Ha, This is funny to me...All I have to say is...Darn baby gates! Allow me to explain - We have a 2.75yr old and a 6 month old. The plan was to get the kitchen done before the new baby came, but we planned, and planned, and planned, so long that he beat us to it. He was born in July and once I was over my postpartum recovery, we got back to kitchen. DH slowly started to demo the kitchen, doing some plumbing and electrical, leaving the major appliances intact as long as possible. Then the day came that we had to tear out the rest to get to the final bit of plumbing. Drywallers finished in November and we were all jazzed to get those cabinets in. WELL, one thing after another happened, winter colds with the kids, that previously booked vacation we had to take (glad we did!), then DH caught the flu or something, etc. All this with just a temporary kitchen (microwave, crock pot, frig, sink in the laundry room, and eating out A LOT). Just as DH was starting to feel better, I was on the demo'd side of the kitchen messing with paint chips and granite samples when I decided to step over the baby gate we had put up to keep my toddler out of there. My feet got all tangled up in the gate, my hands were full (luckily not with Baby), and Tiiiiiimmmber! I fell, slamming my shoulder into the wall, and broke my arm. Cut to 3 weeks later and here I am just starting to feel well enough to handle the kids on my own so DH can get back to working on the kitchen. Is there a point to my story?...Not really. Well, maybe it is to always walk AROUND the baby gate, NOT over! (painful lesson to learn). Actually my point is, with all that, we are surviving. Toddlers eat fairly simple foods and babies are even easier in the food department. The baby is sleeping through the night (knock on wood) so that does help. DH and I are tired of eating out, but we'll get through it (even if it is taking twice as long to lose some of that baby weight!). We debated waiting until the kids were older, but we just wanted to get the remodeling done so we could enjoy our kids and the home for years to come. My advice would be as everyone else said...Make all the decisions you can before you start demo. You don't want to be mid-remodel and still debating granite choices like me...and watch out for those baby gates!! Best of luck to you with whatever you decide.

Sort of. ;) Kitchen/dining room/living room/family room open concept reno just pointed out how butt ugly our hall bath looked. So while we were waiting on various delays I decided to do a mini reno on that bathroom too since it is the one guests use. And hey--the guest room across the hall from said bathroom could use an update while the drywall finisher is here too... More work/scope than anticipated, but so worth it! I bet your DD's room looks fabulous!

We're hip deep in a bathroom remodel and at the same time we are having a new boiler put in to include breaking our house into as many zones as possible. The latter is relatively stress free for us except for writing the big check but the former has been like pulling teeth since before christmas to get the plumber to do his job. He FINALLY finished roughing in the shower (the last outstanding thing) thank goodness. Remind me next time to KISS (keep it simple, stupid). Between my toto toilet and my in floor heat and my lovely towel warmer it's been... interesting. I'm not even thinking about what I'd do if we had to make a hasty exit though, yikes! I wonder if in some ways that was a self fulfilling prophecy for your neighbor. I know we'd do everything we had to do and cut everything we could to keep our house if it came to that.

This is going to be exciting....especially since it's earlier than originally planned! But a word of caution: Before you demolish your existing kitchen, you should have, at the very least, everything planned. Many here also say to have your cabinets already delivered in case there's a delay in manufacture or shipping or if there are problems with your order (wrong items, poor finish, etc.) You don't want to sit with an empty kitchen for two, three, four, or more months waiting for orders or reorders. However, there are pros & cons to starting with or without cabinets "in hand"--especially if you're taking walls down or expanding into other areas (it sounds like you're not). If it's basically a remove/replace, then the pros lean more heavily toward having them "in hand". You have your appliances, that's a good start. Now, do you have a design layout? (You cannot order cabinets w/o one.) Just a little juggling to smooth out a couple of inefficiencies. ...can be more than you realize--especially if you want to improve the functionality of your kitchen. I don't know your current layout, so I don't know what needs "juggling" (an example of something to look out for: an island should not be a "barrier island"...it should not be b/w the refrigerator, range, or sink) You'll also need to pick out your granite and find a good fabricator; ditto for your butcher block; pick out & order your sink(s), faucet(s), etc. Are you working w/a Kitchen Designer (KD)? Probably not if you're considering IKEA, but I thought I'd ask. If you are, s/he can usually help you through the process or at least help you w/the cabinet side of things. (Even IKEA has cabinet sales people who will try to help you.) Are you doing it yourself (DIY) or hiring a contractor? If you also have a General Contractor (GC), then s/he will also help you w/schedules & timelines, subcontractors, permits, inspections, etc. If you are DIYing it, many here have also DIY'd their kitchens and should be able to help. Good luck!