Remodeling with Kids

I remember when my husband remodeled our downstairs bathroom… by himself.  Llama was one-and-a-half at the time.  Josh assured me that it would be a very quick job… finished in two weekends tops.  Our bathroom was very small after all that it wouldn’t take very long to lay the tile, replace the sink and paint.  Simple.  Two weekends of hanging around the house without playing with Daddy wouldn’t be too big of a deal.  Entertaining our daughter on my own for two weekends would be easy.

Josh finished the bathroom and it was beautiful.  Gorgeous stone tile.  A free standing sink with a cabinet underneath.  But it didn’t take him two weekends.

He finished in six weekends.  That was six weeks of keeping a one-a-half-year old occupied and out of that bathroom, plus flying solo for six weeks without any real Daddy weekend time.  When we mulled over the possibility of remodeling our kitchen, both he and I agreed it was too big of job to tackle on our own.  He missed having family time during the bathroom remodel.  And I know that some people are born DIY’ers, but I’m not.  It stresses me out.  I do not have a DIY gene and would rather everything stay the same than risk upheaval and change.  Thankfully, my husband is completely opposite and pushed me in the right direction.  

We decided to redo the kitchen.

After researching a lot of home improvement companies, we chose Republic West Remodeling.  The company is local to the Phoenix area. Immediately, I worried about logistics.  How long will it take?  Where will we eat in the meantime?  Will it turn our house into a construction zone covered with dust?  How will I keep Llama out of the remodeling zone? 

We sat down with a consultant and discussed our new kitchen.  To keep it within our budget, the consultant suggested we reface the kitchen cabinetry, replace all of the cabinet doors and replace the white laminate counters with a nicer finish.  

We borrowed a few moving boxes and boxed up our kitchen supplies on a Sunday night.  Llama helped put a random thing here and there into a box and then ran off to play with her dolls.  The morning of the remodel, our contractor arrived and we handed him the keys to our house so that he could lock up at the end of each work day.  We said goodbye to our kitchen looking like this: Everyday after work, I was always excited to see the kitchen’s progress. Llama loved it as well.

A plastic sheet separated our kitchen from the rest of the house.  This held in all the dust so that our living room remained spotless – well, relatively, spotless.  This is our house we’re talking about.   

On Friday – 5 days later – we moved everything back into the kitchen.

Minus a few drawers which went in the following week.  Still, only 5 days without a kitchen!  Compare that to six weeks without a bathroom and it is a miracle. 

I was beyond happy with the work Republic West did.  Not only were they fast, but our contractor communicated with us every step of the way.  We ran into a minor problem with the above drawer fronts because they were the wrong size.  However, Republic West ordered the new fronts quickly and installed them.  

Republic West Remodeling recently completed a community give-back project for the Foundation of Blind Children. This project involved a complete redesign of the Foundation’s kitchen facility, including new cabinetry and countertops, two new islands, all new appliances, new flooring, new paint, a separate area for employees, and additional space to entertain, hold meetings and conduct other functions.  The kitchen serves as an important training area where adults with vision loss learn how to maintain an independent and functional life. 

How pretty!! It makes me want to remodel something else!  Except not me personally.  I have no interest in DIY.  Now with two kids, I can not imagine how I would keep both occupied, get the job done and keep my sanity.  I would rather have Republic West Remodeling do the job again. 

Recommended Posts

What to do with Kid’s Clothes

Christmas with Kids: The Book

Remodeling Your Home’s Floor Plan : Making an Older Home Feel New