home Depot and know that many designers don't ask enough questions. The more questions they ask the better they can design the kitchen to fit your needs. The nice thing about Home Depot is that you can have them handle everything. You also pay a premium for this, but it alleviates some headaches for you.

 

Don't feel bad to ask your designer to give you several different designs to see which layout you feel works best for your family. I would bet that you could fit in everything you want, but you might not like the way it feels. Seeing the different options helps you get a better sense of what it truly important to you.

 

ETA: Are you looking at a specific brand of cabinetry at Home Depot?

[MamaBearTeacher]

No, I'm not looking at a specific brand of cabinet. I'm not too picky since anything will be an improvement to what we have now. I am thinking a black cabinet but don't know if this will look nice. At my Home Depot I got the impression that I would have to plan everything myself and they would help iron it out. If they do a design that would be even better.

 

I do wish I had someone to help me with this and get excited about it. DH wants to do this badly but he expects me to do all the planning. Sigh.

[Mommyof4ks]

Personally, I would go to a cabinet shop and work with a designer who can plan and coordinate for you. Real wood cabinets made at a cabinet shop are not much more expensive than the engineered wood (particle board) cabinets from box stores. You will have the benefit of working with people who have a network of people to get you exactly what you want also.

 

It will be a mess for several weeks, but you can ask that the contractors plug your oven in every night before they leave (unless it is a wall unit), and you can leave your fridge plugged in. It is inconvenient, but it is worth it in the end!

[mom2l&j]

When I worked at Home Depot we would ask people to bring in their dimensions and we would do a design for them. We had a little pamphlet that had graph paper in it and specified what measurements to take. I would then meet with the customers, ask a ton of questions and schedule and appointment for them to come back and look at a design or two. It would take me a few days to a week to be able to get the design done. I would suggest finding pictures in magazines that show something that you would like for your kitchen. I suggested tearing pics out of magazines and attaching a post-it note of what it is that you like. (Wall color, open feeling, the island, the backsplash...etc.)

 

Also, I'm not sure if anyone still has the linear foot pricing on the back of the cabinet display doors anymore, but I could give a pretty good estimate based on that price. If you want a basic kitchen with no fancy drawers or a pantry, you take that linear foot price x your number of linear feet of cabinetry x 2. If you are wanting upgraded drawer glides (highly suggested) and a few extras then you will take that linear foot price x your linear feet x 2.5 to 3.

 

Pantry cabinets are typically very pricy. $700-$1000 is what comes to mind.

 

ETA: I would definitely shop around to find someone that you are comfortable with. Pricing can vary widely from place to place as well. I think you need to find someone that can do all the coordinating for you - sell you the cabinets and manage the contractor doing the install. You definitely don't want to manage this yourself.

 

ETA: There are pros and cons to both real wood and particle board construction.

Edited January 21, 2012 by mom2l&j

[SailorMom]

We did all the renovating ourselves, and it took well over 6 weeks.... But hiring the work out will certainly speed it all up.

 

As for the food.... You can set up a "mini-kitchen" in another room with a toaster and a microwave, coffee maker, maybe an electric teapot, small boxes with food in them. Move the fridge somewhere else it can stay plugged in, of course.

 

Do you have a gas grill? If so - it is pretty easy to boil water and cook with that. Grills can also be used as ovens - google how, it isn't hard....

 

For pre-renovation food prep - follow a modified once a month cooking plan. Make everything ahead and freeze it. Most casseroles can be fully baked and then frozen. Then, after being thawed in the fridge overnight, they can be microwaved in single servings. Cook the casseroles (or whatever) in the foil pans that can be thrown away after you eat the food.

 

Go with as much paper, plastic, disposable stuff as you can. Even paper bowls. Dishes can be done in the bathroom sink - it will get old, but you shouldn't have to do too many if you do most of the cooking ahead of time and use disposable stuff. Also - a lot of tin foil :) Roll it up, throw it away.

 

As for the eating arrangements - can you lay out a tarp in the living room and move your table there? Every once in a while take the tarp out to shake it off....

We (thankfully) renovated in the spring with nice weather, and pretty much just ate out on our patio the whole time.

[ktgrok]

First, Lowes was much more helpful to us than Home depot. second, I feel your pain. We are in the middle of it, and DH is doing it ALL himself, so it is being done in bits and pieces on weekends and after work. I do have my oven, but right now no counter tops, no dishwasher, and only half the sink works. It is miserable.

[justasque]

the whole renovation process takes about 3 weeks and that there is about 10 days where you don't have an oven.

 

Um, I would count on it taking more than 3 weeks/10 days. You could be lucky, but best to plan for the worst. ;)

 

As for the food.... You can set up a "mini-kitchen" in another room with a toaster and a microwave, coffee maker, maybe an electric teapot, small boxes with food in them. Move the fridge somewhere else it can stay plugged in, of course.

 

 

You can even get one of those portable electric stover burner thingys; a friend got a two-burner one and had quite a nice setup. The better your temporary kitchen, the saner you'll be.

[georgialee]

Kitchen remodeling/designing is what my DH (actuall my entire family, lol!) does for work. I would recommend going to a local kitchen showroom where you can talk to a salesperson. They have software to help you see what your kitchen will look like before you remodel it and they can lay it out in different ways. They will usually be able to meet and/or beat the price of Home Depot or Lowes and you will get much better customer service.

 

I asked my DH and he said if you're changing the range and the flooring (because you're changing the layout of the kitchen) it could be up to 2 weeks without an oven. BUT he said if you kept the same layout and went with laminate countertops it could only be a couple of days.

 

He also said that you can still have your oven just plugged in while you're waiting on countertops, etc. So that would cut the time down without having an oven/range.

 

If you live anywhere near the E TN area my husband would be more than willing to help you! Just pm me :)

[Scarlett]

We need to renovate our kitchen very very badly and I want to do it in June. I went to Home Depot to ask and I got the impression that the whole renovation process takes about 3 weeks and that there is about 10 days where you don't have an oven. All of that scares me a lot with special needs children with severe behavior problems on special diets. They are homeschooled and we are in the house all the time and have nowhere to go to eat but the backyard. I cannot feed them in the dining room unless I handfeed each of them one at a time because they are so messy.

But what scares me the most is the planning. I just don't know what to do. The kitchen is extremely bright so I am thinking of black cabinets. I was also thinking of a large island for 6 instead of a table. I would also like a desk along the side that would sit two people, a broom closet and a pantry but I don't know if there's room. Our kitchen is about 11x16. I just feel so overwhelmed between homeschooling all day, the children's sleep problems, the children's outside activities, the children's medical problems and tests, grocery shopping, cleaning and the stress and noise of the severe behavior problems. If I have a free hour here or there every week I am usually not thinking clearly. I just don't know if I can do this.

 

Any advice?

 

My parents are in the middle of a total kitchen renovation and it is a nightmare being without a kitchen. And they dont' have any babies or kids. Tear out was December 16th and cabinets still aren't in and appliances haven't arrived yet. Yeah, it was suppose to be 3 weeks.

 

It will be worth it though. Just prepare yourself for it to take longer than they say. It almost always does.

[MamaBearTeacher]

Thanks!!!! These ideas are all very helpful and make everything more doable. It would make things easier to do a lot of the cooking and eating outside.

 

Are there cheaper alternatives to pantries? I just want one with shelves where I can put cereal, lots of boxes of pasta etc. The shelves don't need to come out. We have a wooden stand-alone one which I love but it has scratches and takes a lot of room and might not match so I was thinking of putting it in another room for books.

 

If I get someone to coodinate everything for me how much would that cost approx. and where would I find such a person? This would really make things easier!

[georgialee]

If you go to a local kitchen salesroom they will design the kitchen for you for free (or at least most of them will).

[In2why]

Um, I would count on it taking more than 3 weeks/10 days. You could be lucky, but best to plan for the worst. ;)

 

 

 

You can even get one of those portable electric stover burner thingys; a friend got a two-burner one and had quite a nice setup. The better your temporary kitchen, the saner you'll be.

 

 

3 weeks is an illusion. We are finishing our remodel now and we went with most everything at Lowe's and some things at Home Depot. Once you choose cabinets they need to be installed before they measure for countertops and the order and delivery take awhile.

 

We kept the same floor plan which was easier and less expensive. We didn't need to move plumbing, and I used my existing measurements. We painted and did the flooring while waiting on cabinets, then ordered appliances. Next came countertops and they messed up on the ordering so that took 2 extra weeks and meant we had to wait to install the new sink and faucet. It also meant waiting to install the backsplash.

 

We set up a temporary kitchen, with a toaster oven and microwave and ate a lot of precooked food. The hardest thing was we were without a kitchen sink for awhile. I had to use our bathroom sink for dishes. Uggg

 

Even though everything took longer than I thought it would, I love it and it was.worth it

[mom2l&j]

Are there cheaper alternatives to pantries? I just want one with shelves where I can put cereal, lots of boxes of pasta etc. The shelves don't need to come out. We have a wooden stand-alone one which I love but it has scratches and takes a lot of room and might not match so I was thinking of putting it in another room for books.

 

If I get someone to coodinate everything for me how much would that cost approx. and where would I find such a person? This would really make things easier!

 

Depending on the space you have, you might be able to stick build a pantry and finish the outside & door to match your cabinetry. Many cabinet companies will sell a cabinet front only to fit on your stick built pantry.

 

The first thing you need to figure out is how much you can afford or want to spend on the kitchen. That was often one of the first questions I would ask because many people were not basing their expectations on reality. You need to know

 

If I were you, I would find a local cabinet shop that works with builders as well as homeowners. They should have several price levels of cabinetry with varying amounts of customizations available. They should be able to design, order, coordinate installer, and deal with any issues there might be. I would think, based on your life, this would work better than trying to coordinate with a person at a Lowe's or Home Depot. (Their schedules are often different every week and have to fit you in between walking someone to plumbing and paint.)

[KatieJ]

Excellent advice given here.

 

We did a complete kitchen remodel 3 years ago. We went with a carpenter who built our cabinets out of solid wood and the price was a tad ( $1,000) higher than the box store quote, however, we added crown molding, a key/bill cabinet..etc.. so I figured it was cheaper over all.

and yes, the box stores have computer programs that are extremely helpful in the planning stages. They wil come out and measure your kitchen and then plug those dimensions into their program. It's amazing. I am sure kitchen design stores work the same way.

 

Countertops made of Corian, Silestone etc..have to be measured and then ordered AFTER the countertops go in. It takes several weeks to get them in.

 

If you go with Laminate it can be installed right away. We just finished remodeling our two bathrooms and we used laminate as the Corian experience was less than exciting. However, they are bathrooms and won't get the use and abuse the kitchen does. I truly don't know what I would put in a kitchen if I had to do it over again. But if time is a concern, you probably need to go with laminate.

 

I made sure that every cabinet below the counter was either a large drawer or the shelves rolled out. It is amazing how much faster you can retrieve those pots and pans! Roll out shelving requres you to open the door of the cabinet and then pull out the shelf. Drawers are instant. I love them!

 

I dind't have room for a pantry, so no adive there.

 

We had the luxury of an empty bedroom we were able to convert to a mini kitchen. Can you find a space? Even if it's in the basement? Put a couple of kids together in one bedroom for a while? Laundry room?

 

Toaster/convection oven was extremely helpful for me.

I had a microwave, crockpot, toaster oven, electric fry pan and we did fine, but I only had one teenager at home at the time.

[GailV]

Any advice?

 

It's okay to go to more than one place to look at cabinets and talk to designers. We went to various places, and had various people come to our house, too. Then we decided who we could work with, and who communicated well with us. Finding someone you can work with is HUGE. A good designer can make the process so much eaisier. A contractor you can trust is also important.

 

We had ours done during the summer, and grilled a lot. The biggest hassle was the lack of a kitchen sink.

 

Overall I absolutely dreaded it. But in retrospect, it was so very worthwhile. My life is easier Every. Single. Day. because we went through a few weeks of hassle. By the way, we were moving walls and all, so our "few weeks" isn't necessarily normal.

 

ETA: You could get laminate counter tops now just to speed up the entire process, and get more expensive countertops in a few years after you've recovered from this first round of renovation.

Edited January 22, 2012 by GailV

[DarlaS]

Our countertops went in same day. Not sure why it would matter what they were made of (Ours were laminate though.)? They still needed to be the right size with the hole cut for the sink etc.

 

There are some NICE laminates out there now. We went with an upgraded high definition from Wilsonart:

 

 

Lots more here (just to give you some kitchen stuff to look at:

 

http://samples.wilsonart.com/c-134-hd.aspx

 

We may upgrade to granite or quartz someday, but so far I do love these. They are beautiful and TOUGH. I have not successfully scratched them (not even a tiny bit) yet. They went in Aug. 8, and I do not see one flaw.

 

The custom hickory cabinetry we got was spendy, so a high end laminate helped temper that a bit without looking ridiculous on top of the gorgeous cabinetry.

[mom2l&j]

Our countertops went in same day. Not sure why it would matter what they were made of (Ours were laminate though.)? They still needed to be the right size with the hole cut for the sink etc.

 

 

 

In a perfect world they could make the counter tops according to the design. Unfortunately, the cabinets are rarely installed exactly as expected. There are often slight adjustments that have to be made and 1/8" can make the difference in a range fitting or not. Granite, Corian and Silestone installers will all come out and make a template of the cabinets to make sure they cut the countertop to fit.

[Forget-Me-Not]

On my phone, so I'll keep it short :D. Do you have a local HSing message board/Yahoo group? Mine has been invaluable for getting local recommendations for things like this!

Edited January 22, 2012 by LemonPie

[DarlaS]

In a perfect world they could make the counter tops according to the design. Unfortunately, the cabinets are rarely installed exactly as expected. There are often slight adjustments that have to be made and 1/8" can make the difference in a range fitting or not. Granite, Corian and Silestone installers will all come out and make a template of the cabinets to make sure they cut the countertop to fit.

 

Oh, I am sure installing our cabinetry was.... interesting. Our walls are anything but flat and square. Somehow it all looks straight when finished and the overhang on all the countertops appears to be equal. Now that I think about it, he did take a belt sander to the back edge of the longest piece to make it fit. That never would have worked with stone--and I still had to re-caulk the backsplash this week. :tongue_smilie:

 

It is a very good thing we put the fridge and pantry where we did though. Countertops in the corner would have been a nightmare. That wall was the worst, and when I gave the kitchen a second coat of paint earlier this week, I saw how off it really was. (It does not look that way from below though.)

[mom2l&j]

Oh, I am sure installing our cabinetry was.... interesting. Our walls are anything but flat and square. Somehow it all looks straight when finished and the overhang on all the countertops appears to be equal. Now that I think about it, he did take a belt sander to the back edge of the longest piece to make it fit. That never would have worked with stone--and I still had to re-caulk the backsplash this week. :tongue_smilie:

 

It is a very good thing we put the fridge and pantry where we did though. Countertops in the corner would have been a nightmare. That wall was the worst, and when I gave the kitchen a second coat of paint earlier this week, I saw how off it really was. (It does not look that way from below though.)

 

LOL! Our countertop is really bad. We have a U shape with countertops rounding each corner. We had to do a TON of sanding and even had to cut away part of the wall to get the countertop in. We will never install our own countertop again. :lol: I would have loved granite, but I wasn't willing to spend the thousands of dollars it would have cost.

 

I learned a lot as a designer by remodeling 2 kitchens.

[OrdinaryTime]

We gutted our kitchen a year ago. It is a BIG project, but it is doable.

 

1. I only had a week to pick out everything! (My BIL is a contractor and did it between two jobs so we had short notice.) This was actually very helpful. You can research everything to death and never make a decision. Pick a period of time and deadline for decisions and just MAKE them.

 

2. IKEA cabinets rock. And are very affordable. They have a 25 year warranty and actually have very high customer satisfaction ratings. You have several style/color options and can use the stock size to customize your own layout. I highly recommend them. Also, IKEA has a free online kitchen planner you can download and use to help plan your space. We found it very helpful.

 

3. Set up a kitchen station somewhere else in the house that has running water. I did it in my laundry room. I used the laundry sink as a "kitchen sink," though we did use as many paper products as possible. With a microwave, hot pot, and toaster oven, we were able to eat pretty well. We focused on eating a lot of "raw" food that didn't require much cooking anyway. Making some freezer meals before had that can just be reheated is also helpful.

 

4. It will probably take longer than 6 weeks. It's better to expect it to take longer.

 

If I think of anything else, I'll let you know. It is worth all the trouble, but definitely understand your anxieties! Good luck!!

[In2why]

In a perfect world they could make the counter tops according to the design. Unfortunately, the cabinets are rarely installed exactly as expected. There are often slight adjustments that have to be made and 1/8" can make the difference in a range fitting or not. Granite, Corian and Silestone installers will all come out and make a template of the cabinets to make sure they cut the countertop to fit.

 

This was m experience as well. The laminate did not go in with the cabinets because they weren't all stock size...we have a peninsula and it is wider than the cabinets. I did have them leave the countertop so I could temporarily hook up my sink

[In2why]

A kitchen, or any remodel follows the same rule as curriculua. Fast, cheap, or easy. You can have 2 of them but not all 3.

[DarlaS]

This was m experience as well. The laminate did not go in with the cabinets because they weren't all stock size...we have a peninsula and it is wider than the cabinets. I did have them leave the countertop so I could temporarily hook up my sink

 

None of ours are stock size. We did, however, get the countertops done by the same man who made the cabinets. That most likely had more to do with them going in the same day than anything else.

 

We literally hired only two people to work on our kitchen. A cabinetmaker who also sold me the sink & countertops, and a contractor who hired everyone else--and was recommended by the cabinetmaker. Maybe the real trick is a good general contractor if it's at all financially feasible.

 

There were fewer communication issues this way, and every aspect of the remodel was coordinated as well as it could be. It's nice when your plumber doesn't show up before the sink. ;)

 

At one point during the project, our roof started leaking (We knew it was about time to replace that, but were hoping it would hold out another year.) and he had roofers out to give an estimate immediately. We had a new roof & skylights the next week--at about a cost of 2k less than we expected. He sure came in handy! :001_smile:

[Shelly in IL]

Extremely bright kitchen plus black anything = dust showing everywhere. Perhaps this won't bother you, but it would kill me to keep up with it, and it would bother me if I didn't.

[MamaBearTeacher]

Yikes! I didn't think of the dust. What else would look good in a sunny kitchen?

 

A general contractor sounds like a good idea. At Home Depot they said they recommended not using one but I did not ask why. Anyone know why?

 

I am still very torn between an island that seats six (if it will even fit in an 11x6 kitchen and a small island and kitchen table. Any opinions on that?

[ma23peas]

Yikes! I didn't think of the dust. What else would look good in a sunny kitchen?

 

A general contractor sounds like a good idea. At Home Depot they said they recommended not using one but I did not ask why. Anyone know why?

 

I am still very torn between an island that seats six (if it will even fit in an 11x6 kitchen and a small island and kitchen table. Any opinions on that?

 

Light maple would look good in sunny kitchen....really anything...light is good

Here is my kitchen remodel before...i acted as my own contractor, used cabinet maker...got quartz countertop, german faucet, top of the line appliances with what I saved by not using HD and being my own contractor!

 

Before

 

After, still lots of dust!

Edited January 23, 2012 by ma23peas

[mom2l&j]

 

A general contractor sounds like a good idea. At Home Depot they said they recommended not using one but I did not ask why. Anyone know why?

. They want you to use their installers.

I am still very torn between an island that seats six (if it will even fit in an 11x6 kitchen and a small island and kitchen table. Any opinions on that?

. Whether the big island will fit depends on the layout around the island. I don't have an opinion one way or the other on the size of the island.

[Scarlett]

Light maple would look good in sunny kitchen....really anything...light is good

Here is my kitchen remodel before...i acted as my own contractor, used cabinet maker...got quartz countertop, german faucet, top of the line appliances with what I saved by not using HD and being my own contractor!

 

Before

 

After, still lots of dust!

 

Gorgeous. I love it.

[OrdinaryTime]

I forgot to add a great technique that helped me figure out what I wanted for the general style of my kitchen. I went to Google Images and just google kitchens. If I really liked something, I saved in into a file on my computer. I looked at kitchens for an hour or two, saving kitchens I emotionally responded to immediately. Then I went back through my photo file and looked for similiarities between the kitchens. Did most have light or dark cabinents? Light or dark countertops? What kind of metal finishes? This really helped me get a good idea of what I naturally enjoy and like in a kitchen.

 

Then I really thought about how I work in my kitchen. How do I clean up dishes, prep food, etc.? What do I want stored in the kitchen and out of sight? What annoys me about my current kitchen? This led me to ensure I had a BIG trash/recycling pull-out cabinet because I really hate having to constantly take out trash/recycling and I hate having it out in the kitchen. I put that cabinet in a location that has easy access and is next to sink so I could prep food and then sweep right into the trash. Overall, just really think about how you move and live in your kitchen when planning the layout.

 

I put some pics of our recent reno. The first is before, then the new kitchen , and then the view from our pennisula into the eating area of the kitchen. When I looked through google images, most of the pictures I looked at had white cabinents, dark countertops, and silver finishes. So that's what I did and I love it everyday!

[OrdinaryTime]

Light maple would look good in sunny kitchen....really anything...light is good

Here is my kitchen remodel before...i acted as my own contractor, used cabinet maker...got quartz countertop, german faucet, top of the line appliances with what I saved by not using HD and being my own contractor!

 

Before

 

After, still lots of dust!

 

Lovely!