Expectations Of A Kitchen Renovation Project: Part 3
Welcome to part 3!You took the jump and are ready to take on your kitchen renovations-it’s smooth sailing from here, right? Not quite.
As I have mentioned before, people can get caught up in what they see about fixer-uppers and renovation projects. TV can exaggerate a lot of things and home improvement projects are no exception. The one thing that I do appreciate from some home improvement shows is that they make things dramatic in the sense of something unforeseen going wrong-not everything will be to the extent that they show it but nonetheless what they show can and does happen.
No matter what kind of home improvement project you take on, new construction, fixer-upper, or even remodeling your kitchen, you are bound to come across something you did not originally plan for. These unforeseen problems can be extremely stressful-imagine spending an extra grand that you didn’t have to fix a problem you believed didn't exist. Quite honestly this has happened to everyone I know who takes on projects like these, myself included.
In this post, I want to cover some of the more common unforeseen things that can go wrong with a kitchen renovation to help you prepare and plan ahead of time for the added cost they have the potential of increasing.
Compromises and Sacrifices
If you are taking on this renovation project with a spouse or partner chances are you both have different ideas and tastes. In the process of trying to keep the peace between each other, you have most likely already gone through compromises and sacrifices. However, you are not done making them and won’t be for the duration of the project.
As you dive into your project, things will crop up that will require you to change your original plan.
For example:
As my husband and I were designing our house, we originally designed it to have an attached garage and a second floor. When the pandemic hit and the cost of materials went up, we could no longer afford the house we wanted. Going back to the drawing board, we had to make sacrifices and compromises, so we could afford to build a house-goodbye garage and goodbye second floor.
As you move to the next step of your project, you may find that the countertop you wanted is out of stock or is no longer within your budget. You will have to sacrifice having that countertop and compromise on having one that you can afford. The list goes on and on.
Something that I do in the planning process of any home improvement project is to have a second or third plan in case the first doesn’t go right. So if the countertop I wanted was no longer available to me, I would have already had a second or third countertop chosen to save me the frustration of having to go back to the drawing board and search for a new one.
Damages
No matter who you have working on your kitchen renovation project damages are most likely going to happen which means you will have to pay to fix them-something you did not foresee coming. It also doesn’t take much for accidents to occur.
While you were tearing down a wall you tore through an electrical line.
As the cabinets are being installed, someone stumbles, drops the cabinet and now there is damage to the cabinet.
The countertop breaks, items get dropped and broken, someone’s not paying attention and hits something important, etc. The possibilities are endless and no amount of vigilance or supervision can prevent everything.
The best that you can do is know that there is a good chance they will happen, be calm and patient, have a backup plan, and try to give yourself some wiggle-room in your budget.
Structural or Immovable Items
The most common problem people see on TV shows is the homeowners or designer/contractor not fully expecting a wall to be structural, meaning it holds some weight of the roof. There are others that don’t get shown as frequently.
Plumbing is another big, immovable item that you may come across in your renovations. You may have planned for the sink to be on your island but due to the way the plumbing works in your house that may not be an option. It’s a good idea to check before you go to install cabinets and countertops.
Gas lines, heating, and cooling systems, and electrical can be immoveable items. Electrical can be fairly simple to relocate, but gas and HVAC can be tricky and costly. Again this is something you will want to check beforehand.
The last item that tends to pop up is below the floor. If your house does not have a basement, chances are that you have supports in your floors and ultimately the ground that your entire house sits on. If your floor has never really been perfectly flat or as you tear up the floor you find damage, you should probably look into what lies below to make sure that no structural components are damaged.
Again, this is something you may want to give yourself wiggle-room in the budget for, just in case.
Overspending
The last thing that some people tend to forget about is spending more than their budget. No-fault to them though, it is very difficult to stay within the original budget.
Now I’m not just talking about frivolous spending or purchasing the more expensive item, I’m talking about planning to spend x-amount on an item and the price goes up or upgrading to a different product for whatever the reason may be. This is another list that could go on and on.
Don’t beat yourself up if this happens to you, it’s okay to go a little over budget as long as you can still afford it in the end. You most certainly will not be able to plan for every unforeseen thing, there are just too many of them, you would spend a bucket-load of time trying to figure them all out and plan for them.
The best thing that you can do is set a realistic budget and do your best to stick to it. This may mean you have to compromise and sacrifice the things you wanted for the things you can afford. In the end, you’ll just have to weigh which one is more important to you and will serve you best.
By diving into these 4 categories you should be able to better prepare yourself for the unexpected.
In the final part of this series we will dig deeper into the question; How much will it cost? Looking at budgeting for your project so the section above-overspending is less likely to happen to you.
~MeganRelated Posts:
If you are dying to get started on your dream kitchen then consider getting my Kitchen Renovation Workbook. It will have everything you need to make your remodeling that much easier. It is super simple to follow and hardly time-consuming. Once completed, you’ll be able to use it as your guide and support throughout your entire project!
Subscribe below and get your FREE Kitchen Renovation Workbook!
I can’t wait to see how you use your workbook and the results of your kitchen remodel!
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