Kitchen renovation projects in Kent County can take anywhere from 2 months to 2 years. The average length of time is 6 months from beginning the planning process to when the kitchen is finished. In this post I am going to break down the steps and explain what happens at each point.
Kitchen Renovation Project Steps
You will have four major steps after you make the decision to proceed with a kitchen renovation project.
Step One: Choosing a Designer
This step can take anywhere from 1 day to 6 months. It is dependent on when you meet a designer you trust. What are the criteria for choosing a kitchen designer?
- How long have they been designing kitchens. There are no experts in this profession since every kitchen and renovation plan is different but there are experienced designers. I would only use a designer that had a minimum of 5 years’ experience. By that time, they would have run into a variety of issues and learned how to avoid some of the most common.
- Another important criterion is their communication skills. When you first meet a designer, do they facilitate discussion? During the first meeting it is important for them to understand the breadth of your project, but it is just as important that you get to know them. This person is going to oversee your kitchen renovation that will involve you spending a lot of time with and a lot of money on. Make sure you know them.
Step Two: Planning
This is often the longest phase. I have had this take a client 2 years, but on average this step takes about 3 months. During this stage you will
- develop and finalize your new kitchen plan
- choose the materials you will use in your renovated kitchen and
- pick a contractor to execute this plan with the materials you choose.
Creating the kitchen plan takes time since you will need to figure out exactly where you want all your kitchen items to live and how you want to work and play in your perfect kitchen. Even if the kitchen layout does not change, the cabinets and storage interiors will, and that takes time to decide how it will best work for you. Once that is done you then get to pick out how you want everything to look. This includes the overall appearance (traditional/transitional/contemporary) but also the details to get that look. What hardware, cabinet color/door style, plumbing fixtures, tile, countertops, appliances make your kitchen work and look the way you want it to? Finally, you might have a contractor, but often a contractor must be chosen. A good designer can help you find one that is reliable and will easily become part of the team to turn your vision into reality.
Step Three: Ordering
Usually, this step takes between 1 and 3 months with the cabinets being the long lead time. Now with the pandemic, this step can be the longest. Cabinets and other materials such as plumbing fixtures can now take up to 7 months. At this point I would plan for 5 months minimum.
Step Four: Installation
This is another area that has been affected by the pandemic. Contractors in Kent County are busy for up to a year, at least the good ones are very busy. Installation itself usually takes 6 weeks if everything goes flawlessly with a schedule and the materials have been delivered. The long lead time at this point is the countertop which must be measured when the cabinets and appliances are already in place and then the countertop needs to be fabricated. This takes 10 days to 2 weeks. Once the countertop is installed then the backsplash and final plumbing can be done. It seems at this point that the process has taken years, but you are in the home stretch. Your kitchen renovation project will be done at this end of this step.
Contact Teknika to Begin Your Kent County Kitchen Renovation Project
If you would like more information on kitchen renovations and planning the timeline for Kent County residents, please see https://www.teknikakitchensandbaths.com/design-process/. If you would like to discuss your project in detail, please call 410-778-2036.
