Phase 1: Information Gathering, Design & Pricing
Gathering information for your kitchen remodeling project
While you are excited at this stage, it is essential for you to take your time and get it right. The choices you make here will start to create the foundation of your kitchen remodeling project, so it is critical that you take your time and consider your options carefully. Rushing too quickly through this process can cause mistakes, missed opportunities and in some cases, additional costs or delays.
The same goes for us. This is where we have to ask the right questions and then listen, listen really well, take notes and in all likelihood, ask more questions. It is essential for us to understand the purpose behind your project so we can help you reach your goal, regardless of whether it is a replacement kitchen for a quick re-sell that requires in stock cabinets and in stock appliances, or it your dream kitchen design.
Be Prepared for the Budget Questions
The budget questions should come as no surprise. We will ask about home value, how long you plan to stay in the home to help you determine the right amount to consider spending for on your kitchen project. We may even use our online kitchen estimator tool to help give you a range of prices from high to low that you can expect. Find asnwers to this and other frequently asked questions about kitchen remodeling as well.
Your Reico designer will meet with you for a free in-store consultation at our showroom, ask lots of questions and offer their professional insight and expertise to help guide you to the right decisions. Once we've educated you on your options and identified logical next steps we will collect a design deposit, which is applied to your purchase, and move on to the formal design phase for your kitchen. We are also available to meet in your home on the first consultation. In those cases, we will ask for a design deposit at the time of scheduling, which will be applied to your purchase as well.
Once that is done, we will get started on developing your space. We will discuss ideas and take into account Kitchen Trends (read more in our Kitchen Trends blog).
In most cases, appliances will be the first products we will ask you to consider and decide on (read Appliance Basics - What You Need to Know). Your appliances will dictate available space for cabinets along with any special considerations for plumbing, gas and electrical. Rushing too quickly through this process can cause mistakes, missed opportunities and in some cases additional costs or even delays.
Designing – a collaborative part of the kitchen remodeling process
Once product decisions have been made, the kitchen designing process will begin. Using measurements from the client or ones taken by your designer, your new space will start to come together with the products you’ve selected.
We want to create a kitchen design that works and that offers the most cost-effective ways to meet your needs. Based on our recommendations, you can decide if that meets your needs or if you want to expand or improve on. See an example of how that worked in our Frederick, MD Kitchen Case Study.
This may be where you consider additional details as the design comes together such as moldings, cabinet storage accessories, drawer storage and other options that can make your kitchen both functional and beautiful. We will also start talking about options for countertops to tie everything in your space together (read Countertop Basics – What You Need to Know). You may discover along the way that adding a second cabinet finish and countertop material and color is the perfect finishing touch to your kitchen.
The kitchen design is a collaborative process. You are the one who will be using your kitchen every day, so it is important to ask questions, share your input and understand every decision. We need to listen, take good notes and ask more questions to create your new space. The more we collaborate on it, the more your final design will be exactly what you want it to be.
Pricing – Understanding the costs of your kitchen remodeling project
Finally, it’s time to put together your quote and review pricing to make sure everything is ready to order. Much like during the design process, you want to make sure you are clear on what has been specified and included in your quote.
The costs of your kitchen remodeling project are often tied to a number of factors, most notably the size of the space and the scope of the project. A straight pull and replace of materials will typically be less than a kitchen remodel project that involves moving walls, moving plumbing or other significant changes.
According to studies by the National Kitchen & Bath Association, almost a third of your cost will be in cabinets and hardware (29% of the cost of project on average), followed by installation (17%), appliances (15%) and countertops (10%). And this does not include costs for faucets, plumbing, backsplashes, flooring, lighting and more (for more info, read our blog The 3 things that have the biggest impact on your kitchen remodel cost). You can also view some completed Reico kitchen projects with product costs to get some ideas from actual projects in our Reico Kitchen Project and Pricing Reference Guide.
All told Phase 1 can last 6-8 weeks on average from start to finish, and sometimes longer depending on the full scope of your kitchen remodel. A final measurement should be taken to confirm that everything has been designed properly. And if we’ve done our job, we’ve started to prepare you for that inevitable surprise or detour that typically comes once product arrives and tear out/installation starts. Our experience tells us (and you!) to always be prepared to expect something and to be ready to work together to resolve.
