July 10, 2010

Kitchen Remodels – Tips for Getting Through an Update

Instead of reading the Seattle Times newspaper like you normally do, you decide to take an inventory of your kitchen while sipping your coffee at breakfast. Although still in decent shape, you concede that the kitchen floor would be right at home in the seventies. And if you are going to redo the floor, you should probably replace the counter that has seen better days. By the time you finish breakfast, you decide your kitchen needs an overhaul. Before you call Authentic Home, here are a few things that happen during kitchen remodels that you should expect.

With kitchen remodels, you should expect to get what you pay for. This means if you are always looking for the cheapest price or the least expensive way to go, then you should expect less than stellar work. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be looking for the best value for your money. Finding a great deal is part of the fun of remodeling your kitchen. However, you should not try to cut corners on the important stuff. Make sure you do what is necessary to ensure your new kitchen is both safe and usable. Putting in a few extra dollars today can save you thousands of dollars down the line.

Authentic Home will give you an estimated time of completion for your kitchen project. However, you should add an extra few days to that time. Even though kitchen remodels would seem like easy and straightforward projects, a lot of it will depend on how good or bad of a shape the kitchen is in. If the work crew starts pulling things out and find hidden problems, then you can expect that the remodel will take longer and may cost a little more than you anticipated. If you have to schedule time off from work, be sure to pad that time with a few extra days to account for any unexpected delays.

Lastly, if there are any changes in the scope of the work that is being done on your kitchen, always have the contract amended. This is especially important if you will be incurring an additional cost. You need on paper that details the responsibilities of both parties to prevent any misunderstandings down the line. This will also give you something to refer to should the contractor not fulfill his obligations towards you. Most kitchen remodels go off without a hitch. However, you should always do your research to ensure you are well prepared for any and everything that may go wrong.

Contact Authentic Home for your next kitchen remodel. See our portfolio of kitchen remodels here.