How to make the kitchen reno go smoothly (and cheaply!)
The kitchen arrived today!
Last Saturday was spent at Ikea, Home Depot, and 4 plumbing stores. It was one of the most exhausting shopping days of my life! But here are a few of the things we did to make the process a whole lot easier, and save a few dollars in the process.
Plan. Yes, I’ve already talked about this, but I need to say it again. Toshi spent months ‘“ and I mean months ‘“ designing our kitchen on the Ikea Kitchen Planner. When we headed to Ikea this weekend, we already knew exactly what we were doing. Although the order took about an hour, it was all done simply and smoothly.
Research. How many kitchen sink manufacturers are there? Well, we found out! Toshi learned all there is to know about the various sink companies, and all the rest ‘“ materials, sizes, shapes, styles. Lots of Googling helped us make an informed decision, so we could get exactly what we were looking for.
Check and Recheck. I’d heard a few horror stories about how inefficient Ikea deliveries can be. One of my friends, who also got an Ikea kitchen, ended up with several hundred dollars worth of kitchen that he hadn’t even ordered! So, we spent much of this evening poring over the delivery order and matching Article Numbers ‘“ and everything was there! Not once extra piece, not once piece missing!
Review the Estimate. Our contractor, the specialist who deals with Ikea kitchen installation, has been fantastic! Every question I’ve asked has been answered promptly and thoroughly. I have heard and read positive reviews about them, so I was already pretty confident in their services. But then I realised that they were going to charge $450 (flat fee) for plumbing ‘“ that’s just for the dishwasher hook-up and the kitchen sink. By hiring our neighbourhood handyman, we will save ourselves about $350+!
By this time next week, we will have a brand new kitchen! What happens in the course of that week will be the subject of my next post! Wish us luck!
Image credit: Ikea Kitchen Planner.
I’d be careful about the neighborhood handyman route, if its that much of a difference in cost.
Sometimes, those types are not insured- so any screw ups or injury and you could be sued. And some don’t report income for nefarious reasons like not paying child support.
Well, the reason for the $450 flat fee is because the contractor is hiring a sub-contractor, and profiting from a huge inflation. Even our contractor recommended hiring someone ourselves to do the work. She said that they offered the service for ‘little old ladies who wanted everything arranged for them’. That’s not us!
I would do the work myself, but dabbling in electricity kind of scares me, and I don’t want to flood out the neighbours!
Bradley: I’m so jealous! We been pining for a new kitchen for a couple of years now.
By the way, many moons ago, we did a fix and flip out in Palm Springs and installed an Ikea kitchen… all but great things to say about the process and finished look!
Good luck this week!