How to Survive Remodeling Your Kitchen

Comedians joke about the test of any marriage being a home remodeling job. After having lived through a kitchen remodel, I now longer think it's a joke. And it's not even vaguely funny.

You see we decided to remodel our 1960's galley kitchen. Every lifestyle magazine talks about how a kitchen is a gathering place, to catch up on the day's events, a place to do homework, oh yes, and eat too. Well our kitchen was all of the above and also the place to feed the dogs.

Now most mothers get upset when everyone doesn't sit down to dinner at the same time. I got upset when everyone did, as there was not any space to move.

Also storage space wasn't in the right place. The dishwasher was at the opposite end of the kitchen from where the dishes were stored. And my kitchen is 22' long-a true galley kitchen.

Enter my husband. He, along with another one of his engineer friends, decided it was possible to bump out the kitchen to gain some extra space. I was reassured it would be easy to do, not take a lot of time. Money, did anyone mention money? I've watched those TV shows where every remodel project runs over in time and especially money.

Kitchen remodels can cost anywhere from a couple of thousand dollars for new flooring, and paint to well over $100,000 for top of the line cabinets and appliances.

In spite of my better judgment I agreed to the remodel. For the next few weeks I looked at pictures in magazines, online suggestions, even videos on YouTube.

I personally wanted to have the 60 second remodel shown in the YouTube video. Not possible, but in my research I learned 4 questions I needed to ask both myself and my husband:

1. What Do I Really Want?

Like everything in life there's a difference between what I need and what I'd like to have.

- Ask yourself if you want a decorating makeover with paint, cupboard doors and flooring?

-Or do you need space for people to sit or counter space to make meals?

- Do you cook or are most of your meals microwave or take out?

-Is there enough storage space? Of the type you need?

- Do you have enough electrical outlets and are they in the places you need?

-Is the lighting correct for the job you need to do?

-Do your appliances match what you need?

-Does your refrigerator fit your family?

-Do you need more or fewer burners on your stove?

2. Are You Willing To Have A Disaster Area In Your Home?

Contractors will be in your home for weeks even months depending on the size of your remodel job. If you decide to do a lot by yourself the process can last even longer.

Your refrigerator will move into another room as well as the microwave. Unless you have one of the outlets for stoves, you'll be without a stove for at least part, if not all, of the remodel.

Consider you will be either eating a lot of 'take out' or eating out during this time. You will not be able to use your kitchen during the remodel.

One plus is remodeling your kitchen has been one of those costs which help with house reselling.

3. What Type Of A Remodel Job Are You Doing?

Are you doing a total gut and replace? Or do you want just a surface redo? Either one can work and make you happy.

4. Are There Ways To Reduce The Cost Of Remodeling?

From material choices, to doing it yourself to contractor choice there are many ways to save money. The key to saving money is to think the project through before you start. Restarts and redos' are expensive.

To Get You And Your Spouse On The Same Page

My suggestion is to first spend some time sitting in your kitchen with a spiral notebook and a pen. Look around you and write down everything you'd change if money were not a concern. Flip the notebook around and ask your spouse to do the same. No cheating here.

Put the notebook with the pen on top of the refrigerator or somewhere you can reach it. Now for one week (or longer) every time you say to yourself, "I wish I had..." or "It would be nice if..." regarding your kitchen, write it in the notebook.

The exercise was an eye opening experience for us. For example, both of us like to cook, but my husband likes to use every pot and pan we have. I'm the minimalist. "Use it, wash and reuse." He needs lots of counter space and a huge sink. I wanted an easy to clean countertop and he wanted a countertop to use for his baking.

At the end of the week, you and your spouse need to take your list. Mark a 1 next to what you have to have, a 2 next to what would be nice to have, and a 3 next to what would be included in your fantasy kitchen (if money, time and space were not an object.)

Next sit down and compare lists. We decided what we really wanted. Also we found what were a "nice to" and the "wish list".

Discussion Now Saves Money And Arguments Later

This gave us the chance to talk about what we wanted and start talking about how much we wanted to spend. The next few days we spent online researching prices. After our research we sat down again with our list. This time we were pleasantly surprised at how easily we were able to agree to what we needed to include in our kitchen remodel.

You'll probably find not everything can or will be included. I'm still hoping to win the lottery, but until then I'm ready to remodel my kitchen with most of the items on my 'have to have list.'