The Kitchen Remodel

Noticing that no one has posted an article in this forum since early August 2007, it appears that this forum either has hit a dead end or that no one has any strength left to enter their impressions after, or during the phases of securing a qualified professional to do a job. Perhaps, it is both.

There was a recent posting in the New York Times’ Garden Section regarding a home in Florida that was undergoing remodeling and the problems they encountered. What struck me was not the entries that were made, but the responses and posts from those who read this woman’s blog daily. I called it “remodel envy,” and my friends concurred.

Now, for my kitchen story. An unabated water leak from the dishwasher hose went undetected for who knows how many months before it was discovered in the ceiling of the lower level. WOW! There is always going to be worse situations and, taking that into consideration, I plowed ahead with the task of remodeling and redoing my kitchen. I participated in and took advantage of the many paths and myths available to coordinate and schedule a kitchen remodel. And I needed to find out what I did not like before I could consider something that I did like.

It went the same for the individual people who I was attempting to hire to complete their portion of the work needed. Getting competent people who could have a vision with this sort of work is very difficult. These guys are like selecting a stock or mutual fund: past performance is no guarantee of future results. I am now at the point of narrowing my selections to two or three different scenarios because, at some point, I have to look up from the magazines and other fine photography and realize how it will all fit into the space that I have for my kitchen.

I think I may have found a floor tile guy who happened to install floor tile that was photographed on the front of one of the industrial kitchen magazines that I had begun to receive. I consider myself very lucky, at this point. What I have found is that the upper end of the interior design and remodel work in my state (Maryland) is only known by a select few. These people and their company enjoy marvelous reputations and rightfully so, due to the skill and expertise in their area. It most definitely costs more to employ them, but I have found that it will cost a lot anyway and the difference, if there is any, will be more than made up in the satisfaction and beauty of their work. We will see ...