Whether you just moved into your new home or are simply tired of looking at a bland and dated kitchen, now may be a great time for a full kitchen redo. A fresh kitchen can change your life (and home) for the better! But, which should you go with – a remodel, redesign or renovation? Or is there even a difference between the terms? Read on to learn more.
What’s the difference between remodeling versus redesigning or renovating?
Remodeling your kitchen is different from redesigning or renovating it. Redesign refers to the act of changing the color scheme and adding touches like fresh curtains. A renovation usually refers to the process of improving or repairing the space where kitchen damage has occurred.
A kitchen remodel is where the whole room is stripped back to its bare bones, a new layout is decided upon and a whole new kitchen is built. Everything is changed – from countertops to light fixtures; from faucets to cabinets. Remodeling is a preferred go-to for most people since it allows you to plan your kitchen space in a way that better incorporates to your ideal vision of form and functionality. A full remodeling of your kitchen allows you to maintain complete control over every option of its new design.
When you decide it’s time to remodel, the key is to first find a knowledgeable and trustworthy contractor able to partner with you on your vision. Below are some tips and tricks to getting started.
Tip 1: Know what the process will look like
In a typical kitchen remodel, the contractor will begin by demolishing your existing kitchen. They will almost always begin by installing flooring followed by installing all the cabinets. After cabinet installation is completed the contractor schedules a countertop templator to come to your home and template the countertops. This process can take up to a week depending on season, location, and size of job.
Tip 2: Understand who owns what part of the process
No contractor wants to take responsibility for final fit and detail – that responsibility shifts to the countertop manufacturer as soon as the template occurs! Since that’s the case, countertops are usually scheduled AFTER the cabinets are permanently set. The time between measuring and the actual installation of your new countertops takes about two week. And that’s two weeks out of a typical 30-45 day kitchen remodel that has no scheduling issues or missing/late materials. Can you imagine being without a kitchen for 30 days or longer?
Tip 3: Know if it’s better to go with a general contractor
Primarily, remodelers are General Contractors who subcontract the various trades (plumbing, electrical, flooring, cabinets & countertops) and are subjected to the schedules of the sub-contractors that they use. Completion of your new kitchen could be extended past 45 days depending on the availability of the sub-contractors.
Tip 4: Disregard tips 1-3 and go with a leader in whole kitchen remodels
At Capitol Kitchens, a division of Capitol Granite, we control ALL aspects of the Kitchen Remodel process! The subcontractor variable is completely removed, and YOU, the customer, capitalizes on it. The ‘mobilization’ day (the day we begin to demolish your kitchen) is established when we have an inbound arrival date on your cabinets. And because we are a full-stop shop (cabinets, flooring, countertops, knobs, trim, plus so much more!), our templator will already have the dimensions of your new countertops based of the cabinet measurements – there is no need to wait an extra week or two like in a typical kitchen remodel. You are able to use your kitchenup to the day we receive your cabinets. Only once the cabinets are in and your countertops are completed do we begin to demolish your existing kitchen. Our exclusive process moves very quickly!
The Capitol Kitchens process is as follows:
Day 1: Demolish old kitchen and begin flooring installation.
Day 2: Finish flooring and set cabinets.
Day 3: Set countertop stone and finish trimming cabinets/set uppers
Day 4: Backsplash tile/paint, hook up plumbing & electrical
Day 5: Punch List/knobs/trim/appliances
At Capitol Kitchens, what would take a remodeling company 30-45 days, takes us only 5-7 days depending on the size of your existing kitchen. Ready to get going?
