Hi Everyone,
Today, we will be addressing an interesting interior design dilemma regarding doing a kitchen remodel in stages.
But first:
Thank you so much for your kind wishes and comments regarding the decorating problems post.
For many of these questions, the answers are already here, on this blog!
What I recommend is using the search box in the sidebar (computer). Or, on mobile, at the top of the page (mobile), and do a query. I do this all the time, and it works!
Some of your questions would be impossible to address without seeing some clear pictures of the situation and surrounding areas.
To be considered for an upcoming blog post, you may send your dilemma and photos here:
admin at laurel bern interiors dot com. And also, typing is still difficult, and I might not answer even though I want to.
***Please note some parameters:
- Only one or two emails.
- Please know that your home might appear on my website as a case study. I do not give specifics for the location or your name unless you want me to.
Today, we’re going to focus on kitchen remodels and the subsequent questions a few of you had.
Due to my injury, it’s baby steps for me. So, if you don’t see your dilemma here, it means:
- There are already blog posts that address the issue.
- Your particular problem is exceedingly specific.
- I can’t give advice of any kind because I can’t see the entire situation, and my telepathic powers are quite limited.
- I’m planning to cover it in a subsequent post. The focus will be on budget-friendly kitchens, and kitchen botoxes.
As with other topics, there are a few posts already in existence. If that’s the case, I will link back to it.
Below is my crappy little kitchen before the big renovation that began in June 2023.
Yes, those horribly uncoordinated light fixtures were already here.
A Renovation House Tour for My Newly Renovated Boston Condo!
A very interesting question came from Megan R regarding wanting to do a kitchen remodel in stages.
Hi Laurel, If you were needing to baby step through a full kitchen remodel or bathroom renovation but not moving any utility lines (i.e., plumbing, electric, gas), how would you do that?
We can’t afford just to rip everything out and do it all at once, but I want to be smart about doing it in stages. And I can’t wrap my brain around how to do that, because it seems like there isn’t a way to do it in stages and have it turn out well. Am I wrong?
***
Dear Megan, You are not wrong; you are correct–1000% correct.
Doing your kitchen remodel in stages is a sure-fire way to have it end up costing double what it would have if you did it all at once.
AND to make some whopping mistakes, along the way.
Plus, you’ll be living with chaos, filth, dust and disarray for how long?
Most kitchens take from 3 to 9 months, in any case. Do you want to live like that for three years? I mean, there’s pain, and then there’s giving birth to quintuplets for three years straight!
What I recommend is careful planning in advance and saving up for when you can do it all at once, say in three years, when you were planning to finish.
You can hold off on wall tiles and maybe a dishwasher, but otherwise, I strongly recommend that you do the project in one gulp.
If at all possible, saving your current kitchen cabinets and painting them, upgrading the hardware, will make a huge difference.
However, there are other things you can do either temporarily or permanently to make things so much better.
Okay, I spent most of the time heavily updating one of my favorite 12-year-old blog posts, which goes over many terrific ideas for cost-effective kitchen updates.
You will find a ton of ideas in the post below.
Okay, now for a bit of business.
My new blog model will be shorter, more frequent posts. I hope that most of you will enjoy that change.
Also, please click the Amazon and Hot Sales links below my siggy.
This isn’t your problem; however, my business has been suffering hugely since my wrist broke.
This is in addition to the huge losses due to the fact that 80% of my search and Pinterest traffic is gone, and not coming back.
And yes, it’s 100% due to Google’s use of AI overviews instead of putting the search results up first. These drastic changes have negatively impacted every content creator who worked hard to grab the attention of Google to get those prized “above the fold” listings for relevant search terms.
The wrist is only making it worse, as I haven’t been able to work very much.
And, no worries if you’re not in the USA. My plea doesn’t apply to you or to those who aren’t keen on Internet shopping.
Using the affiliate links for items you want and need costs you nothing, but it very much helps to keep me afloat.
xo,
***Please check out the recently updated HOT SALES
Also, if you’re doing some shopping on Amazon, please click this Amazon affiliate link or the graphic below.
Thank you so much!
I very much appreciate your help and support – more than ever!
Related Posts
A Lovely Home in Armonk | Living Room Interior Design
How Much Does It Cost To Do A Smart Kitchen Renovation?
Blog Trolls Beware! An Etiquette Guide for the Terminally Clueless
Follow These Decorating Rules And You’ll Be In Deep Doo Doo
Bahama Drama On The Enchantment Of The Seas Vacation
The Romantic English Custom Tapestry Reproductions Are Here!
I (Laurel) Need Your Help. Decorating Help.
12 Responses
Cinco – Great – Just wanted a heads up. I only have the one frig! 🙂
I did not realize that Google AI affected Pinterest traffic as well. I use Duck Duck Go to avoid most AI and Pinterest links come up a lot, especially for image searches. Unfortunately I think the image results aren’t quite as good as what I once got with Google, but having to wade through AI and sponsored links in Google has really diminished its utility for me, and resent that there isn’t an easy way to opt out of AI n Google or in Facebook. I find Facebook particularly irksome because half my feed is not stuff I actually subscribe to, and the AI is automatic and generally regurgitates the content as a question.
I have used AI summaries to glance at user reviews for products, but then I read the individual comments, and did use it recently to filter through lots of options for mini spin scrubbers on Amazon (so many nearly identical products to sort through–very happy wit the one i got so far). So I think it has its uses, but I wish its use was optional and more transparent and traceable.
Yes, kitchens and baths are pricey and any tips to improve results and make them functional and timeless are welcome. As I mentioned before, my biggest problem are lack is finding reliable contractors who have any kind of understanding of traditional design and a sense of craftsmanship. So much stuff these days is designed to be relatively short-lived and installed by people who barely know what they are doing to minimize labor costs and cope with high labor turnover in the construction industry. Where I live construction jobs go begging for anyone to fill them, and entry requirements are low, and labor costs have gone through the roof.
Material costs have also gone sky-high and I think the quality of materials have declined and gone to more plastics and synthetics that look good at first but often don’t age well. They have their uses of course, but where I live it is getting almost impossible to find anyone who knows how to repair traditional wood windows, plaster walls and wood siding, floors and doors, versus covering them up or replacing them wholesale.
Hi, Carmen! My existing fridge is counter depth and it’s been fine for us (and our six kids). It probably helps that we have always had a second “party” fridge in the garage and a small fridge in the outdoor kitchen, though.
Oh, geez. I am doing a kitchen, well, I’ll call it a refresh, in stages. I needed to keep the kitchen in working order during the refresh, and I didn’t want to get rid of perfectly good cabinets or countertops. My main issue with the kitchen was how very dark it was. The house was built in 2006, and the kitchen sported a dark floor, dark cabinets, dark countertops and a dark backsplash! I’m sure it was very groovy back in the day.
My first step was to paint the cabinets. I tore off the backsplash and replaced it with beadboard I’d painted like the cabinets. I had someone install under-cabinet lights, a new vent and decorative hood and light rail (to hide the lights). I swapped out cabinet hardware, and that is it so far.
The next step is stack cabinets. I have 24 inches of dead space above my cabinets, and I’m tired of cleaning it! There is a huge list of improvements left, but it’s gone very smoothly so far. I’m sure you’re right, Laurel. A renovation in which the floor is ripped up with new cabinets and countertops would be a nightmare to do in stages.
Not only would I save up for it, I’d hire a good designer and make sure I had the flooring, appliances, cabinets, lighting, hardware and every other dang thing I could before the trades got there and started ripping stuff out. I’d try to compress the time from demo to the finish line as much as possible. I love to cook. My kitchen is the hardest working room in the house.
Cinco -Please do research on the counter-depth refrigerator issue. And then repeat. Measurements, cubic space in refrigerator, etc. I bought one to avoid the bump out beyond the counter.. I’m single, didn’t think I needed the larger refrigeration. Well – Wrong! The difference in cubic space inside – was very obvious! Ended up replacing it with one with the standard depth and much happier. The small amount of kitchen space I saved was not worth it. If I had to do it again, I would instead bumped out the wall behind the Cabinets/counter for the extra inches in depth of the Refrigerator.
Hi Laurel,
I’m so sorry to hear AI is affecting your business. What’s so sad about it is that it’s going to happen to so many folks. There are so many people that live paycheck to paycheck now. And it’s only going to get worse. But the rich will get richer.😡
If I lived close, I would come over & help with your housekeeping & laundry. Just don’t ask me to cook. 😉
I thought we were doing our kitchen reno in one go, my contractor, on the other hand, thought it was in a dozen stages!
My prayers for a speedy recovery for you. Injuries are a big pain in so many ways.
Your kitchen is a masterpiece! You tackled so many issues so beautifully!!!
As a designer, I don’t know if I would have had the courage to do it all. And it takes courage as well as a hefty bank account! Hope you mend well.❤️
Laurel – you gave Megan R. great advice to not do a renovation in stages. Had I had you as a resource 22YO when we moved in this 1964 home, I would’ve waited and not done two “mini” renovations that cost me major $. It’s June 2026, and this 1964 kitchen is gutted, and it’s painful living through it. More painful is thinking about the $ I wasted on painting cabinets that are now in the dumpster and on flooring that was ripped up, etc., etc. Megan R. – if you’re reading this comment, please don’t make the costly mistakes I made.
I’m planning a kitchen remodel, now. My “plan” is to use standard size appliances in the remodel and hopefully keep my existing (old and ugly) appliances for the first round of the remodel to save money, and update my appliances in the second wave. I am planning on a counter depth fridge (I’m measuring the cabinets for the fridge I actually want, and might even wait on ordering the above fridge cabinet.),and standard size range, dish washer, and (sorry) an above the range microwave – I find it incredibly convenient.
Oh dear, Laurel, I sympathize with you more than you can know! I broke my wrist exactly one year ago, and it was an awful experience. I also fractured my jaw and cut my chin which numbed my mouth for many weeks. The only thing that helped was having a fantastic hand surgeon who put it all back together. And eliminated the pain once the surgery was over. However, it does take quite a while before you feel normal again and can use your hand again. Mine was my non-dominant hand so that made it a bit easier.
I hope and pray that your recovery is swift and complete.
Dear Laurel,
I was so sad to read about the hit to your business due to AI and the changing landscape for content creators. Also, deeply concerned about your injury and accident. I’ve been reading your blog for 10 years. I found you while undergoing a 7-year, DIY, foundation-up, rebuild of our 1911 home in Victoria. Birthing quints for seven years was pretty much how it felt. You, your expertise, your humour, and your inspiration saved that project and saved me over and over again. Now that we no longer own that house and are not rebuilding or even decorating, I don’t check in or comment as often as I once did. But I’m still here and I wanted to send my support and gratitude for all I’ve learned from you and for all you give. My prayers for a speedy and complete recovery.