Getting The Most From A Kitchen or Bathroom Project
By Molly Erin McCabe, AKBD
Reprinted with permission from West Sound Home & Garden Magazine
Over the course of my design career, I have seen many varieties of
remodel and new construction projects. However, one thing has remained
constant throughout them all – they are resource intensive endeavors. To
complete your project with few, if any regrets, you need to invest both your
valuable money and your time. Here are a few tips on how to maximize your
return on your investment.
1) Put your goals and objectives for the project in writing. This will
benefit both you and any allied build/design professionals you may choose to
work with. Goals may be large or small such as adding space, replacing tired
finishes or appliances and/or improving the space for resale. Examples of
common objectives include improving space utilization, personalizing the space,
increasing natural light, improving energy efficiency and/or improving indoor air
quality. It is important to make sure your goals do not contradict your objectives.
When this happens the project can come to a standstill, until issues are
resolved, thus adding to the cost of the project (as they say, time is money).
2) Set a palatable budget and try to stick to it. You know what your
financial resources are and you know what you are comfortable spending,
hence that is your budget number. However, keep in mind a general rule of
thumb – try not to spend more than 15 percent of the market value of your
home on a kitchen project and not more than five to ten percent on a master
bathroom project. By setting a realistic budget, you, your designer or your
builder can put together a rational materials list that not only fits your needs but
also your budget. Without a budget, you are likely to go around in circles with all
the different options until you are ready to throw your hands up and go back to
renting an apartment. For those clients who have champagne tastes and beer
budgets, I assist them in the proverbial stealing from Peter to pay Paul by
finding ways to economize on one material so that they can splurge on another,
all the while keeping the style/look of the project congruous.
3) Take your time when you are planning out a kitchen or bath
remodel and try to have all your materials selected before the first hammer
swings. If you are planning on gutting the entire space then I typically
recommend clients spend up to twelve months planning/designing the kitchen
and up to six months for a master bathroom. The same guideline would apply to
new construction. This minimizes decision making under duress which rarely
provides optimal results. Additionally, I often recommend that homeowners live
in a recently purchased home for up to a year before they start planning a
remodel project. This allows them to develop a clear idea of what they like and
dislike about the space as well as get a feel for the natural light over the
changing seasons. For less extreme projects you can scale back on the
planning time but given the investment of your hard earned dollars more
planning usually equates to fewer change orders, less dollars spent and greater
project satisfaction.
4) Differentiate your needs from your wants. Do you need a
warming drawer or would you simply like to have one? If you have an erratic
schedule with kids going in many directions and working parents whose
schedules can be unpredictable, then a warming drawer is a great appliance for
keeping the home fires burning. If you are empty nesters who travel a lot, then
you probably will not get an adequate return on your investment in this
appliance and you have given up valuable space in your kitchen for it. You want
a two person jet tub? Are you going to upgrade your water heater to supply that
tub and do you regularly have the extra 20 minutes that it will take to fill the tub
or would you be better off allocating those funds to a two person multi-head
shower?
5) Do consider resale but… My rule of thumb is, it you plan on
staying in your house for five years or more than design and build for you not
some perspective buyer. If apple green countertops float your boat then go for it
but also consider whether or not you want to face them very morning for at least
the next ten years.
6) Keep things congruous. Expensive granite countertops typically
should not be combined with inexpensive pressboard stock cabinets. To begin,
the granite is heavy and in time the pressboard cabinets may not take the
weight and begin to sag thus making it difficult to open and close the cabinet
doors. Second, pairing these two items could have an appearance that is
similar to putting custom chrome wheel hubs on a Ford Fiesta car. Together
they just won’t deliver the look you are trying to achieve. Another thing to
consider is, do the materials on your wish list match your family’s life style and
your willingness to clean and maintain them. Learn about the durability and
maintenance requirements of your selected materials before you purchase and
install them.
7) Kick the tires. There are many “live appliance showrooms” in
major cities across the US where you can actually turn on the burners of the
cook top and bake a batch of cookies in the oven. You can bring your own bell
pepper and sauté it or the distributor will provide you with food stuffs to actually
cook. Contact the manufacturer to find out where the closest live showroom is
to you or consult with a professional kitchen & bath designer. Please note that
these showrooms typically feature mid-high end appliances such as Gaggenau,
Miele, Sub Zero, Thermador, Viking and Wolf, just to name a few. When looking
at wall ovens, I always encourage clients to open the doors and feel the weight
of the door, do they like the hinging mechanism, the racking system, the door
handle, the control panel and/or the interior lighting? With dishwashers, I
encourage them to take their plates into the showroom and make sure they fit
properly in the dishwasher’s racks.
8) Avoid the temptation of buying materials/appliances well in
advance of installation just because they are a “good deal”. Although it is very
tempting to purchase that dual fuel range that you have had your eye on
because your local appliance store is having a sale but try to abstain. One of
several thing can happen: 1) the unit may sit in your garage for 12 months or
more and your warranty could expire before you even get it out of the box, 2)
you are not likely to uncrate it prior to installation and if it sits in your garage for
an extended period of time and you discover it is damaged upon uncrating, you
may have no recourse, 3) if it kicks around your garage for any period of time it
is likely to become damaged and 4) the manufacturer may change the styling
thus the “matching” microwave you held off on buying now has an updated
control panel and handle from the oven sitting in your garage. Additionally,
avoid purchasing cooking equipment from rummage sales and internet auctions
because it can be difficult to insure there are no recall issues associated with
the unit and the fact that the item will not be shipped in its original protective
packaging can make it susceptible to damage.
9) Get real – don’t believe those home remodel reality TV shows.
Well designed kitchens and baths can not be remodeled in a weekend
especially by a novice. So, be honest with yourself – do you really have the skill
set and time to start and complete a remodel yourself? If your answer is no,
then enlist professionals to help you with your project. Hiring architects,
contractors and/or designers can save you time, money and for some
homeowners their marriage. Finding the right professional(s) for you can be an
arduous process but keep this one simple thing in mind: these people will be in
your life and by the end of your project they will likely know a lot of intimate
things about you and your family so choose professionals that you like and
trust. Someone you would feel comfortable leaving your wallet and your toddler
with for an entire weekend while you travel out of state!
How do you find these people? Well as with most professional services,
ask your friends, family members and neighbors. Additionally, you can contact
the local chapter of the American Institute of Architects, National Homebuilders
Association, National Association of the Remodeling Industry and the National
Kitchen & Bath Association. These groups maintain high standards for their
members in terms of ethical business practices and educational and experience
requirements.
Expect to pay an hourly consulting fee to meet with most build/design
professionals. During the course of your consultation, these professionals will
undoubtedly provide you with some very valuable information and thus they
should be compensated for it. It is just like when an appliance repair person
comes to your house to investigate why your dishwasher is not working and you
pay them an hourly rate for their time even if they do not perform a repair.
10) Assume nothing. To minimize the opportunity for
misunderstandings, get everything in writing whether it is from your appliance
retailer or your building/design professional. Purchase orders and service
contracts should spell out, in black and white, everything that is going to happen
and everything that isn’t. For example agreements should provide an estimated
time of completion (delivery), materials (with model numbers and colors where
applicable), fee and payment schedules, etc. For every change order you
request, put it in writing, and expect the results to be tacked onto your bill
(restocking fee) or bid. Don’t accept scribbles on cocktail napkins from your
designer or building professional.
11) Consider your projects impact on the environment. Based on my
experience, there is a general misconception about the cost of environmentally
friendly building materials and design practices. It is widely believed that they
are more expensive. Now it may be true that the up front cost may be higher for
an energy efficient dishwasher or a recycled content material countertop but on
the back end you save on operating and maintenance costs thus often making
these products a better buy over their less “green” brethren. Another thing to
consider is the plethora of tax credits and rebates available for environmentally
friendly products (go to www.energystar.gov).
12) Don’t throw away your serviceable cabinets, plumbing fixtures,
etc. If you don’t need extra storage capacity in your garage/basement, then
consider donating your old serviceable kitchen cabinets to a local charity. Three
such local entities that will not only accept but will often deconstruct for you are
Builders Bargains (a not for profit new/used building materials reseller that
donates their cash receipts to Habitat for Humanity) located in Bremerton
www.kitsaphabitat.org, the Housing Resource Board on Bainbridge Island (a
not for profit providing housing for low income individuals and families)
www.housingresourcesboard.org and the Re-Store located in Seattle (a not for
profit building materials reseller that uses their receipts to reconstruct salmon
habitats and clean up beaches and parks) www.re-store.org.
Now that you have the essentials for a successful project, pour yourself a
cup of coffee and kick back with a stack of home improvement magazines and
start dreaming!
About the Author
Molly Erin McCabe, AKBD is a professional kitchen and bath designer and
owner of A Kitchen That Works™. She is a member of the Olympic West Sound
Chapter of the National Kitchen & Bath Association and the Kitsap Homebuilders
Association Green Built Program. Ms. McCabe is the co-designer and co-builder
of a three star Built Green home. She can be reached at 206-780-1906 or .