Remodeling a Kitchen? Here’s What You Need to Know

What Should You Consider Before Remodeling a Kitchen?

Ashley Wainscott: Okay, hello everyone and welcome to Ladies Who Build. We are on our 25th episode and we're talking about what to consider when remodeling or building a kitchen. So some of the key points we'll be talking about today are cabinetry, countertop slabs, electrical layout, all the smart features, plumbing and venting, and of course, last but not least, our customizations and timeline. So Michelle and I are going to keep it short and sweet today. We're just going to hit all the main topics we've talked about some of these in previous episodes, but we're just kind of bringing it roundabout so we can hit it all in one big kitchen episode. And Michelle and I have done so many of these kitchen projects that we've seen it all.

Michelle Mullins: I was literally about to say that we've seen it all. Um, yeah. So let's talk about where you want to, where you want to start, Michelle, I think.

Why Is Functionality Important When Planning a Kitchen Remodel?

Michelle Mullins: Well, I think before you go into a kitchen remodel, first, I would say even if you are selling the house later down the road, if you're just saying like this is my forever home, I honestly think a kitchen remodel brings, my personal opinion, brings the best return on investment when you go to sell. Like, I think the kitchen obviously is the place where people will congregate. It's the hub, it's where people are going to be like the wow factor if they're walking through a home. I just think that that's like where you can put a great investment if you're like, I don't know what to remodel, I would go with the kitchen. So there's kind of in saying that, though, there's a lot that goes into that because in your kitchen you really want to think about functionality and how you use this space, I think more than any other space really in your home, like maybe the master bathroom, but you really spend more time in your kitchen. So in my opinion, you want to kind of really think through what would be the nice things to have, what would be some requirements that I need to have, what would look good for resell. In regards to that is like, hint colors on cabinetry or are you going to ball out and spend the nicest on the nicest on all materials, which is great, but would you get your return on that when you go to sell? I think those are kind of like some key factors to consider, but I think functionality, if you start out with the basics of, okay, I know I either least need more cabinet shelving here or I really would love, I mean this is like a nice to have but like maybe you want like a little dog area for dog bowls, we've done those in kitchens, which are really cool. But yeah, I mean I think how you use this space is going to be huge for anybody in the home, wouldn't you say?

Ashley Wainscott: Oh, I'd say, first of all, I have so many comments to what you just said. You just said ball out, like we were in a '90s rap song. That's, that's what I thought about. I've ever heard. And two, yes, I'm glad that you backed us up before we jumped in because when I was, like, doing my brainstorming, walking through the neighborhood, I was thinking about, yeah, like what are the things that make or break a really good kitchen remodel? And it kind of goes back to things that we've talked about, which is like taking the time to plan, and I'm thinking about redoing my kitchen right now. So I was just thinking about, oh my gosh, can I rush and get this done before the baby comes? But then I was like, no, because by the way, I'm having a baby. I'm having another baby, for those of you who don't, I'm having another baby, which by the time this publishes like maybe the baby will be here, right? But, but I was like, maybe I should rush and get my kitchen done and I took a step back and took my own advice and I thought, no, like it never turns out well when you rush it because there's always something you regret, there's something you don't think about. And I feel like when you really take the time to think about like, how am I going to use this kitchen that works best for me and not just, oh I liked this picture, I really want to add like a little table at the end of my island, and it's like that's nice, I know you really want to, but is your space going to allow for that? Number one. And number two, is it something you're actually going to utilize all the time even though it seems like fun and cute and you just like plop your little butt down in the kitchen? So those are, like, that's kind of where my head went when you started talking about all that.

How Should You Plan the Layout of a Kitchen?

Michelle Mullins: Yeah. I mean, it is so much, you know. You could think about all the nice things to have, but then you break it down to, okay, what's actually necessary? And I think too, what gets tricky is every space is so different. So, you know how many times have we done kitchens where we've done like a galley kitchen and it's really long? Well, that's great. So something you might consider in that is what you've got in your house is like, what if you did like a little bench and seating area at the end, or maybe you did like a little coffee, little wine station at the end that you could kind of just keep for appliances, like you don't, it doesn't have to be like a long run of just cabinetry from top to top to bottom. But you know, at the same time, like what if you have a space that's really kind of weirdly large but you kind of have to walk from one space, counter space, to the other, it's a lot. And so maybe you include like a small island, maybe it's a removable island on wheels, you know, kind of like what is the least path of resistance basically to kind of get from one place to the other. And so again, it's like your space is so contingent on what you can do based on like, you know, what, how much can you allow in the space? So I think what comes to mind, though, what I think about big is electrical. So this is like a big itch in my side because our electrical in our kitchen is bonkers. I don't know who put it in, first of all, like nothing's up to code, or whatever, B, the where the outlets are placed and like, no, when would I ever put a machine over here to plug, like that doesn't make sense. And so that's a really annoying thing. And so honestly, your electrician's going to tell you, your GC is going to tell you exactly where, how many outlets you need in your kitchen, but you can always add more. So if you're like, okay, well I'm always prepping in this space and maybe it's a little unconventional and I don't need an outlet here but I really want to add one here, or maybe you put outlets underneath your under-cab lighting and you could do something there to where you can plug in inside your cabinet so you don't have to see cords. I've seen that a lot as well. I mean, electrical, you could really get out of control with customization and kitchens.

How Should You Plan Kitchen Lighting and Electrical?

Ashley Wainscott: Oh my gosh, Michelle, we've seen clients get out of control because they start with like, oh, I just want to add a few cans. And then we're like, okay, did you consider, not because we're upselling, but just literally, did you consider like a dimmer? Because it seems like 10 years ago that was like the far ad, but now it's the basic package, right? You just always add a, in every room. But you always have your can lighting and then you want to think about, you know, do I want additional decor lighting, like pendant lighting? How, how is it going to tie together with like the other lighting in my room? You hit on outlets, which I think is huge because you need to know where and how many outlets you need, and I don't know, it kind of drives me crazy where my outlets are placed currently, because I'm like, this is the most inconvenient location, where I'm like reaching around and plugging it in, or it's in like a corner of my backsplash where I have certain things already placed. And so it's just, it's not really great. But appliance garages where you can plug things in and hide them, or literally whoever came up with that, I'm like, I want to shake your hand and like, I don't know, maybe a little hug or like a, you know, I love an appliance garage, yes. And you can make them cute and fun and if you don't know what they are, Google them because you need one in your kitchen.

Michelle Mullins: Yeah. So amazing. I feel like most people don't think about electrical. It's just one of those things, much like venting, that gets put on the back burner, like all mechanical work is kind of just put to the side and they're like, oh yeah, yeah, we'll just add a few lights. But it really does make or break the space, when how, how you're cooking, when you can actually see what you're chopping and you can actually see what you're cooking on top of your stove, all those things matter.

Ashley Wainscott: Yeah. Or like if you want under-cab lighting, what do you want those to look like? What if you want in-cabinet lighting? If you have glass cabinets, do you want lighting to go in there? Um, you know, so there's a lot to consider with lighting. You can, you can go down a rabbit hole. Yes, and you need to get bougie with lighting. I feel like it makes or breaks a kitchen. And lighting, you were talking about under-cabinet lighting. So cabinetry, it was another thing we were going to talk about, but cabinetry and pull-out shelving and all storage for the kitchen is like actually the bulk of the cost of the kitchen. And I don't think a lot of people mentally prepared themselves for this number. And when it, when it rolls out to the client and we're looking at, you know, like walnut, custom walnut cabinets, or any sort of custom walnut cabinet, or anything of that nature, one, you're already headed down a costly path right then. Starting with prefab, prefab is already costly, but now you're changing up the game and you're going real wood, which love that for you. I love that, but I'm just saying you need to be aware that you are Little Red Riding Hood going down to you coming to this wy in the road and you're picking two different paths and both have great storage options, both are like phenomenal as far as like you can never have enough storage in my opinion, but don't forget to save money also for that, like the, what am I trying to say, Michelle, the shelving in the cabinets, like the storage in the cabinets, you know, the pull-out drawers and the pull-out pantries and all stuff, like don't forget to save money for all that because those are all add-ons, they don't just come with standard cabinets. So anyways, I'm rambling, but that's what I want to hit on like.

What Should You Consider When Choosing Kitchen Cabinets and Storage?

Michelle Mullins: Yeah, but you make a good point, because it kind of goes back to like, okay, it would be nice if I have this drawer, if I'm opening a cabinet door, I want this drawer to pull out. Maybe it's a spice cabinet, you have all your spices and you can like look in the very back of the tray, right? Or maybe it's like you could put, do a lazy Susan inside your pantry, because you want to reach all the far, like the stuff that gets like buried in the back of cabinets. Okay, well, let's do some big lazy Susans in there. So to your point, yes, like all of that's add-ons, and so yeah, you could go, you could like go crazy and do like the custom oak or custom wood options, beautiful, love those, also higher maintenance, though, because you got to maintain them. And if you have kids, think about like every time they touch a cabinet pool, they get oil on the cabinets. So if you're doing something natural then that's more upkeep, and then you have to consider you're going to start seeing more fingerprints. So I would, you know, ideally like a paint, if you were, if you're going to do a paint then you could easily clean all the oil spots from fingertips. But yeah, I think that's a big one too. I like go see kitchens and we're like, oh, y'all use this kitchen a lot because it's definitely beat up. So you see like every little like paint chip or whatever. That is currently my kitchen, you're like, oh, there's no question this is you, oh you have kids and I haven't even met yet.

Ashley Wainscott: I got it. Remember the, remember black cabinets too when those were so popular?

Michelle Mullins: Yeah, but people didn't realize the fingerprints and the grime is worse on black than it is white. Yeah, you can see every little thing or like a tiny little scratch, you're going to see, and it's beautiful in hindsight, but it just doesn't work functionality-wise. Yeah, you got to have a good cabinet refinisher or order them from the factory, because black shows every single imperfection. Not forgetting like our outfits, like it's not black like cute clothes, it's no, it's not, it's not cute, it's trouble.

What Kitchen Countertop Materials Should You Consider?

Ashley Wainscott: Okay. What about countertops, which we kind of talked about this with bathrooms, too, though, like the material that you use makes such a big difference.

Michelle Mullins: Yes, it really does. And I feel like people, so there's a way to go really bougie with countertops and there's a way to take this again down another path, which Michelle and I have seen a lot, which is the waterfall sides of the island, right? Mitering the edges so you don't just have the standard edging, you have like several inches thick around the cabinets and you can even take the countertop up the backsplash, which is another way to get more costly, right? Like all these things are just more costly, because you're paying a fabricator, a countertop fabricator to install those. And it's different. It's not the same as paying a tiler to install tile, right?

Ashley Wainscott: Yeah, and I think too, like if you know you're going to sell the house down the road, I don't know that I would really invest, again, to each his own, like you can do what you want, but I don't know that I would invest in like a high-end marble. First of all, marble doesn't do well in wet surfaces. It does, we install it all the time in terms of, if you upkeep it, so the clients that we know upkeep their marble, still look stunning. Sometimes you have to come, buff it out every couple years, too, to like buff out all the scratches, again, not a big deal, but it's costly. So if you know you're going to sell, though, I would do, there are so many marble-like materials nowadays that look so close to actual marble that I would do something like a quartz or even a solid surface stone, or just something that you could get that's similar looking, because you know you're going to pay half the cost, it's still going to look great and then you can go and resell it. We've even had people do, remember how we've done like concrete countertops as well, and you like pour the forms on site, which are really cool, but way more expensive than countertops as well. So and like, I think people consider it too, because it's super durable, you can like scratch it, it's kind of part of the industrial look of it, but whoa, it is not easy to, I'd consider countertop to be kind of childproof. Wait, did I say countertop? Concrete. Did I say countertop? Okay. You said it and I said what have we been talking about? Concrete, right? Is that what you said? Concrete, okay.

Michelle Mullins: Yes, my pregnancy brain is like, it's like somebody flipped an on switch last week and it just kind of floats around in there, just like a little fish tank.

Ashley Wainscott: Well, I think it's rubbing off on me, your pregnancy brain, oh god, look out Michelle. You don't need, you don't need all this, I want this for you, uh-uh, I don't want it, no. But concrete, concrete sounds childproof, which sounds very like alluring for me. I'm like let's that, but Butcher Block, oh yeah, but that's actually way more cost effective. Butcher Block is, it is way more affordable. And again, you can kind of like scuff it up, you can like hit it with a knife and it kind of, it's fine. You just oil it every now and then. But so I'm not saying that's actually a bad option, but it's a definitely a certain look and aesthetic and I don't think it can just go into any kitchen or any style, like it has to be very intentionally designed or else you're just like, well you just threw that in there, right? And like, it's not, I mean it's just like a cutting board, right? You do have to be really intentional with it, because if you're chopping certain things often and like not cleaning it properly and like the stains, that you know what I mean? Anyways, yeah, just it's something to think about, but yes, it is somewhat of a cheaper option. But also, have you heard about, though, recently I've been reading and I don't know how factual this is because I haven't done some like deep diving R&D, but apparently people are claiming that quartz countertops is dangerous for people to fabricate and then for fabricators to be cutting and installing because of what they're breathing in when they're cutting it. I don't know how they're prevent, I don't know how fabricators are preventing this, but apparently way more dangerous than like a granite or or a natural marble because of whatever they're putting in the man-made quartz. Have you heard about this?

Michelle Mullins: Yes, okay. I'm Googling right now because I was like, it starts with an S. It's called silica dust, and it's now referred to as the next asbestos. Yes, yes, yes, and it's airborne, uh-huh. Yeah, it's really bad, so I was kind of wondering where that's going to take the whole quartz industry, right? Well, and it's that's why you see a lot of installers will cut with a wet saw, because once it hits water then it doesn't spread, so it's just the dry dust that's really bad, but I mean you see a lot of installers not wearing masks when they're cutting, which is really dangerous. So that's why they do their cutting outside, also to prevent desk, but just in general, because it is a dangerous thing to be inhaling. So honestly, like, it, I would stay away from the installed days, once it's installed and the dust is settled you're fine. It's kind of like lead in a wall, right? Like as long as you don't like mess with the paint on the wall it's fine, it's not going to kill you, yeah. Like don't take your saw to your countertop, right? Just don't do that and then you're good. Yeah, but it's really bad, so definitely don't get into the countertop industry is what we're saying, right? Right, unless you have a really good mask and like unless you know what you're doing, inhalation system. But also, this is why you recommend duct cleaning when your construction project's over, because you should be cleaning those ducts, we should be cleaning them for you, but like, you should be, someone needs to clean them, yeah, somebody needs to clean these ducts, okay? Because all of that dust, it's yeah, it's a lot. Yeah, well and I think to that point too, if you, if you're able to move out during a kitchen remodel, yes, do that. But we've also dealt with many, many clients who don't move out and we just set up like temporary kitchens. They can use their bath, some people use their bathtub to wash dishes, we can set up like a little George Foreman for them, but you know, if you know that you're like highly sensitive and irritable to change in that way where you're kind of doing all things in one room then, which I know I would, so I'm only saying that because I would get highly annoyed pretty quickly, um, I would see if you could move out during that phase, because it is, it is messy and it's loud and dusty.

What Should You Know About Smart Features in a Kitchen Remodel?

Ashley Wainscott: Oh, it sure is. And first of all, I don't know how any of those guys carry that large slab because even the remnants, you know, that they'll give us to hold that are like this big, I'm like, oh yeah, this is, yeah, it's so heavy. It's like a Barbie sized countertop and I'm like, oh yeah, yes, totally is. You talk about next, smart features, yeah, I think that is something we're also seeing a lot of come up, smart features in the kitchen. So we've kind of hit on this on past episodes, but some things to consider are like those automatic faucets you could have. Okay, love those because yes, your hands are dirty and you want to tap it to turn it on, but what if you have a cat? What if you have, you know, your kids on the counter, whatever you're doing, you know, I just think that there's other ways that that turns on, and then you're not home and the cat's like has the water running for hours. So I think I, so see that, yeah, the cat just like paw fighting with it to turn on and off, yeah, and now it's just, you're just wasting water with your cat, but like, okay, so smart faucets, we have installed I think like top-of-the-line ovens, which have smart features, we've installed vent hoods, top-of-the-line microwaves, like there's so much that's coming out that's smart features, so they're really nice and if that's something you really care about like, that's like maybe more energy efficient, you just have to understand that your electrical cost will go up, because you're not just installing a standard, you know, plug that fits your stove, you also might need to be like, okay, I need to look at the specs because we need additional wiring for this, or can my panel handle all my smart appliances? Remember how many times we've done kitchen remodels and we've had to upgrade the, the whole panel, because they might have an older house and an older panel that can't handle all of the new electrical requirements per code that we have to have, and their panel can't handle it, so then we have to upgrade the whole panel, that is probably a minimum of what, $5,000, I mean it's not cheap, so.

Michelle Mullins: Oh yeah, and I was just thinking about that while you're talking about all the smart features, I was literally thinking about, oh that panel is just like squealing, yes, of like, wait, I don't know that I can handle all of this, that's a lot, and most people don't do that, but you need to make sure you're like, part of our process is going on site and doing that due diligence and checking to make sure the panel can handle all of the appliance specs, which like in a weird way full circle, pulls us back to why CL, we like clients to have all their materials selected really early, because all of it plays into all of these things, like the sooner we know what we're putting in your house the sooner we can make decisions that are going to affect your budget, and decisions that are going to affect your remodel. Like if you have an older home, I mean of course we have to upgrade your panel, right? Like there's no way you're going to put any updated appliances in this kitchen without a new panel, but if you were like, well we can put all these new appliances, except this fridge, that'll push it over the panel capacity, right? And then we'll have to upgrade, then that's when the you slash the client can decide, do I really need this fridge that talks to me and that has a TV and that like keeps track of my grocery list? And maybe the answer is yes, but like at least you have the option, right? And check your panel.

Why Is It Important to Select Kitchen Materials Early?

Ashley Wainscott: I keep looking at my appliances and I'm like, oh my god, I know they're so, they're so vintage. I, oh I know I'm aware, yeah. We have some old appliances, I'm like, no one look at my kitchen. Seriously, I actually in me thinking about my kitchen remodel, I was like, okay, it's time that I stop just remodeling people's homes and I remodel my home. You know that saying, this might not be true, but like you know the saying how really good therapists or counselors make really good like they can help other people really well, but then when it comes to their own life it's like en shambles. I don't know that that's true, but I think that that's relevant to construction world, it's like we're really good at focusing on the details and the construction work of other people's homes, and then you go into any of our homes and we're like, oh my god, you haven't remodeled your own home, like what are you doing? So I'm living out of like a box with a like a cute curtain, you know? Yeah, don't look here, don't look over here, yeah, that's us. I know, oh yeah, okay, and we were going to talk about customizations and just mention that sometimes clients like to make their kitchen really unique and I love that, and Michelle I thought about the kitchen that we did and it had the these really pretty shelfology shelves that were super thin and required you know a lot of critical thinking about how we were going to build out to incorporate them with the backsplash, and then they had a lot of wood slat, you know, customizations like in their dining room and on their island, lighting was you know there were a lot of like really pretty customizations, but it just, it takes a lot more time to think through all of that and to actually do it rather than like, oh just put up tile and here are all the pieces. Yeah, it's like oh these are three more vendors that are involved with all these things, so I just want to mention that of like the more that you customize, the longer the timeline and the more elements there are to manage.

How Long Does a Kitchen Remodel Typically Take?

Michelle Mullins: Yeah, yeah. I think and kind of to wrap all of this up is like a general timeline we've seen, I mean, timelines can go out just depending on the customization, but typically a kitchen remodel takes between six and eight weeks, and that does include permits. But if we, the more like Ashley said, the more customization you do the longer it can take, because sometimes, well most of the time in a process of construction is like things activities are dependent on the other on the previous activity, right? So like we can't necessarily start one thing until this one thing is in, well this other thing takes time to make, we're just kind of waiting for that thing to be custom made. So you kind of have to think about like what falls on each other to complete, but typically a general good time frame is between six and eight weeks. Yeah, and then as you customize and like add permits and things like this with all of it, it can just extend, but plan to not have your kitchen for a decent amount of time. It's going to be not easy, but you're going to be such a warrior by the end of it.

Ashley Wainscott: Yeah, I mean it's so worth it, I want to do it to mine. Let's do it to mine next. You're like, can I be our like you know Simply Home giving project this year? Yes, yes, I need charity work in my kitchen, right? Let's do that. Yeah, you know, um, well I guess that wraps us up. I was about to go into like fun questions for us and and I realized that we don't do that for each other, so we already know each other. Yeah, no fun questions here, nope. Well, that's a kitchen in a nutshell, brought to you by Michelle and Ashley. Yeah, let us know if you have any questions, there's so much more that goes into it, so I'm sure we've got answers. Yeah, we do, okay, until next time, ciao.

Michelle Mullins: Ciao.

Ashley Wainscott: Ciao.

Michelle Mullins: Now that you were hooked for the podcast, you were probably thinking how can I learn more? We'll sign up for our monthly newsletter to see our newest remodels and the best tips for a stress-free home renovation, with a few easy clicks you will get to go even more in-depth with us as we go behind the scenes with live projects in our team, go to Simply home.co for the show notes to sign up. See you next time, bye.

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