The 10 Commandments of Kitchen Renovation

We lived here for over a year before we began the project; although the “before” kitchen was dated and not to our taste, we wanted to really live in it before we made any big decisions. … We also didn’t let the fact that it wasn’t our dream kitchen stop us from preparing meals for ourselves each day and having friends and family over! That truly helped us learn what was important in the new kitchen. — Megan’s Always-Evolving Kitchen

Absolutely wait on changing the kitchen layout until you’ve really cooked in it. I spent four Thanksgivings cooking with the original layout, which meant I figured out better ways to utilize the existing space to complement how I cook. — Jennifer’s Sleek Shades of Gray

Spend some time reviewing your cooking process and figure out as part of your design where to store things so that they are where you use them. Your dishes are stored near the dishwasher, baking supplies are together. — Tamara’s Kitchen Customized for Her Cooking

Sticking with the original layout helped keep costs down as we didn’t need to redo the plumbing or rewire. — Beth’s Beachy Summer Kitchen

Reuse anything you can to keep down the costs. — Cindy’s Small Budget Makeover

Plan—and measure!—carefully ahead of time, but be open to changes when the project is underway. Some of our favorite features — adding a custom pullout pantry next to the refrigerator and preserving the bead board around the sink (rather than putting in a tile backsplash) — were not in our original plans. — Emilie’s Brighter, More Functional Kitchen

Get creative and keep an open mind! The space above the microwave was a huge challenge. We had to squeeze it in between the building’s air duct and an oddly placed ceiling soffit; and although IKEA cabinets fit perfectly for the rest of the kitchen, there was nothing short enough to fit that space. I was walking around the renovation debris one day when I noticed that one of the stray cabinet doors looked exactly like the size I needed! I bought an extra upper cabinet and cut it in half, then mounted it sideways and attached a single door so that it flips up toward the ceiling. It looks perfectly built-in! — Vanessa’s Mini Chef’s Kitchen

It will cost MUCH more than you budget for and that’s okay if you go into it understanding that! — Sheryl’s Rescued Summer Rental Kitchen

Make sure to add about 10-15% to your original budget to cover all of the “extras” you don’t think about in the beginning. — Erica’s 8-Foot Island

Everyone says this because it’s true: add 25% to the budget to cover unexpected costs! — Jennifer’s Tiny But Loft-Like Kitchen

Choosing the right contractor is everything. Ours was wonderful and made the process and easy and seamless as possible, and made suggestions that make our day-to-day life easier. — Eric’s Open, Airier Galley Kitchen

A reliable contractor is worth their weight in gold. There were a few problems on the project, but each time the contractor took ownership of the problem with zero hassle. — Robert’s Tiny, Transformed Cabin Kitchen

When renovating a older home it helps to enlist an architect and contractor who have experience trouble-shooting unexpected construction issues. — Molly’s Restored Victorian Kitchen

I worked with a design/build firm. Working with a contractor and designer from one firm meant communication was never a problem. Working with a designer meant having someone on hand to guide design choices. I highly recommend going this route if you are new to remodeling. — Mariann’s Improved Work Flow Kitchen

Stick to your guns. We had a great contractor, but he was used to “builder” renovations using what was readily available in bog box stores and minimal fuss. I did my homework on the layout, but he really tried to sway me a few times about the “surrounded fridge” on the rear wall. So glad I followed my gut instinct! — Jennifer’s Sleek Shades of Gray

As we’d never worked with a kitchen designer before, I was surprised to learn that he didn’t offer much advice regarding, well, much. He designed the basic space — with suggestions and input from us — but then gave us no direction in terms of lighting fixtures and hardware. I’m not sure if that’s typical or not. —Danielle’s Double-Oven Dream Kitchen

Always get what you want from the start and be super clear and super organized about it all with your contractor/cabinet designer. This will eliminate regrets (or unwelcome surprises) later on. — Sheryl’s Rescued Summer Rental Kitchen

Learned not to be afraid to do something different. Several people questioned my idea to add dog bowls in the island and make a countertop out of reclaimed cypress, but those are my favorite additions by far. — Jason’s Reconfigured “Perfect for Friends” Kitchen

If you plan to renovate on your own (like I did), be sure you don’t bite off more than you can chew. — Melissa’s Country-Meets-City Kitchen Makeover

Only bite off a little more than you think you can chew. The internet is also a fantastic resource for anything DIY; we started off with minimal knowledge of home remodeling, but ended up feeling confident of our work. — David’s Warm, Woody Kitchen Renovation

Do as much as you can yourselves (and if you don’t know how to do it — look it up!). We saved so much by doing our own demo, drywall, mudding/taping, painting, tiling, and finishing and hanging the cabinets. — Karin’s Updated Scandinavian-Style Kitchen

Be patient. — Linda’s Newer, Fresher Kitchen

With an old home, be prepared to deal with uneven, lopsided everything. — Evangelina’s All-White Kitchen Renovation

Never underestimate a prior tenant’s abilities to do poor work. If someone can paint over multiple layers of contact paper, they will. Be prepared for a simple paint stripping job to take much longer. — Nicole’s Painted Cabinet Interiors

In an older home plan extra time for wonky plumbing and weird electrical issues that need to be fixed. Work time was lost fixing these issues. — Jamie’s Fresh and Open Entertaining Kitchen

Keep a folder that contains every piece of paper related to the project: receipts, bids, schedule, etc. I referred to these a million times, whether it was to find a phone number for the appliance store or to review the architectural plans. —Jennifer’s Tiny But Loft-Like Kitchen

You can’t plan everything! I did my best to make up a schedule but we had some delays here and there. You’ve just got to go with the flow. I did a little yoga and followed that up with several ice cream cones to de-stress. It helps! — Rachel’s DIY Kitchen Renovation for $10,000

My husband and I did ALL the work and we learned that 1) we must love each other because we are still together and 2) that it always takes longer than you think it will! — Kendahl’s Concrete Countertop Kitchen Upgrade

Everything is going to be harder than you thought it would be. It’s going to take longer, you’re going to spend more money and things are going to go wrong. If you can accept those facts then it’s easy to get through the day to day stresses and focus on the finished product. — Beth’s Total Teardown Kitchen

Thank everyone who has helped you with the project, often and well. Get enough sleep, learn to meditate for the stressful stuff and remember how much you’ll love your new kitchen when it’s finished! — Jennifer’s Tiny But Loft-Like Kitchen

I remodeled the only bathroom at the same time so I didn’t live in the house. I wish I was able to stop by the house more often to prevent little bouts of miscommunication. — Chris’ Timeless Not Trendy Remodel

Live somewhere else while you are remodeling, if you can — we did.” — Sheryl’s Rescued Summer Rental Kitchen