Expect The Unexpected When Budgeting For Your Kitchen Renovation

Paul Ryan's practical advice on DIY's Kitchen Renovations is great stuff. So when I asked Paul what problems he comes across most often, the advice he gave me about what to expect in regards to kitchen renovation costs during my phone interview was, quite literally, a big surprise.

What advice about kitchen renovations could possibly be considered a surprise? Paul readily admits that surprises are almost always bound to occur in kitchen renovation projects so be smart and plan on it. If you have no surprises, it's almost like free money.

The following is a small excerpt of my interview via phone with Paul not long ago.

Randy: What kind of problems have you come across most often in kitchen renovations? Paul: Um...I think surprises. You know, I always tell people to budget 15% extra of the project for surprises. One of the things that we've found is that when we open up a wall, we never know what we're gonna find. It might be mold. It might be carpenter ants. It might just be some old wood that needs replacing. I think that's one of the biggest things that I tell people, too, is when you take on a project don't expect everything to go perfect. Because if you do you're gonna be disappointed. So the biggest surprise that I think that people don't plan for are just the surprises that they might get.

What Kind Of Surprises Can Be Expected During A Kitchen Renovation?

R: So Paul...you haven't found a bag of money in a wall yet?
P: No, but we found some really cool, old newspaper. We found newspaper from 1937. And we found a weather map from 1937.

R: A weather map?!
P: A weather map.

P: Now this weather map, it was a map of the United States with just a whole bunch of numbers written on it and a bunch of places...you know...where people put these bars on there. It's just amazing! We found some pretty cool stuff.

R: What kind of house was that in?
P: It was built in 1930. It's just an old house in Minneapolis. You know...that's the one that we found carpenter ants in that house and so as we were pulling down the wall, it's when we discovered that they had actually used the newspaper for insulation. Yeah...and so we pulled it out and found all these strange weather maps, other maps from the 1930's...you know...it's crazy.

In summary, Paul's professional advice is to always budget 15% of your total kitchen renovation budget to handle surprises. Don't count on finding a bag of money in the walls of your old house to pay for your kitchen renovation project. I know I don't have that kind of luck!