Will My Renovation Really Take Six Weeks?

Kitchen and bathroom renovations are two of the most exciting projects for clients, in my experience, but they are also the most disruptive. One of the first questions we get is "How long will it take?" Understanding how stressful construction projects are, we developed a process for making sure things go as quickly and as smoothly as possible. Of course, there's often a curveball on every project, but curveballs are inevitable. While we can't predict where it might come from, we can certainly minimize their impact and lay the foundation for smooth sailing. Here's our blueprint for ensuring successful kitchen and bathroom renovations:

1. Crafting the vision

Taking the time to thoroughly go through each step in our design process is the first step to ensure success. During the design phases, we are able to fully flesh out a vision that tells the story you want to tell in your home. We carefully study current conditions, listen to your needs and dreams, and create a plan for moving forward. At the end of our Detailed Design Phase, we have a road map that leads us (almost) seamlessly to the finish line.

2. Nurturing Trusted Partnerships

The next step is to price out all of your materials and labor costs. Depending on whether you are working with our preferred General Contractor or using us for project management, we have developed strong relationships with the trades over the last 18 years. Everyone has heard a horror story about contractors running off with deposits, shoddy work and messy job sites. One of our strengths is bringing our trusted trades partners to your project, making sure quality work is being performed. We love hearing "Anthony is great!", "We love Dave!", "Steve is such a gentleman!"

3. Transparent Project Management

Once we have all material and labor costs determined, we create spreadsheets to keep track of your project. They are updated weekly, showing you where every item is in the supply chain, and dates that we anticipate contractors being on your job site.

Renovations have a lot of moving parts, and dates for a particular trade to be on the job can change frequently. We are on top of that merry-go-round and keep you informed as things change. Being flexible is one of the keys to success in construction.

4. Strategic Execution

When does the first hammer swing? Not until we make sure all of your materials are on site. There is nothing worse than having a delay because some of your plumbing was back ordered or the cabinets haven't shipped, and the contractors leave to work on another job. You might feel excited to get demo underway, but resist the urge. It will ultimately take less time if you have all your ducks in a row before starting.

5. Realistic Timelines and Adaptive Solutions

What about timelines? Will it really take 6 weeks? Yes, and that is the best case scenario. Kitchens and bathrooms involve plumbers, carpenters, electricians, tile installers, painters and possibly others. Coordinating all of them so that each one does their part, without being on top of the others, is quite the balancing act. For example, all tile must be set in a shower before we can do a template for the shower glass. The lead time for the glass is usually 3-4 weeks. So even moving our fastest, we need the full 6 weeks to complete the project.

6. Delivering Beyond Expectations

What about when things don't go as planned? I always say that you don't want to hire the person that tells you everything will go perfectly, you want to hire someone who knows what to do when things go wrong, because something inevitably does on every job. You may need an unexpected support beam, or the joists are rotted under your old shower. Whatever curve ball comes our way, we keep a level head and solve the problem.

We do everything we can to minimize the stress of a renovation project and give you the best final result-better than you could have imagined. It's like having a baby, you forget how bad the labor was, and just fall in love with your new baby - and hopefully, enjoy your newly renovated spaces for years to come!

Ready to embark on your renovation journey?