It’s that time of year when we begin to take calls from potential clients that want to start and complete a project in time for the holidays. While we love a challenge and can be flexible with our process to try to accommodate the needs of our clients we always caution those to never under estimate the time involved in planning and designing a project.
A typical conversation often times goes like this;
LBG: Thanks, that’s great Sue, we really enjoyed working for the Smiths and I know their project is serving them well. Tell me about your kitchen remodel, how long have you been thinking about remodeling?
Sue: We have been thinking about it for some time, in fact I remodel it in my mind every night when preparing dinner for the family. We have a two story home in Montgomery built in 1978. The entire kitchen is original; expect a couple of appliances we have updated. We want to gut the kitchen and remove a wall dividing the kitchen and dining room and make the kitchen larger.
LBG: We do this type of remodel all the time, in fact its one of the most popular remodels as we have all realized we do not utilize formal dining rooms like we used to. Do you have any drawings or started a design?
Sue: We have not started on design, we have looked at some cabinets a couple of times, but really all of our thoughts are in our head. We really need some direction. We really would like to have this completed by the holidays.
Sue: I would prefer Thanksgiving, but Christmas for sure.
LBG: Not a problem, but we have to get moving on the process in order to meet your desired deadline. I would be happy to schedule a time with you to discuss your project further. You can download a kitchen planner from our website. This will help kick start the process and get your creative juices flowing. I also recommend scrapbooking and gathering ideas. We will take some time to review these items along with our Planning Process and budget ranges at our scheduled meeting.
The planning process can take anywhere from 6 weeks to 6 months depending upon size and complexity of the project. For a typical kitchen project, as referred to above, it can take 6-8 weeks. While having a brand new kitchen in time for the holidays sounds great, you don’t want to short change the planning process. You will have many more Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners in your new killer kitchen!
The Bottom Line, hire a contractor that can show you a clear, realistic and understandable process for walking you through the planning and design of your project.
