Kitchen remodel lessons - what would you do differently?

[williamfoster3]

We wrapped up a full kitchen remodel this year, and since this is the off-topic corner, I figured I'd share what surprised us most. First, the cabinets we fell in love with in the showroom looked completely different under our home lighting, so bring samples home before committing. Second, keep a contingency of at least 15 percent of the budget for things like outdated wiring behind the walls. And finally, schedule the project with buffer time because lead times on appliances are still longer than anyone tells you. What lessons did you all learn from your own renovations?

 

[webestang6422 1]

After you measure, measure again and again. And maybe remeasure one more time before buying. Double check warranty's on any appliances. This might not deal with kitchen but when I replaced my gas hot water heater I went electric. Warranty on the $1200 gas heater was 6 years, the warranty on the same capacity $685 electric heater is 9 years and cost less to run.

 

[480sparky53 52]

Understand there are building codes. Just because you want, or don't want, something doesn't mean you can have it or not do it. I run into this all the time. Homeowner says, "I don't want....".... but.... building codes require it. Or, "I want..." and the codes prohibit it.

And please don't expect those doing the work to jeopardize their livelihoods just to please you. Yes... that can happen. Disregarding the codes can get their licenses revoked.