Putting together a Kitchen and Bath Remodeling Team: 4 Easy Tips on getting started

Here are my best four tips for getting started on your kitchen and bath remodeling project, and help you avoid a lot of frustration by you having done your homework first.  Do these, and you have set the general requirements of the kitchen and bath remodeling project, allowing you to both communicate well to those involved, develop the details, and focus on your end results.  This will help you and your team develop a remodeling project that starts off well, and finishes as you had hoped.

Who is on your kitchen and bath remodeling team? You, your contractor, and your designer generally make up the team.  You could also work with a landscape architect if the project goes beyond the kitchen and bath remodel in the existing space and incorporates outdoor spaces as well.

Your remodeling contractor will help you evaluate your structural situation and assist you and your designer to understand costly and not so costly, ways of changing the space.  These changes could include moving rooms, altering existing plumbing, adding or changing windows, doors, and walls, and help nail down any costs for the remodeling project.   Your contractor will also help keep the project on schedule and with minimal disruption.

Your kitchen and bath designer, who generally will also help you with supplying or guiding the cabinetry selection, specifications, and purchase, is likely also to play a role in working within the selection of  colors, materials, finishes, fixtures, lighting, and plumbing.  A designer will bring the experience of working on many projects, and design training, to help guide you with the many possible options, and keep an eye on the big picture to help pull the whole project together.

Communicate the following easy tips when getting started to your kitchen and bath remodeling team and you will save yourself a lot of frustration in the process.

1.  There is a reason you are considering this—write down what you dislike—and what you like—about your current kitchen or bath, and consider what you would do instead if you could do it over.
2. Start a collection of photos of what appeals to you.  Use the internet to collect online photos, or a notebook with clippings from magazines, or snap shots with your smart phone when visiting showrooms or show homes.  It is true—a photo does communicate better than a 1000 words!  These ideas that you like will be an invaluable tool as you work with your remodeling team to communicate your wishes.
3. Set a realistic budget to avoid a financial meltdown.   Really think about how much you can afford to spend on this project—and commit to sticking with it.  It is true that your home’s value will go up with an updated kitchen, usually making your home worth more than what you will pay for the remodel.  Keep in mind to make those numbers work, the results needs to look professionally done—if you aren’t up to the task yourself —work with a remodeling professional and designer to get the best results.
4. Consider timing of the entire kitchen and bath remodeling project.  Talking with various kitchen and bath remodeling professionals will give you an excellent sense of how varied the timing can be on a project.  The project timeline will be set depending upon who you choose to work with, and what you decide to do.

With these carefully thought through, you are well on your way to a successful kitchen and bath remodeling project!  And be sure to research Kitchen and Bathroom Remodeling Costs – Tips to Keep Your Remodeling Project Under Control if you are planning a kitchen or bath remodeling project.

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