We are still a few months out due to appliance delays but wanted to see if anyone has any thoughts on our timing / order of remodel.

High level, we are doing

---all new appliances (including switching from a double oven to two, single ovens...long story), sinks and faucets
---new pendant lights
---new countertops and for part of this we are lowering a raised counter to make our kitchen island a larger / uniform slab
----paint cabinets / ceiling (ceiling due to patching that will be necessary).



1) Order appliances, sinks, faucets, and lighting - done

***wait for arrival***

2) Remove old appliances

3) Demo countertops / modify plumbing as necessary

4a) Run new electrical for second oven (includes some holes in ceiling to cross beams, etc...fun) and verify all other electrical requirements are in order

5) Modify cabinets for fridge and ovens / patch ceilings

6) Install countertops / sinks / faucets

7) Install appliances

8) Paint

9) Hang lights


One area i am debating is do I install the new lights when the electrician is there or just have him come back...leaning towards at the end but curious if anyone has thoughts....

Are you not doing anything to the floors?

Also, I'd imagine you need to paint the cabinets before installing the appliances.

No nothing to the floors....praying they just dont get messed up....


As for the appliances vs painting....that is a good thing to think about...i was thinking painting after due to risk of dings or scratches during install....thought if we did paint after the risk would be less but we would have to tape off all appliances....

Fair enough. Probably right. Appreciate the thoughts....

Agreed. And it's not just covering appliances. But some will probably need to be removed to adequately paint. For example behind the fridge, dishwasher, or a range.

I am convinced. Someone probably would have brought it up at some point but glad I asked.

I am going without a GC but feel pretty confident in being able to organize and handle. Both electrician and plumber are aware of my project and will prioritize my calls during the construction phase for a small fee....

We will 100% be covering floors and will make sure they know to put towels down everywhere.

Good idea on basically a little breakfast area so they can eat and be happy and not leave....


I did get feedback from one fabricator today and it makes some sense....he said appliances need to be in / available before countertops so may flop those two in my ordering...

Hmmm. We just did a remodel and they definitely did the countertops before appliances. We just had to have them picked up so we could give them the dimensions and everything. Granted we have a slide in range and not a stove top. Appliances were basically the last thing they did.

As far as appliances vs. countertops go... A DW can be installed anytime, before or after counters. The cooking surface is usually the only appliance that may be in question. If it is a drop-in cooktop, the countertop fabricator will need it on site to verify, but it obviously can't be 'installed'. A slide in range top (the 9" high ones that are just burners, no oven) should be set in place during templating. A slide-in or free standing range...for a tight fit left/right to the counters so you don't get crap dripping down the sides, I would recommend having the range in place. This way the fabricator is templating reality, not from a spec sheet. Also, if the opening for the range is not really square...if the fabricator uses the cabinets as a guide, you may end up with counters that taper away from the range sides.

I know getting the range in place is work, especially if you have to take it back out, but retracting the legs and putting it on a dolly and rolling it around helps.

Appreciate the response. It is a cooktop.

Starting to think re-order between painting / installing appliances / installing countertops. Hearing countertops could take a few weeks after template drawn up so might as well use that time to modify cabinets and go ahead and paint and maybe even get appliances up and running (excluding cooktop).


1) Order appliances

***wait***

2) Remove old appliances

3) Demo counter tops / template for new countertops

4) Run new electric

5) Modify cabinets / carpentry work

6) Paint

7) Install appliances (excluding cooktop)

8) Install countertops

9) Hang lights

7 and 8 will probably be flip flopped, but no big deal.

Make sure you have something to use and someplace to cook and store food while this is going on. If this drags out, which it might, eating out all the time is expensive and gets you fat.

Not sure if you've already looked, but may want to give some time for the countertops. When we looked a lot were on backorder. We picked one we liked, the contractor waited to order until it was needed, and by then they were out of it and it had a month plus lead time It ended up working out fine as one we liked that was significantly cheaper became available, but we would have been fairly upset if that wasn't the case.

Edit: really goes for everything. Just like you're allowing more time for appliances, supply chain issues have effected a lot of industries, so be prepared.

We will be doing a LOT of grilling for dinners...that part is easy.

The hard part is honestly breakfast (we usually eat eggs...may just microwave) and then prepping lunch for kids for school. We will have our current fridge in the garage so that will help some too....


While I am thinking about it....and being lazy and not googling....our fridge currently has water / ice maker....there is no issue with not hooking that up once it becomes a garage fridge? Beyond not hooking up to water, is there a switch or something I should look for to stop it from trying to make ice?

Outdoor propane griddle (Blackstone) is a pretty good option for breakfast. I know it is a temporary problem, but I pretty much cook breakfast outside exclusively now, unless it is freezing cold.

Yes, there should be a switch to turn it off. If not, simply find the plug harness and unplug it.

Might be a good time to buy a blackstone for the backyard, or the portable one for camping or tailgate.

You didn't list plumbing fixtures or cabinet hardware. Depending on selection, there are still significant lead times on some of those items.

We started a remodel in March of 2020 that was mostly complete by September of that year. Refrigerator arrived in November, and it was delivered with a cosmetic flaw for which we are still waiting on replacement, 14 months later. We are also still waiting on a bathroom plumbing fixture from Delta with no ETA.

We are purchasing our selected slabs this weekend.

We then plan to switch over to sinks / faucets / knobs after that....but wow....I was not expecting those sorts of lead times. We are hoping 3+ months would be more than enough....maybe need to get that nailed down in the next 2 weeks....

Our cabinets got painted this week and will be done today. It was more of a mess than I estimated. Do that first before any new appliances, etc

planoaggie123 said:

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We will be doing a LOT of grilling for dinners...that part is easy.

The hard part is honestly breakfast (we usually eat eggs...may just microwave) and then prepping lunch for kids for school. We will have our current fridge in the garage so that will help some too....

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The hardest part is clean-up - even with paper plates, etc. Even your minimal dishes will be washed at a sink/tub not designed for washing them...it's a huge pain!

Kitchen remodel happening now at our place - demo started the week before Thanksgiving...I don't recommend such a major project crossing the "time off" holidays, but my wife wanted to get started.

We moved in with the in laws. And while that brought a different level of stress, I wouldn't do it differently. I understand that isn't possible in all situations. But in addition to the things mentioned above you have dust, paint smell/fumes, noise, and I'm sure other things I'm missing. Also, it stressed me out when I'd go by every day. Progress isn't going to proceed in the manner you want. Also, the first go of something doesn't necessarily mean the final product. I'd find myself stressing out over things like cabinets not being level (when that crew hadn't been back to level them, they were just put up by the painters).

I have enough points that I do plan to move our family to a hotel for a few days...especially the painting period....also....looking at calendar we might very well start after kids get out for summer which would probably mean shipping my kids to parents for a few weeks....

What type of material is the existing floor ?


If painted cabinets usually this is the order i follow


Get counter guy to measure
Demo existing laminate and any other demo such as sink, appliance removal,floor etc
Reface all cabinet doors
Sand/prep cabinet boxes and or doors
Install the counter tops
Mask new counter tops
Prime cabinets
Paint cabinets
Paint ceiling
Paint walls
Unmask counters
Install backsplash
Install plumbing fixtures
Install new flooring
Install cabinet hardware
Install appliances

If keeping the existing flooring it will be fun but I have done it on some remodels but the contractor or homeowner must put down ram board to protect the existing floor and make sure subs are on the same page.

Flooring is the worst possible kind probably.....hardwood

We will be putting down some sort of protective layer throughout the kitchen and all areas anyone might end up going....padding / paint / liquid protection....

planoaggie123 said:

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Flooring is the worst possible kind probably.....hardwood

We will be putting down some sort of protective layer throughout the kitchen and all areas anyone might end up going....padding / paint / liquid protection....

---

True 3/4 hardwood ? Or engineered hardwood?


You definitely need to put ram-board down


https://www.lowes.com/pd/Ram-Board-Paper-3-ft-x-100-ft-Drop-Cloth/999909879?cm_mmc=shp-_-c-_-prd-_-pnt-_-bng-_-PLA_PNT_133_TS-Sanding-Sundries-Surface-Buckets-_-999909879-_-Online-_-0-_-0&ds_rl=1286981&msclkid=e4894c6351ef1ab86a542d8329ee687d&gclid=e4894c6351ef1ab86a542d8329ee687d&gclsrc=3p.ds

Also you have to be very careful, some tapes will remove the clear from the wood when you pull it up down the road

True hardwood

Great thread. Thanks for all the tips, as we've been considering a first-time kitchen redo as well. Knowing the steps ahead of time helps our planning.

What would be reasonable price for about 20 sq ft of subway tile backsplash. Got a quote for 800 (labor only). Seems high but we have used before and does good work…

Seems a little high, but I could understand it if that's all that person is doing. Ours was $12/sq ft for labor but more than double the square footage and through the same contractor doing the rest of the kitchen and floors.

May make sense. Sort of a job minimum. I may try and get him down a bit though based on your rate.

Very helpful thread.

We are about to redo kitchen/family room in Plano. Biggest issue right now is coordinating flooring (replacing tile with hardwoods to match existing wood in other areas) with other activities. Wood will raise the floor 3/4" compared to existing tile. Built-in fridge will need to be temporarily relocated and reinstalled when wood is installed. Upper cabinet will need to lose 1/2-3/4" to reinstall fridge.

Floor guys won't move fridge. Open to suggestions....

Good luck! The flooring will be a pain but worth it in the end especially if it will blend through the house better.

I think my main concerns are cabinet modifications for new oven and fridge (the guys not nailing it to spec and then having a hard time getting them back out) but the plan is to hold final payment on all people we work with until everything is done in case we need more cabinet work or paint touchup etc. The thought we had was offer a tad extra premium to bids to make them not be too annoyed if final payment is 1 - 2 weeks beyond them completing.

Moving a built-in ref is not easy work...how handy/capable are you?

First, most built-ins have their compressor(s) up top, plus they are not as deep, so they are very top heavy.
One suggestion...if you know you are adding 3/4" of height, you could shim up the ref before the flooring gets done.

First prep two things: measure where your finished kick plate is. Then cut/have a piece cut, of 3/4" plywood that will fit your cabinet cavity. Size it to 1/4" less side to side, and 1" shy of the finished kick plate you measured. Brush two coats of polyurethane on that piece, perhaps both sides just in case your water line ever leaks.

Empty the ref, detach where screws are holding it in, roll it out. Leave the water line connected if long enough, may have to unplug temporarily. Demo floor, put in subfloor same thickness of what you tore up. Screw down subfloor plywood, then finished plywood. (Or whatever combination of plywood thickness gets you to 3/4" finished increase.) Reinstall ref (assuming cabinet rail above has been trimmed?).

Then leave the kick plate off until flooring gets done, then flooring guy will butt the new floor up to your finished plywood piece and kick plate will hide the seam.

Moving ref (700+ pounds) and putting elsewhere for awhile is a pain (need to secure it from toppling when door is opened if you do locate it elsewhere). And then rolling ref across finished floor has its share of danger. You would need to be really careful, using thin ply or laminate (formica) all the way. It can be done, you just have to be careful. This method just gets the risky work done first.

Not an expert, but I'm pretty handy. I like that approach, especially not moving ref across new hardwoods. The awkward weight is definitely something to plan for. I unloaded a 675 lb safe from a cargo van a few years ago by myself....wouldn't recommend it.

Thanks!