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Kitchen Remodeling – How Long Does It Take? [Greater Boston Area 2023]
Remodeling your kitchen can be a daunting task, especially when you don’t know how long you’ll be kicked out of that part of your home. With such a big project there are a lot of people and materials to coordinate, but with kitchens being one of the highest-trafficked areas in your home, remodeling is certainly worth the trouble. By getting new cabinets, refinishing the floors, or upgrading your old appliances, you can dramatically alter the appearance of your kitchen! It may seem impossible to function without the use of your kitchen, even if only temporarily, but we make the process as painless as possible.
If you’re considering a kitchen remodel then you’re probably asking these questions:
In this article we’ll address all of these questions and share our best practices for how we try to keep your kitchen remodel on schedule.
How long does a kitchen remodel take?
An average kitchen remodel can take 6-10 weeks to finish once it’s in our production team’s hands. However, this doesn’t account for the full extent of your project; Tom Curren Companies is a design-build company, which means that our project consultants will help you design your dream kitchen before our crews start building it. Our project consultants will help you decide on every detail of your kitchen, from the color of the wall paint to what type of cabinet hardware you want. From the time you call Tom Curren Companies and complete our intake process to the day construction actually begins, it might be weeks or months. It all depends on the scope of your project, how quickly you’re able to make decisions, and the lead times on the materials you want to order.
Right now we are seeing unprecedented wait times for cabinets, specialty tiles, and certain sinks and faucets. Trendy and popular items tend to have higher wait times than cabinets without any customizable options. At Tom Curren Companies, one way that we try to make this process easier for you is by waiting for all of your materials to be delivered to our warehouse before we begin work on your home. This reduces the amount of time we have to spend waiting around because a piece of material hasn’t arrived yet– we’ll be prepared for your project before it begins! We know that waiting for your new kitchen can be difficult though, so if you want to keep your remodeling timeline short, you can explore other options.! Because of our relationship with numerous suppliers, we can look at different wait times for similar cabinets and suggest which one may work best for you. Or maybe you don’t need new cabinets– you could potentially refinish your cabinets and cut out all of the excessive wait time.
The scope of work that is required is the biggest influence on your actual production timeline. 6-10 weeks is the average length of a kitchen remodel, but depending on the scope of work, it may take longer than this. For example, if you want to change the layout of your kitchen by relocating or opening a wall, then that will add a significant amount of time to your project. Especially considering that once we open a wall, we might encounter unforeseen setbacks like unexpected wiring or piping running through the walls, which will delay your project until it’s properly addressed. Before your project begins, our project consultants will discuss your kitchen remodel’s scope of work with you in depth, and will provide you with a project-specific timeline. If your goal is to make your kitchen better for entertaining, then our team will help you make decisions that help you achieve that goal.
What are the different stages of a kitchen remodel?
There are two main stages of a kitchen remodel which are each broken down further into smaller steps.
Stage 1: Design
Stage 2: Build
The Design phase starts from the second you call Tom Curren Companies to inquire about your project! It might surprise you, but while the construction portion of your project only takes 6-10 weeks the pre-production, design phase, can take the same – if not longer! Our project consultants will meet with you several times, and over the course of those visits they’ll learn as much as they can about you and your project. Then, we’ll get to work designing the kitchen of your dreams! We want your kitchen remodel to meet every one of your expectations, which is why we are thorough, and take the time to discuss all of the important details before your project even starts.
With a project as big as a kitchen remodel there are a lot of decisions to be made. First, you’ll discuss your budget, the scope of work, and what you’re hoping to . Then, we’ll get to work helping you make the fun choices like the color of your walls, the finish on your cabinet’s hardware, what kind of material you want for your countertops. Once you decide on the design selections, we will order the materials right away, so you aren’t waiting months on end. It’s hard to believe, but with all of the supply chain issues, you could be waiting 16 weeks for cabinets to be delivered due to longer lead times; that’s double the time it takes to actually build your new kitchen!
The Build phase begins after all of your materials have been delivered – job site preparations and demolition mark the beginning of the 6-10 week “construction” phase. Between all of the trade partners involved, kitchen remodels have many moving parts that all need to happen sequentially in order for the project to run smoothly. After our team demos your kitchen we bring in our trade partners– plumbers and electricians, to begin their rough layouts and installations. Once that is complete, town inspectors must do a site visit to make sure that the plumbing and electrical is up to code. This typically happens about a few days or weeks after the demo is complete, but sometimes can be delayed based on how backed up the town inspectors are. It’s critical that we don’t skip any of these important steps, so if the inspector isn’t available for a few days, then the project comes to a halt until they can take a look. The same is true for some of the other work that we have to do– cabinets must be fully installed before we can install your countertops and backsplash.. Any delays ultimately push the whole project back, but we do our best to keep things running as smoothly as possible, and address any setbacks that arise, promptly.
Will supply chain issues affect my kitchen remodel timeline?
Yes–supply chain issues will affect your kitchen remodeling timeline. During the lockdowns at the beginning of the pandemic, people spent more time in their homes thinking about the rooms they’ve always wanted to remodel. The demand for lumber has skyrocketed, but due to shutdowns in early 2020, lumber yards couldn’t keep up with the demand, creating the supply shortages that we are still dealing with today.
At Tom Curren Companies, we do our best to have these issues affect you as little as possible. Unlike other contractors, we don’t start demolition of your kitchen until all of the materials for your new kitchen have been delivered to our warehouse in Newton. We do this to ensure that material prices don’t go up, and so we can lock in the quickest lead-times for you. It also avoids our teams needing to stop mid-project to order and wait for more materials.
One way to speed up your kitchen remodel is to avoid materials with long lead times, like cabinets! Before COVID-19, cabinet lead times were typically 3-4 weeks, and have since increased to double, if not triple, that! If your cabinets are still in great shape, painting them is a great way to completely avoid dealing with these long lead times. Painting or refinishing your cabinets can transform the look of your kitchen while keeping your overall budget low, and dramatically shortening the timeline of your kitchen remodel.
When is the best time to remodel your kitchen?
The best time to start your kitchen remodeling project is now! And who better to work with than kitchen remodeling experts like Tom Curren Companies. The earlier you begin your process with us, the sooner you can start cooking in your brand new kitchen. Don’t wait to see if prices drop or lead times get shorter, since COVID we’ve seen a 15%-20% increase in prices, and nobody knows when or if the prices will ever come back down again.
Tom Curren Companies has 35 years of experience remodeling kitchens in Newton, MA! We want to make sure that you receive the kitchen of your dreams. Don’t waste another second cooking in a kitchen that you aren’t in love with. Contact one of our project consultants today and start discussing your upcoming kitchen remodel – 617-969-4900
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