Home Renovation Tip - Lead Time for Kitchens

As part of our home renovation tips, we'll have lots to say about our new kitchen in the coming days and weeks. We are really very pleased with it and with the kitchen design specialist, Jim. For now, let's chat about lead times.

Everyone knows that investing in a new kitchen is amongst the most beneficial when it comes to improving the resale value of a home. But, we aren't in this for a resale. Rather, we need to adjust the kitchen to meet the needs of our family, including one who uses a walker / wheelchair.

And, all that smoke / nicotine in the house permeated the cabinets. So, going in we knew that we need to demolish the kitchen, remove the existing cabinets, and likely do some rewiring and re-plumbing as the placement of the sink and dishwasher had to be changed to accommodate our needs.

It took us about 2 months, off and on, to finalize our kitchen design. That includes several visits with Jim, our kitchen designer as well as with his competitors, both other kitchen design firms as well as big box stores that have do-it-yourself kitchen planning / design offerings.

We signed our contract on June 23, 2007, right at the height of the kitchen construction and installation busy period. Our kitchen installation began on September 24, 2007. The initial installation effort took only a few days, because we had already gutted the kitchen and put everything else (re-wiring, plumbing, flooring, etc. ) in place.

So, the manufacturer and installer lead time was a full 3 months. It took us about 2 months from start of our kitchen researching, planning, etc.

Reno tip for kitchens: do not under estimate the length of time to select a kitchen designer, finalize the details of the new kitchen (it will take several design sessions looking at alternatives), or the manufacturer and installer lead time. However, if you do it right (the right design, the right designer, the right materials & colours, the right installer), it will be worth it in the end.

Remember, most of entertaining these days actually includes the kitchen and in most homes the kitchen / eating area is the focal point, so take the time to get it right and to find the right designer and installer.

Source: To view pictures of our new kitchen, and to share in more of our ongoing home renovation experiences, access our blog, Daily Home Renovation Tips, at the following URL: http://dailyrenotips.blogspot.com/