Surviving a Kitchen Remodel: Part 1

            Let’s face it. Kitchen remodels can be stressful. Regardless of how much planning or positive thinking you employ, it is bound to be a difficult time. Now don’t get me wrong. I am all for expecting the best and anticipating everything will go smoothly. But having helped remodel over 800 kitchens over the course of my career, I know that that doesn’t always happen. Tempers can flare and overwhelming stress reveals itself in your relationships with your spouse, kids and pets.

 

            The best way to enter a kitchen remodeling project is to properly manage your expectations. You can expect Murphy’s Law to be in full effect. Everything that has the possibility of going wrong can go wrong, even things outside of the scope of the kitchen project. Busted gas lines aside, here are a couple of potential problems you could expect.

 

• Miscommunication
• More dust than you expected
• Products delivered late, dented or missing parts
• The wrong items delivered
• Termites in the walls or floors
• Mold or moisture in the walls or floor
• Structural problems that need to be repaired
• Asbestos or lead paint removal

 

            You can avoid some of these items by asking as many questions and clarifying issues as they come up. Remind yourself that arguments with your family members are most likely stress related and not personal. Sometimes there is no real issue, it is simply an occasion when everyone is testy and the circumstances cannot really be changed. Steer away from an emotional decision. Focus on your priorities, timeline, best use of space and reasons for your design preference. Have kids? Engage them in the process and help them look at the remodel as an adventure instead of a disruption.