I’ve just finished with a bathroom remodel and the HO is happy enough with my
work to have me do a second bath. Just signed contract today. Puts my
workload out to about the middle of June. That’s nice being a one man show,
nothing to worry about for a while (yeah right!!). Anyway HO also started
asking about plans for kitchen . Gotta feeling he’s gonna keep me busy. I did
installs in new construction with my former employer and have learned some of
the dangers of remods but haven’t attempted a kitchen yet. Any tips on what
to look out for. Some real bad horror stories. Come on, I can handle it!
Replies
Floors and soffits level?
Electric?
Plumbing?
Getting the goods into the room.
A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
Are the walls plumb? Inside or outside corners square? Floor level? Molding tratment? Answer these questions and we can help you further.
"It is what it is."
I used to work as project manager for a company that remodeled kitchens and baths. From a management perspective, here are a few thoughts.
Rule #1: You're depriving someone of their kitchen, so have all your ducks in a row first so as to avoid delays!
- If the cabinets are supplied by a manufacturer, check the delivery for damage and accuracy. Based on my experiences, I would rather postpone the start of a job than play 'wait and see' with missing pieces - which, btw, I've done plenty of times.
- If the client supplies anything, check it out beforehand. It might have unforeseen complications, like missing parts.
- If the countertop needs to be templated, get that done ASAP. Installing boxes is a lot faster than the turn-around for a granite counter, and people get antsy when they see that 'only' the counters are missing. Don't procrastinate scheduling the templating date!
- In terms of mechanicals, don't take anything for granted in an older home. A lot of hood fans vent directly into the attic, for example, and it reflects badly on you if you leave it that way!
- Protect finished floors thoroughly, wherever you travel in the house. You need to get a lot of material in and out, and the entire pathway should be thoroughly covered.
That's what springs to mind. People hate having their kitchens missing. A lot of clients get distinctly tired of it halfway through. The only way to complete a kitchen remodel with a good referral is to complete it with dispatch! Schedule, schedule, schedule!
What would be acceptable turnaround time on a kitchen ya think? I'm wondering
if I should start out getting some kid to help with demo and stuff. I think Ive
answered my own Question but when should I start panicking ?
"What would be acceptable turnaround time on a kitchen ya think?"
on "average" ... 2 weeks to 2 months.
knocked out most of my neices in 5 days ...
and have been in peoples kitchens for as long as 6 months at a time.
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
Jeff pretty much covered it. Short answer: "Absolutely no more time than is necessary."
Now, that being said, normal for us was 2 1/2 to 3 weeks to total completion for the 'average' kitchen. This usually included tearing out the old kitchen, electrical and plumbing, wall repair, flooring, new cabinets, counters, appliances.
You can see how the logical flow of work delays templating a granite counter, which always gave me headaches - especially because our cabinet installer always did wall cabinets first! :-)
Other thoughts:
Susiekitchen hit the nail on the head when she said to have the appliances first. I took that as a given - I didn't even think of it. Again, be on your toes whenever the client supplies anything, like a Miele dishwasher!
Just another reminder to keep your head up with respect to mechanicals. A floor vent under a base cabinet can be run through the toe-kick, but half-way underneath is a problem.
This is stressful territory. Put the client at ease whenever possible. Keep the site clean, keep the conversation light, chuckle at your own mistakes and stay positive.
"like a Miele dishwasher!"
Probably one of the best appliances I've ever owned!
Jeff
As others have said, taking away the kitchen for any length of time can get real inconvenient real quick. I'm not a pro, but just went through a diy kitchen remodel. To minimize spousal discontent I always had everything re-connected in some usable manner the same day I disconnected. It took longer and I had to plan how far to go for the day, but it made things much smoother in other areas of life.
Due to the decorating committee delays, the counter was delayed a couple weeks after I had the cabinets set. I made a temporary 3/4" ply counter so the cooktop & sink could be used during this time. I even sanded & oiled it just so I could comment on how good our $50 counter looked for the two weeks we waited for the $6k counter! And I ended up with some good 3/4" ply to use for cabinets in the shop.
You want a sweet temporary counter top? Try MDF with about 7 coats of poly on it as a sealer.
I had a client once that I knew was gonna take a long time to get his counters. He wanted temps so I bought some MDF, routed, and doubled the edges, then sealed them with about 7 coats of poly.
They lasted for 9 monthes till the new tops came. The husband loved them and wanted to keep them (he felt they had a very unique look), of course the wife wanted her granite and won that fight.
The MDF (sealed properly) worked really well.
A kitchen remodel usually means new appliances. If the plan calls for anything other than a free-standing range and a standard dishwasher insist that the appliances are selected and purchased BEFORE you start work. There are so many variables that cannot be changed, cutouts for cooktops and wall ovens, utilities and clearances.
On my first kitchen remodel, the client speced out a free-standing electric range so I proceeded and left a hole. After I had the Corian counters installed and was two days from finishing they went to buy the appliances and came home with a duel-fuel slide-in. The lady got what she wanted along with a change order for $4000 and a another week on the job. House was slab on grade so to run the gas line I had to remove a bunch of cabinet bases and drywall, then then plumber finds that the line from the street was not big enough for the added demand so we ended up digging up the yard as well. At the end she still had a gap at the back of the range where a proper counter would have been so I had to fab a trim piece out of stainless steel and extend the tile back splash down. The husband was visibly angry at her as he wrote the final check.
Good luck,
Day
Like you, I am a one-man-show.
And as others have noted, a kitchen remodel temporarily removes the social, business, and lifestyle center of the entire house.
Plan thoroughly, and meticulously. KNOW how long the owners will be without their kitchen. Then add two weeks to that before you tell them the timing.
If they still want you, then go for it. And when you start, use the best dust control you can. Even though the house has no kitchen, they'll still be living there. Don't let demolition dust settle on the guy's leather Lay-Z-Boy, or his wife's knick knacks.
Good luck -- and post some pictures as you go.
Politics is the antithesis of problem solving.
You have gotten some excellent advice in the previous posts; I hardly know what to add to that, except perhaps to point out that if you don't do your own electrical and plumbing, you had better have a bulletproof relationship with your subs because a scheduling screw up on either of those can really ruin your whole week.
If you build your own cabs you'll be in a somewhat better position to accomodate out of square/plumb walls than if you're ordering factory units which will arrive bar-straight and box-square. Most experienced cab guys leave themselves an inch of space on the length of the main base cab unit, and fabricate the face frame so it sticks out past the side panel on the corner end by that much. Then when you go to fit the unit to the room, you can scribe the overhang and trim it to fit perfectly. The countertop hides the gap on top; you scribe it to fit, too. Make sure it's long enough.
I also suggest you try to avoid around-the-corner counters and cabs at the design stage if at all possible. Point out to the client how much dead, unusable cabinet space is trapped way back in that corner, even with Lazy Suzans. Look for a better design solution. There almost always is one.
Oh, yeah: figure out where you're gonna put all the stuff that's in the kitchen now while you lay the new floor. Does the client have a large garage you could use for appliance and misc. storage? Or are you going to have to store it all at your place or rent a closed container?
Just a few random thoughts....
Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not brought
low by this? For thine evil pales before that which
foolish men call Justice....
Where does the temporary sink go. ? temp kitchen setup Good Idea. Ill sound like a genious thanks to you guys!
Did I say temporary sink? Don't think so, but if you want to set up a temp kitchenette for the client, the easiest place to do so would probably be in the laundry room. Already has a sink....
Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not broughtlow by this? For thine evil pales before that whichfoolish men call Justice....
If the HO's are ordering cabinets from somewhere else, make sure you insist that they and you look over every single cabinet and door when they arrive to make sure they meet their satisfaction. You don't want to take the time to hang a cabinet only to afterwards realize that the cabinet manufacturer accidentally put the wrong finish on it (happens all the time). You end up with a situation where nobody is happy.
You're getting lots of good advice from everyone here.
I always encourage the HO to set up a temporary kitchen with a sink somewhere. For a lot of my customers and for myself, we can deal with microwave dinners and having the fridge in the dining room, but traipsing around thru the house to the sink is just a nightmare.
If you are responsible for the layout and cabinets, have the HO sign the final plans, elevations and perspectives after you all review them and include these in your documentation.
If you are doing a custom finish on the cabinets, have the supplier provide one sample that can be signed, dated and returned to them and also one to leave with you or the HO.
Whoever said to select the appliances before starting is very wise.
Be careful of the info (and lack of) available from the appliance mfrs. For some of the new "architect" lines I try to actually see the appliance before I order the oven cabinets. Reason is, we did an oven cutout for one of these according to the mfr's specs. Turns out the flange on this unit was radiused and the overlay was so skimpy that the voids in the square cutout were showing.
Boy,, alot to think about...It all makes perfect sense now (lol)
I have made my living the last 27 years building custom cabinets and furniture , the mainstay of my work has been kitchen remodels . My eyes have seen things I wish they hadn't , you know like a corner out of square 2" in four feet or a floor that drops maybe 2" in 12 or 16 feet.
If you have a transit or any other equipment to reveal how plumb and level the room is before the job begins you get much insight as to what you will be working with and this can change the price or your attitude before the job begins .
Adding to the excellent info you have already got I would reinforce several aspects as well , you need to take complete control of every part of the job you are responsible for . Do not let the HO get involved with technical aspects , that's why they hired you .
You need to make sure the layout is correct and if modular cabinets are used the challenge is to use as few fillers and voids or blank areas as possible .
Make a copy of the layout or elevation / sketch of the job and have your clients initial it , give them a copy .
regards dusty
Wow, I had the same client last year. We started with the upstairs bath, got the downstairs next, then did the kitchen. It was great we were there most of the summer.
My mainstay has been bathrooms, recently i've been getting alot of kitchen calls. Honestly i'd rather do bathrooms. I use a fair amount of subs and make alot more (compared with days worked) on bathrooms.
On bathrooms I demo, hang hardi, paint, and maybe hang a towel bar.
On kitchens i'm lead carp so i'm working at least one full week.
Dont get me wrong I enjoy the carpentry, but collecting a check while my subs do it all aint bad either.