Considering a room revamp, but not sure where to begin—or how much to invest? In our latest series, One-Room Renos, we explore renovation projects big and small, from soft-good upgrades you can accomplish in a weekend to total overhauls that cost a small fortune and take months (or longer).
Today, a civil engineer in Houston shares how his 12-week kitchen remodel ended up taking 12 months—and what he learned in the process.
Tell us a bit more about your kitchen renovation.
We moved to Houston from Philadelphia for my wife’s job. We had just one weekend to buy a home and found this one, built in 2001. The house and the layout were great. The only thing was that my wife didn’t like the kitchen, so we agreed we’d renovate.
What didn’t you like about the kitchen?
The entire layout of the kitchen was strange. The range took up the entire kitchen island, so there was no room to put anything off to the side when you were cooking. Functionally, it didn’t work.
Did your renovation focus on one particular area?
The focus was the island. We made it larger, and centered it with the sink. We also raised the upper cabinets, put on new cabinet doors, removed the built-in wine rack, and replaced that with more storage.
How did you get started?
We kind of did it all backwards. Because we had just moved, we really didn’t know anyone, including contractors. I saw an ad for a contractor in a local magazine and called him.
What happened then?
He gave us a bid and asked if we had materials—countertops, tile, cabinet-paint colors—picked out. We didn’t. He recommended the design team at Coton House. We liked them and hired them right away.
How did their design process work?
We told them that we didn’t know what we wanted, but we knew what we liked, so Laurie Coton and her team tasked us with Googling kitchen renovations and sending pictures of things we liked. When we met at their office, they had put together three different boards with different style options. We made a couple changes to one and then chose it.
How did you choose your materials?
When we went to the designer’s office, they had all the materials there to choose from. They have a whole wall of tiles and fabrics. That was really cool. We just sat and chatted and went through what we liked and didn’t like.
What was the style you chose?
My wife wanted white cabinets, so that was the starting point. We also wanted blue-green tones and a backsplash tile that had a little pattern or a little more character.
How long did the renovation take?
Too long. We ended up having a lot of issues with the contractor. They said it would take 12 weeks, and it ended up taking 12 months—and it’s still not completely finished. They’re supposed to finish the butler’s pantry and some cabinet lighting.
What took so long?
There was a lot of inaction. It wasn’t like there were people working the whole time. They would work two days a week, then come back the following week. We also had a hurricane hit, and our power was out for a week.
What was it like to live in your home during a kitchen renovation?
We asked the contractor to leave the fridge and sink in as long as possible. We had a toaster oven and used the outdoor grill a lot. Luckily in Texa