You’ve heard how the early bird always gets the worm? When it comes to home remodeling these days, there’s a serious advantage to planning ahead. Product shortages, price increases and high demand are adding up to an unpredictable time for kitchen and bath designers like Lynn Havlicek, owner of Geneva Cabinet Gallery, in Geneva.
If a remodel is in your home’s near future, the sooner you can place your order the more predictable everything becomes.
“That’s what makes the process go quickly and smoothly, even during these times,” Havlicek says. “You really can go smoothly and quickly but you have to do the work ahead of time. It’s really doable.”
First, locate a designer you can trust, and start talking out ideas. Expect the designer to visit your home and take measurements so he or she can produce a design. Once you’re satisfied with the design, order the cabinets and the appliances, as they can take nearly three to six months to arrive, says Havlicek. That’s much longer than the pre-pandemic six or eight-week turnaround.
With all that extra wait time, you can start shopping for additional fixtures such as countertops, doorknobs, tile, flooring and lighting. These items are also taking longer than usual to arrive.
“Make the decision and put the order in, because that’s what puts you on a good schedule without disappointments,” Havlieck says. “You don’t want to order countertops the week before they’re installed. That’s not how things work right now.”
Be patient and flexible throughout the process, she adds. It’s possible you may have to make an alternate selection or wait a little longer for an item to arrive.
There’s one more critical advantage to planning ahead, especially when working with a full-service remodeling firm like Geneva Cabinet Gallery. Locking in your prices right now ensures fewer surprises down the road. Havlicek says it’s not uncommon for prices to fly up 10%, sometimes with additional surcharges snuck in.
“Ten, 15 or 20 percent on a remodeling job is a lot of money,” she says. “So, lock in your prices as soon as you can. It’s to your benefit. It’s not like you can’t get something later; it’s just going to cost you more. And you might not get your first choice.” ❚
Geneva Cabinet Gallery is located at 321 Stevens St., Geneva, (630) 232-9500.