A Story of an IKEA Kitchen Remodel

For the purpose of providing some helpful data on home remodeling, here is just one example of how a project was planned and completed by two homeowners, MaryJo and Jim.

This couple has a condo in a medium sized city, grown kids, no grandchildren yet. Their kitchen was a good size for a condo, 11 x 14. Both MaryJo an Jim work full time. Jim travels and MaryJo has to be on call evenings and weekends, in addition to a 35 hour week. They had saved up over two years to redo the kitchen and had a good idea of the styles and types of materials they wanted.

For this couple, time was really more vital than money. As they moved through the planning phase, they chose appliances, cabinets and countertop that easily fit within their budget. Their attention then shifted to the labor costs and timeframe.

As a first step, MaryJo had a big home improvement store come out for a free estimate and design. Although one or two of their cabinet styles were acceptable, they really wanted a more modern look to go with the contemporary style of the condo itself. But the real deal breaker came with the price quoted. The home consultation and design were “free” but the cost of the cabinets was over $28,000, more than their entire budget for materials and labor.

Back at square one, MaryJo and Jim went to IKEA to look again at the displays. It seemed obvious that these were a better deal, and even, per Jim’s research, better quality. So they found us online, a company that specializes in remodeling projects using IKEA cabinets. Our designer came up with a layout that was better for their lifestyle needs than any they had considered. Things really start to get exciting, and to move forward, when the layout is really right for the homeowner. It’s hard to do remodeling with all its costs and messes if you aren’t excited about the envisioned results.

Robert went out to look at the walls, plumbing, electrical, lighting, flooring, etc. so as to be able to answer their questions and provide a detailed bid sheet.

For better or for worse, this couple picked a week for their project when Jim would be out of town. MaryJo could take 2 days off work. The project timeframe was 10 days, including demo, a small amount of electrical upgrade, wall repair, cabinet and appliance installation, countertop install, tile flooring and backsplash and some new recessed lights.

During the project, once things were well underway and MaryJo was back at work, MaryJo kept in touch with Robert via cell and email. She had to make few choices along the way. She emailed our office one night to remind us not to let her cat out of the condo. We called her to let her know she had not received two side panels which were backordered.

On day 5, the countertop supplier came to install countertop and Robert adjusted two cabinets to help them.

On day 13, Jim came home to a finished new kitchen.

Want to discuss your project? If you are in the Los Angeles/SoCal area, give us a call, 818-273-4583 or visit us at www.modernfamilykitchens.com