When Jill and I purchased our three bedroom rancher we agreed the first project would be the kitchen. The cabinets were mismatched (some were even homemade) the gold Formica countertop was delaminating (i.e. peeling) and the floor (a vinyl, sheet goods product) was coming up at the seams. Decided. Done. Kitchen first!
That was seven years ago.
Needless to say, this project has intimidated me. In the last seven years I’ve redone both bathrooms, painted the living and family rooms, done extensive landscaping, even rebuilt the porch to avoid facing the kitchen monster. The amount of work isn’t the issue, it’s how completely intertwined a kitchen has to be. Cabinets, countertop, flooring – they all have to work together as well as the rest of the house. Oh, and they’re all pricey and must be custom ordered. You make a mistake and you’ll pay through the nose or live with it until your last daughter is married.
Well, the project has begun. Here’s what I’ve learned so far.
· Whenever you have an estimate for how long a project will take – double it! It doesn’t matter if it’s coming from a contractor or it’s a Do-it-yourself project. It will take longer than you and everyone else thinks.
· Communicate. Talk things out with your spouse. Bounce ideas around. Talk about timing. Talk about what the finished product will look like. Talk about where you’ll put all your stuff while the project is underway. Talk about how you’ll eat day to day! Then talk to the contractor. Be specific. Write things down. Ask them to write things down. Keep talking.
· Remain flexible. Things are going to happen you won’t have anticipated. Even if you should have anticipated them, be gracious to one another and remember Who is sovereign (and good!).
· Plan to be tempted. Read 1 Corinthians 10:12-14. Read it again. Don’t you just love those three words right in the middle…? ‘God is faithful’? I need to hear that over and over.
One good thing about home renovation. You start out changing your house; your house ends up changing you.
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