We’ve have been enjoying our new kitchen and bathroom for a month and a half now and it really is about time I post something about the whole renovation experience. We hired Dean Plesko (nuspacekitchen.com) to be our contractor and he does not go by the time-and-material model. He gave us a project cost, based on the materials we chose for the cabinets, sink, toilet, plumbing fixtures, lighting, etc. The items that would make that project cost go up or down are added or cancelled features or requests. Dean supplied most of the materials, except for the kitchen appliances. I liked his model because of the comfort it brought us knowing how much the project would cost right from the beginning. In the end, we spent about $1500 more than the original cost because we added work for Dean, like beefing up the insulation above the ceiling, and installing heated floor in the bathroom. Dean was easy to work with and communicate with. He guided us in our decision-making and made the whole process quite manageable. The project schedule was delayed for 3 weeks (almost 40% of original duration) because the countertop manufacturer, Cambria, couldn’t deliver the material to the local fabricator. Luckily, we didn’t have a fixed move out date for the basement suite we were staying in. And in the end, I believe we got a granite counter that is more beautiful than the original quartz counter we had chosen. Plus it gave Sophia more time to be with Ed’s aunt (she lived upstairs from us). It all worked out for the better.
The most stressful part of the experience was making decisions. We didn’t hire a designer so it fell on me and Ed to decide on the colour scheme and choose the design for the tiles, countertop, backsplash, cabinet handles, plumbing fixtures, and lighting. I found it stressful because I would have to live with my design choices for years to come and I felt that there was no room for error. I would email my girlfriends for their advice when Ed and I couldn’t agree on something, like staggered versus stacked floor tiles. And it wasn’t only the visual design we had to decide on but also functional design, such as, how far apart should the pull-out drawers in the pantry be or where to install the microwave or the garbage can. Dean provided a lot of guidance for the functional design, thankfully.
After a month and a half, I am happy to report that I love our kitchen. Visually and functionally, I think we got it right. The only thing I can complain about is the splashing the tall faucet causes. That’s minor. All the appliances are performing well and there haven’t been any “oops, we shouldn’t have picked that” moments. I love the eating bar (we finally bought stools a couple of weeks ago) and we use it quite often now. The kitchen is just soooo different from our previous kitchen that it’s a totally new experience for us and makes the whole house feel different, too.
As for the bathroom, I really, really like it but it’s not the “I am in love with it” feeling that I have for the kitchen. The bathroom is functionally not much different from our old bathroom so the impact of the renovation has not been as significant to us as the kitchen. I do love how it looks. Functionally, there are a couple of things that have given me the “oops, should have done it differently” moments. One is the shower valve. It is the type where I can only control the water temperature but not the volume. I didn’t know Dean was going to install a valve like that and I didn’t know to ask, either. I just assumed it would be like our old tap where I can control both volume and temperature. Oops. However, it is really only when the water is coming out of the tap that it bothers me. Once I have the water going out of the shower, then I love that the volume is full blast. And I love how our tub is roomier than before.
Overall, the renovation was a good experience. Ed and I worked well together, I thought. It was stressful and busy but very much worth it. I am so glad we finally got it done!
Here are some photos of before and after…
More photos at our Flickr site...
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