So, when I was ten, my parents' trusty GE dishwasher was recalled for being a fire hazard. Not surprising, that thing was old as dirt. So they were able to get a new one for free. They took this to be a sign that the kitchen should be remodeled. The appliances were all fine, it was the cabinetry, countertops, and the flooring that needed work. Which, of course, takes the most time to install.
And of course, my dad wanted to do it all himself.
Do you know how long all that work takes?!?! Especially when you have a full-time job?!? We didn't have countertops for SIX weeks. My mom, of course, couldn't really cook anything, so all we ate was sandwiches, fruit, and nachos. The flooring went in last, so we didn't scratch it, so we were walking around on subfloor for at least two months.
In the end, though, it all looks really nice. We could use a new stove (and a new dishwasher. That's our third one, since GE recalled the dishwasher that inspired the whole kitchen-renovation. We can wait, though, we figure it'll probably be recalled in the next year or so) but that's about it. My parents still get compliments on how nice the kitchen looks :)
One thing that is working in our favor is the company my husband works for is "highly encouraging" their employees to use up their saved vacation days before they expire. People were asked to take off the week after Easter if they could and my husband has a ton of time saved up so he has this whole entire week off to get as much of it done as possible. He got a bunch done yesterday so he started really well we are only doing the counter tops and the backsplash. Plus the fact that he is doing all the work himself is going to save us a ton of money. One of the things that killed it for us was if we did go with the granite we would have to pay someone to install it and the added expense with it already being so expensive made it too much.
Your parents' story reminds me of my mom's. It's a running joke in our family now. Some time ago my mom's oven died. The thing was so old it was made in a size that's non standard now. Only one brand made the size she would need to fit the space in our kitchen and it was like ten times as much as a regular stove so she decided in order to get a standard size she would have to alter the cabinet space to make it fit properly. In addition she would have to get a new range hood since it was non standard size, too, to fit over the non standard oven. While she was at it she decided she might as well redo the counter tops (can you see where this is going?) and since she was going to have to cut into the cabinets to make the stove space wider she might as well get new cabinets, too. In the end, she ended up knocking down a wall to widen the entire kitchen, moving the laundry room to the garage (moving all that plumbing), moving the kitchen window (putting in a fabulous new bay window), basically redesigning the entire kitchen layout and replacing most of the appliances in addition to the oven which was really the only thing that needed replacing, and putting in hardwoods floors that extended from the kitchen all the way into the den, foyer, and hallway to the back of the house. Of course, there are new cabinets and counter tops because there is no way such a renovation could be done without pretty much making everything new. Don't get me wrong, it looks fabulous, but we constantly joke about my mom's new kitchen as a result of just needing a new oven. :P She had to hire a contractor to do the the work and it still took several months to complete. I'm glad I didn't live there while this was all being done, heh.
And of course, my dad wanted to do it all himself.
Do you know how long all that work takes?!?! Especially when you have a full-time job?!? We didn't have countertops for SIX weeks. My mom, of course, couldn't really cook anything, so all we ate was sandwiches, fruit, and nachos. The flooring went in last, so we didn't scratch it, so we were walking around on subfloor for at least two months.
In the end, though, it all looks really nice. We could use a new stove (and a new dishwasher. That's our third one, since GE recalled the dishwasher that inspired the whole kitchen-renovation. We can wait, though, we figure it'll probably be recalled in the next year or so) but that's about it. My parents still get compliments on how nice the kitchen looks :)
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Your parents' story reminds me of my mom's. It's a running joke in our family now. Some time ago my mom's oven died. The thing was so old it was made in a size that's non standard now. Only one brand made the size she would need to fit the space in our kitchen and it was like ten times as much as a regular stove so she decided in order to get a standard size she would have to alter the cabinet space to make it fit properly. In addition she would have to get a new range hood since it was non standard size, too, to fit over the non standard oven. While she was at it she decided she might as well redo the counter tops (can you see where this is going?) and since she was going to have to cut into the cabinets to make the stove space wider she might as well get new cabinets, too. In the end, she ended up knocking down a wall to widen the entire kitchen, moving the laundry room to the garage (moving all that plumbing), moving the kitchen window (putting in a fabulous new bay window), basically redesigning the entire kitchen layout and replacing most of the appliances in addition to the oven which was really the only thing that needed replacing, and putting in hardwoods floors that extended from the kitchen all the way into the den, foyer, and hallway to the back of the house. Of course, there are new cabinets and counter tops because there is no way such a renovation could be done without pretty much making everything new. Don't get me wrong, it looks fabulous, but we constantly joke about my mom's new kitchen as a result of just needing a new oven. :P She had to hire a contractor to do the the work and it still took several months to complete. I'm glad I didn't live there while this was all being done, heh.
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