Design & Decor
Ready to Remodel?
KCH&G follows one local family’s project from conception to completion.
BY
Story and renderings courtesy of Deatherage Home Designs, the project designer



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After
If you are considering a remodeling project but don’t know where to start, don’t worry, you’re not alone. To many homeowners, the most daunting task about remodeling is getting started.

Planning is the No. 1 key to a successful remodel. You are guaranteed to experience much higher stress, cost overruns and mistakes without it, so be prepared in advance. Without proper time spent planning on the front end, your project is likely to take longer and cost more, and without the necessary time and effort spent on working through the design process, you’re likely to discover design flaws as you begin to live in your remodeled space. All of these problems and frustrations are avoidable — and we’re going to tell you how.

Selecting a remodeling contractor is daunting to most homeowners. Whom do you trust? How do you know if the price quoted is reasonable and competitive? Can you stand to have this person and/or their crew in your home for several weeks or months? Every industry has professional associations and standards. Make sure your remodeler is properly licensed and insured. Have you seen their work? What do their references say about them? How do they present themselves and their company? And, on top of everything, are they  professional? In an industry burdened with stereotypes of “bad seeds,” the true professionals are often overshadowed.

Selecting a designer who is a good match for you is the first step  in the planning process. Having a partnership with your designer, whether he or she is an independent designer or a designer/architect supplied by the remodeler, ensures that the rest of the project will flow smoothly. Whichever route you choose, the most important elements are good chemistry, good communication and design experience.

Establishing a budget is critical in the early phases. It is important to honestly assess your budget and communicate that information to your designer and/or remodeler. A good design professional will guide you through the process with your budget as a benchmark for design recommendations. Nothing is more frustrating to a homeowner (or a designer) than to have your dream project designed only to find out it will cost twice what you can afford.

Kansas City Homes & Gardens has partnered with the Kansas City chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) to bring you — in great detail — the design, planning and construction process of a local remodel project. We’ll discuss all the steps of a typical remodeling project, right down to the last wire, on the following pages, where we’ll feature a case study of an  actual kitchen remodeling project presently under construction. Not only will you get to   hear our perspective on this project, we’ll also give comments and feedback from the homeowners, designer, remodeler and subcontractors. Best of all, this home will be featured on the NARI 2008 Remodeled Homes Tour, April 19 and 20. Be sure to follow the entire project from concept to completion — and then go tour the actual house!

Meet the Homeowners

Gene and Janice Bode started talking about a remodel to their Kansas City home years ago, and now the project’s well under way. The remodeling process includes a master bathroom and laundry room upstairs, along with a kitchen, mudroom and bathroom downstairs. With this remodel, they’ve also knocked down a couple walls and eliminated a stairway.

Q: When did you decide it was time for  a remodel?
A: We got Billie involved three years before the actual project started. We are definitely the plodding type and don’t jump into things lightly. We didn’t want to give up a lot of things in the beginning, but  we wanted more open space, so as we   gradually gave up trying to hang on to some of the character of the house as we knew it, we were more able to find a workable plan.

Q: How did you find your designer?
A: We had several friends who had used her (Billie Deatherage-Doran, CKD), and she also belongs to the church we go to and we’d seen her name in Kansas City Homes and Gardens magazine — it was all those things together.

Q: What were your initial ideas for the remodel?
A: We wanted to know about 1) a cosmetic redo, 2) tearing out the mudroom, bathroom and existing kitchen and 3) tearing out the mudroom, bathroom, existing kitchen, breakfast nook, back hallway and butler’s pantry. We basically chose the third option with some adjustments.

Q: With the construction now in progress, how do you feel?
A: We just moved back in the week of September 10 (they moved out on April 1, where they lived in a friend’s rental home), and we’re so thrilled to be back in our home even though it’s not done yet. I’m excited that there’s an end in sight, and, more so than me, I think Gene’s ready for it to be done.

Q: What has been the biggest surprise throughout the process?
A: We were shocked at how much came out of the home during demolition; there were six to seven dumpsters full of demolition materials. We were also surprised at  the look of our house at the studs. I think another thing that surprised   us was how many little decisions there are — one leads to 10 more decisions — and how much leg work there is to get everything taken care of. We were,  however, pleasantly surprised at the quality and care of how workmen do their jobs, every single one of them.

Q: What are you looking forward to most with its completion?
A: I’m looking forward to having a big family gathering and working in the kitchen; it will be fun.

Q: Do you have any advice for future remodelers?
A: Allow time for making selections and pick someone you can communicate really well with and someone you really trust.

MSC Enterprises, Inc. is handling the construction.

Follow the Bodes' remodeling process by clicking on the links below:

Our Featured Family's Point of View
    — Anecdote 1: Hesitation
    — Anecdote 2: Give and Take

Deconstructing the Remodeling Process
Part 1: What do you want?
Part 2: Hiring the Pros
Part 3: Design and Planning
Part 4: The Subcontractor Walk-Through
Part 5:  Getting the Estimate
Part 6: Completing Construction Documents
Part 7: Signing the Contract