Advice for D-I-Y Kitchen Remodeling

DIY Kitchen Remodeling

Been There – Done That

Having remodeled two kitchens in the last 5 years, here's some advice for Do-It-Yourself kitchen remodels. Don't.

Seriously, unless you're an electrician, a plumber, a painter, and a carpenter, who can lay tile, and install cabinets, and granite countertops you're going to need help. In my case, I wasn't any of these. For my first kitchen remodel I hooked up with a designer. She saved me a lot of money with some great ideas and connected me with a general contractor. He took care of the trades while I took care of the materials with an assist or two from the designer.

I later sold that house, and moved into a small older home that was perfect for us, but needed a complete update. In this case, I didn't use a designer. We did a complete gut job, but there was not much design work – just remove and replace. New floors, new paint, etc. In the kitchen we replaced everything, but kept the basic layout. If you choose to go this way, get ready for a very long process. In hindsight, I would have done everything the same, except I'd have hired a project manager to inspect the work in process and keep the job moving forward in a more timely fashion.

If you decide to manage your own remodel, I'd recommend at a minimum that you stick with professionals for the work you can't handle yourself. I had a handyman scrape the popcorn ceilings, do the painting, and some fix-up work, but I used licensed professionals everywhere else. Of course, for appliances and plumbing fixtures, you need to deal with Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center. So, I'm showing favorites – that doesn't make me wrong! These folks have the largest selection at the lowest prices and they know what they're doing. Here's one example of a great product you can save money on today at UAKC: