Kitchen Remodel: Where to start?

We are planning a kitchen remodel but not sure where to start after the kitchen is gutted out. Do we start with the cabinets or do we do the flooring first?

Our Answer

Way before you ever wield a sledgehammer, the best place to start is with a thorough, clear-eyed assessment of your kitchen’s current state and what features and functions you require in a remodel. Kitchen design is a very specific art, so you’d also be wise to consult with a designer certified by the National Kitchen and Bath Association, who will have the know-how to create solutions that fit your budget as well as your lifestyle (and that includes keeping the actual remodel moving along so that you can get back to actually using your kitchen as soon as possible). From there, what’s tackled first will depend on the extent of the remodel to which you’ve committed. Just take care not to create extra problems and expense with such whoppers as moving plumbing around and going into walls. And if your kitchen has “good bones,” capitalize on them with smart updates that make the most of your remodeling dollars. For more, listen to the advice we provided a listener to our podcast about this same topic: TRANSCRIPT LESLIE: Joan in California needs some help with a kitchen remodel. How’s it going? JOAN: Yes, well, we haven’t started yet and I just need some advice on how to get started. Do you start with an architect or what do you do? TOM: That’s a good question. So, planning makes perfect. You want to start with a plan. Now, are you essentially going to replace the kitchen in sort of the same layout that you have right now, Joan? Or are you thinking about really changing things up a lot? JOAN: Well, it’s a very small kitchen and I just want to know how to maximize everything. TOM: Alright. So if it’s a small kitchen, you can probably do this inexpensively by perhaps starting with a home center. A lot of the home centers have designers that work on the – work on designing kitchens for the cabinetry that they sell. And for a very small fee, they can help you lay that out and take advantage of all of the latest options. If you want to do more than that, what you’re going to do is hire a certified kitchen-and-bath designer. But this is sort of like hiring an interior decorator that works just on kitchens and baths. And that’s going to cost you a few bucks.

But if you want to just do this an easy way, I would start with a home center, in the kitchen department, and see if they’ll lay out some options for you using the type of cabinets that they sell. Those cabinets are usually pretty affordable at that level and they’ll be able to give you some ideas on things, perhaps, you haven’t thought about. LESLIE: You know what, Joan? I think it’s really smart to keep a notepad in the kitchen. And everybody and anybody, yourself and your family, who use the space, as you walk through and notice little areas where you’re tripping over one another or things that just don’t make sense or you wish that X was here and not there, sort of jot all of those down. So when you do go sit down with – whether it’s a certified kitchen-and-bath designer or someone in the home center, you sort of have all of these issues that could be addressed or might be able to be addressed. JOAN: One thing I really want is more electrical outlets, so that’ll have to definitely be in the plan. TOM: Well, it’s definitely in the plan and you’ll do these things in order. The first thing you’ll do is rip out the old cabinets and the next thing you’ll do would be to rough-in new wiring and new plumbing to have it exactly where you want it. And then, of course, you’ll start the installation of the new cabinetry as almost the last step. It’s also a good time to think about universal design in the kitchen, maybe having countertops of different height. So as you get older, you could sit down and work at the kitchen counter as opposed to just standing up. So think of the sort of accessibility issues when you design this kitchen, as well. JOAN: How much time should I allow for something like this?

TOM: Well, it depends on whether you have sort of all your ducks in a row. Sometimes it takes a while to get all the cabinets delivered. But if everything is accessible and on site, you can tear out this kitchen and rebuild it inside of a week. JOAN: Oh, wow. TOM: If you have everybody lined up and everybody is there when they need to be there and the plumber shows up on time, the electrician shows up on time and so on, sure, I don’t see any reason you can’t get it done in a week.