Let’s get back to some basics of fixing houses. One of the things that always put me off was the amount of money contractors charge to redo a kitchen or bathroom.
This started years ago when my buddy Dan and I looked at the kitchen remodel of some friends of mine. It was beautiful. This was back in the days when granite was a new thing, cabinets were still wood, and the price was $80K. Yes, it was extremely expensive.
In all fairness the price included a half bath with pocket door, and it opened two rooms into one. My original thought for this post was how to move or get rid of a wall, but it got too technical. The point of the original post was how cheap and easy it is to get rid of or move a wall. Let me just say that on two occasions with kitchen remodels I’ve looked at the contractor added $10K for removing the wall and putting in a beam.
In both the kitchen and bathroom it’s all about plumb and level. The space, the box, the walls, ceiling, and floor have to be square. That’s the trick and what people pay the big bucks for. People pay thousands of dollars for the contractor to make the box, the space, a set of right angles, or variations there of.
I’m going to spare you the stories of how I got to this conclusion. Let’s just start with the floor. You want the floor to be perfectly level. If you need to take out the sub floor do that rather than shim the floor that is there. If you are keeping the cabinets you need to cut under the toe kick and level the floor to the level of the cabinet bases that you are keeping. That’s why most contractors want to sell you new cabinets, or take out the ones you have to reuse.
Your floor has to match the level of your working surface. You can shim counter tops, but that adds work and makes things funky. I’m mentioning this to give you an idea of what makes a good project great.
Once again, if in doubt, gut it, and gut it to the studs. You also want to be mindful of the rooms adjacent and how they match up. You’ll notice a little step up, ramp up, from other rooms into kitchens and baths. I also used to think this was for tile or sub floor below vinyl. This was also a factor, but have also learned that it gives the contractor a better transition into a level floor.
OK, enough about the floor, it needs to be level, straight and sturdy. A good second point is that whatever you have to do there should be no spring to the floor. You can add support, or blocking, but I have found that two layers of criss cross plywood, screwed, and glued can add a lot. I like keeping ship lap cross angle sub floors, three quarter inch is good. If the floor will be vinyl we sheath with plywood, if tile we hardi board.
Another thing is about tiling under the cabinets. I have grown to prefer tiling the entire floor. Butting tile into cabinets makes things weird. With vinyl it’s OK, you’re going to replace it anyway.
Once the floor is level we plumb the walls to it and set the angles of the corners. You want a perfect box or set of angles. When the cabinets, and appliances come they are going to be at set angles. You want the fit to be perfect. That perfect fit is what people pay for. Tight is the word, a tight fit. Keep in mind about the drywall, and where the joints are. A drywall joint can add almost a quarter inch if it is on both sides of a cabinet install. We’ll get to the cabinets in a minute.
Now the ceiling is a stupid thing that many people leave alone, when they shouldn’t. Ceilings sag, can be unlevel, you may level the floor in a house that has settled ever so slightly, and you want it all to be new. The ceiling should be level with the floor and not just level. The box needs to be a complete picture. While you are up there figure where the lights, and vent should be.
You’ll notice I haven’t addressed design yet. Another part of my charm is the fact I like to see what’s going on behind the walls before I make a plan. I’ve talked about it before as a way to get cheaper bids by having the contractor see a gutted room. With the whole room exposed it’s easier to see where wires, and plumbing can run in harmony. I also started my career as a painter and rot was always the thing that drove my costs way up.
Now about the cabinets. They come in groupings even if you have them custom made. This is the time to get measurements and start shopping. I would prefer to have the drywall up, but it takes time to get good, high quality cabinets made. You’ll be surprised how cheap a cabinet company is. Look them up, or even go to an outlet store. The cabinets are all anyone is going to see. A lot of talk lately focuses on the counter tops, but as granite falls out of favor, or becomes worn, the cabinets should be able to get a second life. Buy wood if you can.
The design we can keep for another time. Counter tops, sink, stove, and refrigerator should match the lighting. Window placement is important for kitchens, not so much for the bath. In both it’s important to keep the structure level, plumb, and square.
