The journey behind home renovations is a fun one and I always look forward to the end result. However, the work in between can sometimes be a drag. Today we’re going to cover off some important elements when build a renovation plan. We’ll cover off the phases of a plan and some of the intricate details in each phase. Whether the renovation be big or small, these phases have typically worked well for me.

If you would like a copy of the excel based plan that I created to manage all my renovations then here is the link to download the plan. My plan includes my true cost versus what the contractors told us.

[Note in my podcast I misquoted our savings, we actually saved even more for a total savings of $18,811.67].
If you would like a free copy of my excel based plan, just enter your email below and I’ll be sure to get a copy out to you in no time

Now lets get into the phases of any renovation that we found useful include:

1) Planning – Plan space, materials, resources, and orders
2) Demolition – Save what you can and demo the rest. Don’t outsource demo. Its fun and free!
3) Adjustments and Repairs – Make repairs and adjustments to items that may have been damaged in the demo phase
4) Installation – install floors, cabinets, appliances, counter tops
5) Refine – fine tune your renovation
6) Cleanup – do a post construction clean

If you listen to the podcast, Poonam and I walk you through each of the phases. Its important to understand each phase carefully and ensure you give it the required time to make your renovation a success.

I am also working on publishing my ebook very shortly on kitchen renovations targeted for beginners where I go into a lot more detail about the phases of renovations and give you some bonus items as well. To get on my preview list, send me an email at [email protected] and i’ll be sure to give you add you to my already growing list of interested readers. You’ll get first dibs at the book before its official launch for a discounted price. Send me a note and i’ll give you the details.

For illustration purposes i’m going to walk you through my kitchen demo and show you some before and after images to give you an understanding of what we had to experience. So lets get started. This is what my kitchen looked like before the renovation:

Here is an image after I removed the appliances:

Some more images

and now its gutted

here is an image of my wife diligently putting the floors in and she did a wonderful job. Listen to hear tips on installing hardwood floors in the podcast. Some great tips for any homeowner looking to change up their existing floors. She really did a great job!

Now you can see the kitchen coming together. The kitchen company have installed the cabinets, and i’ve started to do some of the electrical work and plumbing at this point. I’ve started to install the under cabinet lights and puck lights for the glass doors.

Now the fascia has gone in, i’ve installed the backsplash. You will notice some discolouration in the ceiling and that was because we picked the wrong ceiling paint color (oops!). I’ve also relocated and installed a new island light.

Last but not least, the finished product below

Poonam and I can certainly attest to the fact that this was a difficult renovation but one that we both grew and learned a lot from and we truly valued the experience. Overall I think its been well worth the process when you look at the before and after of the renovation.

What if I told you that there is a way to save even more? that is a DIY approach to making cabinets? stay tuned when I speak to how to make your own cabinets and save a significant sum of money.

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