Every Renovation Has Issues, Even Mine!
If you’ve ever been involved in a renovation, you know there are going to be problems. Most of the time it’s something you can’t see until work begins; such as wood rot, electrical issues, etc. I did my best to plan my renovation schedule before work started, but things have happened that have have thrown that schedule out the window!
My first unexpected delay was with my appliances (which I mentioned in my previous post), but that wasn’t a huge deal and didn’t effect my timeline. I’m just going to use my old ones until the new arrive. My cabinets were installed and we’ve had a few issues with those - the corner cabinet was ordered wrong and one drawer arrived with the wrong panel front. No big deal, replacement pieces were ordered and I kept moving forward with the schedule. Here’s my list with a few more items checked off:
Install Tile in Laundry and Fireplace Surround {DONE}
Electrical Work - Install New Lighting & Move Outlets {DONE}
Install New Fireplace Mantle and Built-In Cabinet {DONE}
Demo Bar Top and Wall in Kitchen {DONE}
Cabinet and Flooring Demo {DONE}
Install Wood Flooring {DONE}
Appliances and Plumbing Fixtures Delivered {ALMOST}
Cabinets Installed {ALMOST}
Counters Measured {DONE}
Painting {STARTED}
Counters, Appliances and Faucet Installed
Backsplash Installed
Counters can’t be measured for until all your base cabinets are in place and even with the wrong cabinet, we were able to get that scheduled. They come in with some sort of laser machine and get all they need to fabricate your counters. You also need the sink so the cutout can be made exactly right. First in Counters arrived on a Thursday to measure and I expected it would be a few weeks before counters were ready. This gave us time to get the corner cabinet switched out, since I was told it was put on a “hot rush”.
Less than a week later they wanted to install my counters! What?! That’s great news! Oh wait, my cabinets aren’t finished so we are in a holding pattern until the correct cabinet arrives, which is taking longer than I was originally told. I don’t like not knowing when things are arriving as one delay creates a snowball effect with everything else, but I’ve put my big girl pants on and realize it could be worse. We were able to get the range installed (so I can cook) and I’m thankful for my laundry sink (for washing dishes).
I’m also experiencing a delay with my kitchen faucet. I ordered a black faucet a while back, but the delivery date kept getting pushed back. So, I had to make a new selection that hopefully will be here in just a few days. I’ll believe it when it’s in my garage.
Are you ready for some good news?? Painting has started and I love how it’s looking so far. The stark white ceilings are gone and the dingy beige walls are slowly being covered up. At first I swore it was the wrong color, but decided to follow the advice I give my clients all the time “wait until it’s all done before you judge”. I chose Collingwood by Benjamin Moore and it’s the perfect neutral for my house.
But here’s the BEST news!! I decided to do something bold for my kitchen splash. At first I was set on a black and white pattern, but just couldn’t find one that was the perfect shade of white, in stock and in budget. I selected Cambridge by Tesoro and I’m going with BLUE! My kitchen really needed some color and I love this shade of blue. I can’t wait to share how I’m going to lay it. Its’ going to be good. Plus, I found a fabric I may use for the windows.
Before I finish, let’s talk budget. My total investment for this project was not to exceed $50,000. This included my kitchen, new floors and all the changes to my family room. As of today, I’m about $2,000 under budget and I’m hoping this trend continues. I will share ALL my final costs in the last post. I really want to stay transparent through this process so my readers can fully see how expensive a renovation can be. You can definitely do a project like this for less, but for me having high quality products and trades were worth with the additional cost.
Thanks For Reading!
Jennifer
