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How hard can a full-scale DIYkitchen remodelbe?
Sure, it devours all your free time, friends avoid you, and your health declines.
They knew what I should have known.
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That’s just the big stuff.
Completing the punch list of loose ends extends the project by another month or two.
Three months of eating frozen food is sad and unhealthy.
I’d also budget in a restaurant meal or two per week.
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Subfloor Should be Replaced
The kitchen subfloor is its bedrock.
If the house is only a few years old, the kitchen subfloor might still be in perfect condition.
you’re able to get by with pouring leveling compound or pounding down a few nails.
But if you have an older house, the kitchen subfloor will probably be in poor shape.
I spent countless hours repairing the kitchen’s faulty subflooring until I decided to remove and replace it.
I’m glad I did.
What I didn’t expect to find was zero insulation.
No wonder my kitchen felt like ice every winter and myenergy billswere sky-high.
It’s not unusual to find uninsulated walls in older homes.
He also had a tripod, several tape measures, and years of experience.
One thing was wrong, though.
He didn’t once look at my kitchen sink.
After a moment, he quietly said, “I think you just saved my job.”
He had assumed the sink’s dimensions, which turned out to be wrong.
It’s acceptable to politely ask the pros to double-check measurements or to explain something.
You’re paying for it, and they expect it.
I expected a few boxes with the kitchen remodel.
But I didn’t expect the mountains of packaging material that piled up constantly.
From large appliances down tocabinet hardware, everything comes in boxes.
Next time, I would dedicate a spare bedroom or hallway for storing packaging.
I’d also verify to cut up all boxes immediately to compress their overall bulk.
Yet much can change after the permit is approved.
I learned that I could build wiggle room into the kitchen electrical system.
In some cases, I had to remove previously installed cable and boxes.
But it was worth it.
I added service loops to electrical cables so I could move electrical boxes a few inches if necessary.
I also removed several electrical boxes nailed to studs and replaced them with adjustable boxes.
Finally, I added a couple of extra outlets, just in case.
The cabinet boxes were constructed of furniture-grade 1/2-inch plywood, and the doors and drawer fronts were solid wood.
The only catch was that I had toassemble the cabinets myself.
It turns out that assembling cabinets is not to be taken lightly.
You won’t finish it in an evening.
Ready-to-assemble (RTA) cabinetswill significantly reduce the cost of renovating your kitchen.
But they take time to assemble, especially the first few when you’re building up your learning curve.
Talc-fine dust settles in every corner of the house.
So, I steeled myself for the upcoming pain and misery.
But I didn’t consider that most of the drywall would be covered.
So, I had stressed over nothing.
Only small sections of the walls required perfect drywall work.
