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Kitchen Remodel - Priming the Pump

So, around September of 2012, I was out to a nice dinner on the water at a restaurant with my mom and stepfather. During this time, over the course of dessert, a delicious cheesecake and cappuccino, we discussed the idea of renovating our aging kitchen.

Previously, my mother had remodeled her kitchen as had my in-laws, so I was fairly familiar with the process, or so I thought. Immediately, my mother seized on the idea and encouraged me. I felt fairly confident that things were going well and would continue in such manner so that we would be able to afford a modest remodel and so I suggested that we go forward.

As I continued to discuss it, we began to make tentative plans to secure a contractor to discuss the overall vision as well as plans to our local home depot store to look at various materials and see if we would be interested in going forward on the project (depending on the cost of the materials needed).

This remodel included all aspects of a remodel other than change of floor plan for the kitchen. In short, it involved removing all of the components down to the studs and then replacing everything -- cabinets, appliances, floor, backsplash, paint, curtains, and trim. Even our kitchen closet got a make over.

Over the next couple of articles I will describe the various decisions and detail some interesting points about the consultation we had at home depot and what I learned, what I thought I knew but really learned, and what I never expected. All of this will hopefully help you if you're reading this and you're considering a kitchen remodel and have concerns of a practical or monetary nature.

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