With the beginning of summer, many homeowners are considering home improvement projects. Kitchen remodels often top that list of priorities. But before you head to your local kitchen design showroom or hire a contractor, it’s important to understand the process involved in this type of project. We’ve created this guide for first-timers looking for an overview of what goes into planning, designing, and remodeling your kitchen so you can make informed decisions about how much time and money to invest in your project from start to finish!
As a reliable contractor, our goal is always to provide reliable service. Most people are content with this, but some less fortunate homeowners aren’t happy to hear it. Remodeling a kitchen is a process that takes time, money, and careful planning.
Even if you’re just updating some features in your kitchen, we put so much work into your project at a high standard that deserves great care. It’s important not to procrastinate the “let’s try to get it in before…” effort.
How Long Does it Take to Remodel a Kitchen?
As with most things in life, there’s not a simple/quick answer to this question. The dimensions of your kitchen, and whether the renovation is extensive will affect how long the project takes to complete. The length of a remodeling project depends on many factors including the size of your kitchen and whether you’re doing an extensive remodel or not.
For example, installing new cabinets in a small galley-style kitchen will take less time than more extensive projects. Although the outcome is worth it. In order to tear out a kitchen that’s been in place for years and replace it with something new, you will need many months. It may even be worth it when you see how much time and money are saved by not having an outdated kitchen anymore.
To complete a kitchen renovation in the average time, industry experts state that it can take 6-12 weeks. Expect a full kitchen remodel to take at least five or six months, assuming it includes changes in the electrical and plumbing, new layout additions, and all new appliances. And remember—you’re not likely to have a kitchen for that entire period.
Kitchen Remodeling Timeline
With construction on the horizon, what needs to happen during these weeks or months? These are the phases of a complete remodeling project. Larger kitchen update projects may not need every single step or timeline. For instance, the steps in preparing and demolition can often be spread out over a couple of workdays, so it’s best to get an idea of what you want before scheduling updates. The best way to learn how long your unique project will take is to consult with an experienced remodeling expert.
Phase 1: Planning & Designing
We recommend starting the design process by creating a floor plan of your kitchen space and identifying what you would like to change or keep the same. You’ll also need to estimate how much money you can spend on your project. Once this is done, it’s time to make appointments with local showrooms for consulting your project with the experts.
It’s important to consider the deeper implications of your kitchen remodel before you embark on it. Start your kitchen remodel with a basic map for the design, to see out how much work it will take. These tips will help you avoid a few common mistakes that could lead to your future regret, like not getting the kitchen layout you want or having to settle for color combinations you don’t care for. If you have trouble designing your own kitchen from scratch or are unsure about what you want, we recommend hiring a professional design team. A professional kitchen designer can be worth the added cost to your project.
If you work with us here at Gilmans Kitchens & Baths, we will help you plan your kitchen remodel before we start. For instance, we are known for our kitchen remodeling expertise; among other things, this means that we specialize in designing and planning the work so homeowners can get excellent results.
Your design/build team must be able to show you design options as well as product selections in a way that allows for cost-versus-value analysis. We always advise our clients to make changes to one design before the thing you construct starts. do This in the way, planning your phase is not to pay step for costly back alterations and as look at the project what is it in would progress take. At Gilmans Kitchens & Baths, you can see your project with the 3D renders before the process starts.
Phase 2: Find Your Style & Discover Your Needs
Ask yourself how you currently use your kitchen. Do you love to cook and preserve meals for your big family every day? Or is it just you and your spouse ordering takeout? Are you thinking about moving anytime soon and want to add value to your property before putting it on the market? Planning for a kitchen redo can come with many questions. But before you get started, it will help to know what your personal preferences are.
One of the most important things when approaching a project, aside from how you need the space to function, is figuring out what style you like. Sometimes that is a response object. A direct response to the existing architecture of your home, or if you’re going through a massive home transformation, it could be a response to something you saw in a magazine, and you want to change in your house. When you start to search, you realize there are various styles such as modern, classic country, transitional, and cottage. All of these can make you overwhelmed. Yet, your designer will guide you to a style that will fit your home and make you happy. People use Houzz or Pinterest to find what they’re looking for in their home style. As we mentioned previously, you can look at pictures and websites to get inspiration. On our website, we have a huge area of photo collections for you to choose from. If you don’t feel like getting lost in Houzz or other websites, you can go to ours and see our completed projects. We encourage you to go ahead and sift through these photos and let us know if there are any in particular that makes your heart sing.
Phase 3: Set Your Budget
When looking at kitchen remodeling in America, the average cost is $150 per square foot. When you want to bring an old kitchen into the 21st century, Home Advisor data suggests that a full renovation and redesign may cost almost $24,000 on average. One of the most expensive projects you can undertake in a home remodel is a new kitchen. Real estate experts agree that these projects—along with bathroom renovations—are great for increasing resale value.
Setting your budget for your kitchen remodeling project is one of the most important steps that will affect the whole project. Every budget is different as well as the project. Setting your budget will create your project’s limits, you will know how much you want to spend and where you need to stop.
Generally, the total cost of a kitchen remodel project lies in three ranges: $30,000 or less; between $30,000 and $100,000; or more than $100,000. The estimated total kitchen remodel costs around 30 to 32% of your home’s value for just the cabinets alone. If you need countertops, depending on the type of material and your desired square footage, it can account for 15% of your budget. When doing a kitchen remodel it is important to know what layout you are going for. Do you want an L shape or more of a galley style? As an extra tip, when you’re talking about islands, that’s extra cabinetry and extra square footage which means extra countertop space, or a U-shaped kitchen is going to need an extra seating space that is going to create a G-shaped kitchen layout there. All the numbers provided by this table are rounded, it’s difficult to give you an exact percentage for each layout. But for a typical kitchen remodel, we estimate that about 30 to 32% of the total budget will go toward cabinets, another 20% on countertops, and 14% on installation. Also, there are some items related to our kitchen remodel that you can anticipate might need additional time and money. If you remove walls during your kitchen remodel, then there will likely be costs related to lighting and plumbing changes. Consider the design of your kitchen before making major renovations so that it fits with your taste and what best suits you in terms of functionality. You can also add flooring at any time as an update or replacement. At the end of the backsplash installation, check that it has complemented your cabinets and countertops. Though it’s unlikely, it’s always best to prepare for unforeseen costs in a remodel. Adding 5% other cost is a commonplace and success-preventative measure.
If your kitchen remodel budget is small, there are ways to save money. You can reuse the cabinets and appliances from your current design or create an entirely new look with a smaller expenditure of funds. For example, if you have cabinets made of wood that are looking a little outdated or worn, you may choose to simply paint them with new hardware and rearrangement in your space rather than replace them.
After all the decision phases, if you have agreed to work with us, then it’s time to get to work!
Phase 4: Removing the Old Kitchen ( Demolition)
Removing your current kitchen won’t take your remodeling contractor very long—perhaps just a few days—especially if everything is being replaced and no one has to worry about preserving cabinets or countertops, etc. While the work of a kitchen remodeling is not overly laborious, it can be messy and noisy. A dumpster may sit on your property for an extended period of time. Actually, before this phase, when you confirm the contact we order your cabinets. This is especially important to be aware of for products that require long lead times due to the ordering process (e.g. custom-made cabinetry, some types of tile and stone as well as tailor-made furniture). From the time that you approve a cabinet order, it can take up to four months for your cabinets to be built and shipped. Semi-custom cabinets take four to eight weeks and are usually available within days of ordering. But we do not start the demolition phase before the arrival of your orders. We only start as soon as your order is in place.
Phase 5: Installation of Cabinets & Countertops
One of the most exciting parts of kitchen remodels is that they’re relatively quick to complete. You can get your cabinetry in place in just a few days – and it’ll stay where you put it because we’ve invested time into making sure our cabinets are sturdy! Counter installation may take significantly more time. For example, the counter cannot be cut in half to accommodate plumbing under your sink or appliances. Sometimes this takes some fabrication—both on and offsite—to get right. You may need to wait a few weeks before counters are in place and sealed, as required.
In the installation phase, not only cabinets and countertops but also we are installing;
- hardware
- backsplash
- Flooring
- accessories.
Phase 6: Unpack & Enjoy
The best kitchen remodeling contractors will have your kitchen clean and ready for use in a few days after the last pendant light shade has been hung. An excess of materials that are stored outside of the home will need to be taken away at regular intervals, as well as with dumpsters. At Gilmans Kitchens and Baths we always clean up after the work is done. Once this work is done, it’s time to unpack and enjoy! You can move into your new dream kitchen and you can celebrate it with your friends, family. It’s always good to show a little bit.
Where to start a remodeling project?
There are many reasons why many people start a remodel of their kitchen or bathroom. Some people are tired of their kitchen, they don’t like the tile, they don’t want the trash cans sitting out, or they are tired of the grout on the counters. A good way to start is by calling Gilmans Kitchens and Baths and talking to a designer. You can bring in a few photos of your kitchen or bathroom and let us know what you don’t like about it or what you would like your new kitchen or bathroom to be like. Then we can move walls for you and install new windows with doors. We can transform the space how you want it. We have a great design and build department, which means that you can work with our construction crew and our designers together tediously under one roof. You don’t have to have a separate contractor and designer. It is a very efficient way to get your project done.