So here I am again, starting back at square 1!

12 years ago

Thanks to the wonderful, but horrifically soul-wrenching feedback I received here, DH and I are back at square one of our kitchen remodel. Here's (most of) the back-story:

Hated Layout

Hated Layout Follow-up

I have an in-home appointment tomorrow with the only independent CKD I could find in the Nashville area, a certain Billy Williams. Oh no, wait there was another place, Beth Haley Design, but they advertise themselves as "urban" and their portfolio is very modern, so didn't think it a good fit for my log home in an agricultural county. So I am hoping this guy works out! I have no clue what to expect or even what, exactly, to ask for, or compare him too. My hope is that he can help me come up with a good layout that I can then take to shop for cabs and turn into a blueprint for a GC. I haven't quite given up on the layout everyone here hated :), so will ask him for feedback on that as well. Also some assistance keeping me on track with design, since I am apt to get distracted from my "vision" when I discover so much cool stuff I never knew existed - thank you GW for that!

Do you think I should also post what my current space is like, and ask for some layouts from this brilliant, original, creative, and well-versed community? Or should I wait to see what the KD comes up with and humbly ask for feedback/tweaking? Everyone here is so generous with their time and advice, and I've already received so much help - which is 100% the reason my kitchen is not screwed up by going ahead with my original plan! - that I don't want to take your assistance for granted. It's also hard to sift through so many different ideas of what works best in a kitchen. OTOH, not having different KDs to interview might make me miss out on creative uses for my unusual space...

What should I do? And how should I handle tomorrow's appointment?

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Comments (5)

brianadarnell
12 years ago
NatalieChantal- I am glad you are back at square one. I think its a much better way for you to get your project accomplished and I think the end result will be much better. I think GW can provide a lot of wisdom, so I think you should give the KD some needs/wants/desires and see the layouts they come up with. We already have your first layout and the spinoffs to compare the potential new layout to. Don't worry about having less KDs to interview. I only interviewed one and I think (and GW did too) that she did an awesome job on the layout. I don't feel like she missed anything and if she did, GW would have picked up on it! Good luck! Let us know how it goes.
User
12 years ago
You should definitely list your "wants" and "don't wants" out -- including reasons why you think you want them that way. Everything in the "Welcome to the forum" posting is just as useful for a designer as it is for this board.

You could show him the ideas so far, but make sure that you both agree as to what are the good/bad points so that he doesn't just copy the 'hated' parts. You've already gotten several layouts or tweaks from this community, I wouldn't worry about gathering any more for the moment.

You should ask for:

References, references, references.

Scope of work. If you are planning on getting multiple bids for the cabinets, then does that mean you only want a layout and are not using the designer to pick materials? Talk about the scope of work, what you are hiring out and what you want to do yourself. A good designer will be knowledgeable on different price levels of materials, and can recommend installers as well. How much running around do you want to do?

After a while, I loved having the designer pull a limited number of colors and materials to choose from, it made decision making less overwhelming. It did take some time before I trusted her, but after that I didn't feel the need to re-research every little thing.

Get a sample contract, but don't sign it until you have had time to look it over and check references. Make sure you have a clear understanding of costs/billing. (If he's billing at XX per hour, ask if that includes the time to drive out to your place in the country. Ask if that includes phone calls, emails, etc.)

An experienced designer probably comes with a list of things they usually cover at a first meeting, so you can start there then add items from above as needed.
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NatalieChantal
Original Author
12 years ago
Thank you so much, those were great reminders. I had forgotten about references, can you believe it! so will make sure to ask for those. I can't wait to get started (again) and let you know how this is going! Thank you!
blfenton
12 years ago
I remember that your thoughts about your space were quite rigid (sorry). Don't approach the KD with that mindset - let him take you outside of the "box" so to speak and look at different ideas. Don't poo-poo his suggestions right away - take them and think about them over night and walk through them in your space.
Yea - ignore the ways that definitely won;t work but do entertain the rest.
If I had ignored the "outside of the box" suggestions from my KD I wouldn't have the spectacularly functioning kitchen that I do.
ncamy
12 years ago
I just saw a picture that Boxerpups posted that reminded me of your "failed" layout. Check out the 17th picture of the Countertop Schizophrenia thread. Maybe that will give you some ideas.

So here I am again, starting back at square 1!

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brianadarnell

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So here I am again, starting back at square 1!

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brianadarnell

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