One of your motivations for a remodeled kitchen surely must be the chance to bring the family closer together. Doing dishes in the bathtub and warming up soup on the hot plate—fun! It’ll be just like a campout at Yellowstone!
On the way to your bright and shining new stainless steel appliances, your house will indeed be turned upside down. You’ll be wiping dust off the kids for weeks. There will be delays and other frustrations. Your family ties will be tested. Advises one remodeler: “Don’t work with your spouse. No matter how wonderful your relationship, you will fight like never before.”
But before you decide to really pitch a tent at Yellowstone, take some defensive measures: know what to expect and how to prepare.
You may have spent months, if not years, contemplating and mapping out your new kitchen. Gratification, however, will be far from instant once you finally do order your new products and materials.
Some products and materials may require lead times of up to nine months. Custom cabinets typically arrive in 12 to 16 weeks; semi-custom in eight to 10 weeks; and stock in four weeks or less.
Once the products do arrive, expect their installation to take anywhere from two to 12 weeks, depending on how ambitious your project is and on how many setbacks you encounter.
Here’s a typical installation schedule:
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Work To Be Done
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Time To Complete
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Structural changes (i.e. knocking out a wall or adding a barrel ceiling)
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Depends on extent of changes and building type
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Cabinets and appliances delivered and placed in a garage, dining room, manufacturers' warehouse, storage facility, or other temporary holding space
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1 day
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Old kitchen's cabinets, appliances, and other features removed
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1 day minimum
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Mechanical changes (i.e. electrical wiring and plumbing)
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2-3 days minimum
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Painting or other wall decorating
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2 days minimum
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Flooring
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Depends on material
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Cabinets
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2-10 days
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Appliances
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1-2 days
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Countertop fabricator measures space and orders material to fit new specifications
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1 day; expect delivery about a month after order placed by fabricator
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Lighting
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2 days
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Countertops
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Depends on material: laminate, 1-3 weeks; solid surface, 2-4 weeks; stone 2-5 weeks
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Wall faucet(s)
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1 day
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Backsplash
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1-2 days
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Sink(s)
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1 day
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Cooktop
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1 day
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