News Section - 04.23.07 How Far Ahead Should We Start ? For people planning a kitchen or bathroom renovation, one vitally important question is: “How far ahead should we start?” Both these rooms are part of your daily living routine, so you will want to be sure that the time they are out of use will be as short as possible. At the same time, you will want the work to be done well and to your satisfaction, both because you will be living with it after it is completed and also because it is part of the investment your home represents. Taking a realistic and organized approach to the preparatory stages will help to ensure that the work goes smoothly when it starts. In order to prepare your timeline it helps to receive the guidance and advice of professional design/build firms such as The New York Kitchen and Bath Company - NYKB, who have built up a first-hand knowledge of the procedures involved in remodeling kitchens and bathrooms and are aware of the time such projects can be expected to take. On the whole the pre-construction process, from initial concept to demo, can take from a few weeks to a few months. The question of whether your pre-construction process will be in the weeks or months category will have a lot to do with how much time you have available to devote to the project. It is better to take a sensible approach to this rather than trying to move mountains at the expense of the peace of mind of yourself and your family. If you have lived with your kitchen or bathroom for some time you can live with them a little longer while you make sure everything is as ready as possible for the actual renovation work to get under way. You may think you are ready to roll because you have selected the tiles you want, but talking to professionals such as those at NYKB will help you to see that taking some additional time can serve you well in the lead-up to your kitchen or bathroom remodeling work. Among the tasks that need to be done in the pre-construction phase are such things as organizing bids from contractors, deciding on the décor you want, choosing colors and appliances, and making arrangements for the time when your kitchen or bathroom will be out of action. As part of this planning stage you will also need to consider how fast your board usually makes decisions. This will be an important factor in the time you will need to allocate to getting ready for your renovations. At this point you may be more than happy to have some extra time at your disposal because, in addition to shopping and waiting for the board’s decisions, you will still have plenty of work to do before the renovators move in. One of the many things to think of in planning how far ahead you should start on the preparation for a kitchen or bathroom renovation is how much free time you have to do whatever preliminary work is needed. While it is easy enough to resolve to save some money by clearing the decks and doing some of the work yourself, you may find you don’t have as much time as you thought. You may also find certain tasks, if you are not used to doing them, take longer than you thought and require more expertise than you expected. If you work full-time you will have little time or energy in the evenings, and weekends may make other demands on your time. Be aware, therefore, of all these factors and don’t be surprised if the lead-up time takes longer than you expected. Clearing out the room that is to be renovated will also take time. No matter how straightforward you think it will be, getting ready to do without your kitchen or bathroom takes a lot of planning. If you are going to move out during the renovations, you will have to make alternate plans for accommodation and budget accordingly if you can’t stay with relatives or friends. If you can stay at home you will need to think about alternate cooking or showering facilities while the renovations are being carried out. Such plans can’t be made too early. Remembering that the pre-construction process itself can take up to a few months, you will be happier if you have everything organized well in advance. Trying to rush the process can result in glitches and hold-ups, so make the most of the time to do your planning and preparation as thoroughly as possible to avoid delays once construction has started. Remember that the advice and support of professional companies such as NYKB can help you to plan your schedule so that your kitchen or bathroom renovations are carried out and completed as smoothly and quickly as possible.
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