4 Secrets You May Not Know About Remodeling Your Home

I walked in and was immediately irritated. The demolition had been done, the work area had been tarped off from the rest of the house, and it had been swept clean.

I’ve remodeled many kitchens and knew exactly what to expect, so why, when my own kitchen was remodeled, did I feel this way?

Here are 4 secrets you may not know about remodeling your home that are sure to annoy the heck out of you:

You are Going to Be Irritated

I was irritated because things were different. I wanted the remodel, but it still irritated me. Have you ever read Who Moved My Cheese? The mouse did what he did, because that’s the way he’d always done it.

I am used to the same routine and now I have to do things differently. I currently can’t go into the kitchen to get a glass of water. No, I have to go out the back door, walk around the patio, go through the garage, and squeeze around all my furniture in the garage to get to the refrigerator, to get my bottle of water.

Sigh. Might as well have a snack while I’m here.

Your Life Will Be Disrupted

A kitchen remodel is highly disruptive to every routine in your household. You can’t cook, you can’t clean, and this goes on for months. It’s also highly invasive. You have strange people coming in and out of your house, moving and touching your stuff. Building materials will be everywhere… It’s not great.

You are Going To Be Disappointed

There’ll be unmet expectations, mixed up timetables, things will not happened as promised, and key information not shared. You’ll feel out of control and helpless, and you’ll be at the mercy of someone (a contractor) you hardly know.

It’s Going to Cost More Than you Expected

It’s not going to cost what you think it will cost. Of course, you will know this before any work begins because you will get an estimate of the cost. Change orders always happen. That’s life!

How to Ease the Pain of a Kitchen Remodel

Remember that the months of irritation, inconvenience, disappointment, and expense will be worth it. If you’re overwhelmed by everything that could go wrong or could inconvenience you, I have a solution:

Hire an interior designer to advocate for you, communicate with the contractor and sub-contractors, and—of course—guide you through the design and selection processes.

Look for an interior designer that will tell you the truth, not someone who will sugarcoat the process, but someone who will tell you exactly how difficult and challenging your project going to be. Make sure they are transparent about the following:

• You aren’t going to like the remodeling process most of the time

• You will lose your temper at least once.

• It is going to cost more than you think.

You need someone with good listening skills, a positive attitude, an understanding nature, patience, and good sense of personal responsibility. Lastly, make sure your interior designer is fairly priced—not lowest price but fairest price.

You want a partner in the remodeling process, someone you can trust and work with in a cooperative manner. If you shop based on price, you will be sorely disappointed.

At KTJ Design Co., we make sure you understand the design and remodeling process and you are part of it. You’ll be updated on the progress regularly and alerted to schedule changes. When something goes wrong (because it certainly will), we’ll present the best solution.

You need Kathleen Jennison and her team in your corner. I guarantee it. Check out the updated Services Page.