Takeaways from my 1961 Kitchen Remodel

I took on the big project of managing the kitchen remodel in our 1961 house the fall.  I had a goal for timing and we are only finishing up 3 weeks after that goal date  Here are a few tidbits I’ll take to the next project (which will be our primary bathroom…).  Pics coming soon!

1. Asbestos isn’t as scary as I thought. Before doing any demo we had the flooring tested in a few places in the house and of course there was asbestos under the old vinyl floor in the kitchen.  After the cabinets were removed we had the abatement crew come in and remove the asbestos.  It only took half a day and the subfloor looked totally clean when they were finished!  I was surprised at the ease of the removal.

2. I will never do a personal home remodel project without my designer again. At the beginning of this project we hired a friend to create a look and feel for the kitchen. The only problem is this didn’t give any details on finishes, where to source them and details like timing, trade discounts, etc.  As I began to feel overwhelmed I reached out to a designer that I met through another agent at Living Room Realty.  Ingrid Shoemaker with Ingo Design Studio jumped right in and guided me the whole way.  She could tell when I wanted to dive into details and when I just wanted her to send 3 options to choose from.  She sourced all materials and made sure we had the special touches we wanted.  Ingrid is worth her weight in gold!

3. Patience is a virtue. I had my finish date goal and almost immediately I knew we wouldn’t meet that.  Cabinets were ready to be installed before we anticipated, but I couldn’t take advantage of that due to timing of other trade work.  Managing all schedules can be challenging, but rolling with the punches and having good contractor partners helped to get us to the finish line.

4. The devil is in the details. There are small things that I didn’t know to even think about that my designer and contractors did a great job of pointing out.  Then there are other  details I take for granted like where outlets go and what color we would like them to be, the overhang of the countertops, the height of the lighting, the list goes on and on.  Decision fatigue is real and having a team will help to get over the humps.

Marissa Sainz

Broker | Earth Advantage | OR

She/Her

Whether you want to live in a hip Pearl District condo or a unique east side bungalow I am here to help you find the perfect home. The Pearl District and the close in surrounding neighborhoods are exciting and evolving areas and where I focus my business. It is important in our changing real estate world, where location is so vital to home buyers, to work with a neighborhood expert. We all want to live near our local grocery store and within walking distance of our favorite coffee spot, restaurants and parks. I am here to guide buyers and sellers through the process every step of the way, if you are a first time home buyer searching for the perfect starter home or looking to move as your family and lifestyle change. Marissa earned a degree in finance with a concentration in real estate from The University of Texas at Austin. Before coming to residential real estate in Portland Marissa worked for both a national and local commercial real estate firm. Around town Marissa is involved with the Women in Insurance and Financial Services Portland chapter as well as the Women's Council of REALTORS®.

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