1. Patience. Patience. Patience. Sometimes things take longer to be delivered. Sometimes a part is missing and the contractor needs to come back another day with it to finish. Sometimes you run out of wood and can't finish the floors! Patience.
2. Little adjustments are important. And take time. Once countertops were set, I thought the finish would be fast & easy but there were so many little adjustments. Lowering and raising the cabinets doors was easy but took some time.
3. Nothing is
perfect. Working with the parameters of an old house, a small kitchen and a
limited budget, you have to accept somethings as they are. For example, I chose
not to take out the subfloor and rebuild to level so now there is a transition b/w the kitchen and living room. Not noticeable to most but still, it's not perfect! That's ok, I am not really level and perfect either!
4. Contractors have their own schedule! Your house is not the only
project they have going on. Contractors need to treat all of their customers the
same way. If it was respect and quality that got you to choose that contractor,
that is what he is most likely showing to all of his customers, so sometimes an emergency on another job will pull him off your job, but you know they same courtesy will be shown to you. It's all part of the balance.
5. Don't sweat the small stuff. There were 6 different options for countertop edges i.e. rounded, square, squared round, etc. Who cares! At the end of the day, it was not the end all, be all decision.
6. Get a backsplash! Now that the kitchen is finished, it seems naked without one. That will be next on the list.
7. Plan and budget: Make a plan and budget and stick to it. Make trade offs accordingly. Do what you can afford AND makes you happy. Shop around, read about products and ask for recommendations.
8. Be home! You really need to supervise the work and coordinate deliveries. Be there to approve decisions, after a countertop is installed and plumbing hooked up is not the time to tell someone you don't like the edge!
9. Have lots of dinner invitations!! I have a lot of IOUs once the oven is
operational! Make sure you follow through on them too. Weather you think so or
not there are many things that a good contractor will do at an expense to them
that you don't even realize. Make sure to say thanks.
10. Trust the process, in the end, you will have a nice new kitchen and a few good
stories!
I would like to add that picking a contractor is by far the most important step. Choose someone you are comfortable with, and that you know you will be able to work with happily. Cost is not always the deciding factor. Compare quotes carefully. If 2 quotes are dractically different, there is most likely a reason. Make sure you know what is included BEFORE you start. A less expensive starting bid can EASILY have a more expensive end result. Trust the contractors you chose...they are going to be in your house day in and day out for a several months.
Creating custom kitchens in Bucks, Montgomery, Chester and Philadelphia Counties.
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