Kitchen Reno 2009 - Part 2

Another reason we've though about doing the kitchen reno now is we did the bathroom a few months ago and it wasn't totally terrible. Our bathroom looks nice and it only took a few days. The bathroom did cement the fact that we need someone else doing the kitchen reno, not us.

We went to the Ikea kitchen department two Sundays ago. The first women got us set up on a computer and we built the kitchen while we waited for the second (more knowledgeable) women to come over. Meanwhile, some crazy old dude (who I think worked there, or maybe picked up a blue and yellow shirt from the Thrift store just to f**k with us) came over and asked if we needed some help. I asked if the contractor who installed the kitchen could install the flooring too (and paint, etc.) "No, they just do the cabinets." Karen and I looked at each other. Of course, crazy Thrift store guy was wrong.

Ikea employs a company called Home-Work Contractor Referral who refers a contractor. The contractor (ours = Steve) comes out to the house (Steve = Wednesday) for an initial assessment (e.g., takes measurements), all for the low low price of $80. (Oh yes, my checkbook will be bloody after this.)

The total cost estimate varies from between $10K - $15K depending on whether the installation (i.e., labour) cost is 1x or 2x the material cost. (This is typically the way we look at costs for estimating for engineering jobs ... as a multiple of the material cost.)

Kitchen Reno 2009 - Part 1

So I thought I'd blog about our upcoming kitchen reno, as I've never gone through anything like this before, and it will be interesting to see the difference between my preconception and reality.

We've been thinking about this seriously for a year. Mainly since I broke our countertop using a hammer to get our old faucet out. Now there is a "rag" which covers the cracked area behind the faucet.

Our kitchen was white when we bought the house. A few years in we (and by we I mean Karen) painted it orange and brown. The cabinets have been painted so many times that the hardware is covered by many layers of paint and couldn't be removed.

The picture in this post is the layout I created using IKEA's kitchen planning software, which is surprisingly good. You can see our kitchen is small. And lacking a dishwasher, which is rapidly become the main reason for the reno.

Currently, the estimate for materials is $2795 (according to IKEA's software). We also plan on painting, putting in new flooring, and adding a new sink and dishwasher.

In subsequent posts, I'll include my total cost estimate and estimated schedule (I am an engineer), before and after pictures, how it was to deal with the contractor, and living without access to the kitchen (hello paper plates!!!)