How long did your custom kitchen take from start to finish?
purpleplume
17 days ago
Between 12-18 months
Between 19-24 months
Less than 12 months
More than 2 years
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Comments (16)
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How Long did your kitchen remodel take?
Comments (34): ( Forever and ever.... We started last May it feels like longer than a year. It seems like it is never ending. My DH just told me he does not like the crown molding and wants to hire someone to come in redo our ceiling and crown molding. I would say I am about 85% done. The kitchen is functional, I have had friends over but there are little details that still need to be ironed out. And sometimes I get sad about it. And other times I remind myself that I have a good excuse to visit GardenWeb kitchens. ~boxerpups...See Morehow long did it take you to get used to your new kitchen
Comments (6)I have several different answers: Getting used to needing some less used item and having it flash in my head where it was in the old kitchen probably took at least a year to get over, even though I had been out of the old kitchen for the better part of a whole year. Getting used to the new cooking appliances and how to get the most/best out of them took almost no time to start, but really a year or two to perfect. Getting used to the way more functional layout took the blink of an eye. I've done almost no rearranging since I settled in, and what I have done has been because of new items that the new kitchen enabled me to use. So no time for getting used to what's where, assuming I remembered (easy to remember where the knives are, but I lost my grill press when I was first putting things away (the drawers weren't lined yet, so I put it in a cupboard) and I still haven't found it four years later after looking absolutely everywhere three times.) Getting used to the way it looks so that I don't constantly go "oooh" every time I walk in took about half a year. I still sit back and admire sometimes, but that frisson does dissipate as familiarity grows. From crush to love. :) Getting used to cooking in general? I had trial by fire. Other than a few sandwiches and the like, the first thing I made in my new kitchen was Seder for more than 25 people. There's none of that worry about messing up the new things when that many people are coming for a dinner which has to be made completely from scratch. And once you've used every single part of the kitchen in one fell swoop, it becomes a real working kitchen. So that took about a week. :) All of it spent prepping and cooking and using everything....See MoreHow long did your kitchen remodel take?
Comments (29)We were without a usable kitchen for somewhere between 2 and 3 weeks. This included removal of old cabinets (Habitat did that for us), removal of old floor and installation/finishing of new HW, relocating and adding plumbing, a bit of construction to reframe an interior window (long story), having the whole kitchen completely rewired, and installation of new cabinets and countertop. There was another couple of weeks of kitchen work that I did myself (filling nail holes, caulking, painting, final coats of finish on the wood countertop, having the backsplash installed) but we were using the kitchen during that time. This is what made it go so fast: 1. not being a normal GW kitchen (cabs/counters are from IKEA). 2. LUCK. 3. Lots and lots and lots of advance planning on my part -- I was the "GC." 4. Wonderful trades (flooring, plumber, electricians) who came when they said they would and got their work done efficiently; ditto local inspector. 5. Great installers with extensive carpentry and IKEA experience who were available on short notice (see point 2, Luck) when original handyman bailed out after reno had already begun. 6. Choosing a floor finish that was ready to walk on the next day (Rubio Monocoat). 7. Using a countertop that could be installed by the cabinet installers (IKEA butcherblock). 8. Having almost everything on site in advance, and having me available to run to the big box stores at a moment's notice for unexpected bits and pieces (corollary: being willing to have most kitchen components come off the shelf from somewhere local; there were only a few special-order things). 9. DIY'ing the final steps and using the kitchen during that time. 10. Almost forgot -- keeping the scale of reno fairly limited -- basic footprint of room did not change (some wall and window work had to be done, but no walls were moved and we left the original plaster in place for the most part). I still can't quite believe we pulled it off so fast. It wouldn't have happened if the people I hired hadn't been so professional and helpful (a big deal, I know, since I'm just a homeowner and can give them only so much business). I really do sympathize with all of you with the longer renos. Your kitchens are on a different level than ours, though, and ours wouldn't suit everyone....See MoreHow long did your DIY kitchen take?
Comments (17)We did a from-the-studs kitchen demo and remodel also. The only things hired out were the installation of a structural beam for a supporting wall, the major electric and the plumbing. We began in spring of 2008 and were largely finished by summer 2009. But there are always the little things still waiting to be finished up. (In our case, designing and tiling a vent hood.) As teachers with little capital reserve and no desire for debt if we can help it, we have been paying as we go, no loans. With the exception of a few large items that fell into our laps early (gorgeous recycled cabinets, a Liebherr fridge on sale), we've had to bide our time until we can afford the materials in order to install them. Thus, we waited a few months for the copper for the counters, another few for the tile for the backsplash, the cool pushbutton lightswitches, etc. But the wait, as Rexem says, just gave us all the more time to really research each job, locate the right supplies (many of which needed special ordering) and check in with online experts and contractor friends. I will give a good shout out to a few excellent online resources for DIY, while I'm at it: John Bridge runs a Ceramic Tile Advice Forum, where his tile professional participants are unparalleled in their consistently excellent advice and amazing patience with DIYers' endless questions. If you're going to learn to tile, Bridge's book Tile Your World gave me the best course imaginable. John Leeke of Portland Maine runs workshops and an online discussion forum on restoring and maintaining old wooden windows and millwork. Terry Meany's book Working Windows is also a bible for anyone in the laudable situation of wanting to rehab their gorgeous originals. The WoodWeb forums, in particular the Cabinet and Millwork Installation forum, is a professionals' hangout whose archives are truly invaluable for beginners....See Morepurpleplume
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