When to buy appliances for your remodel
Ok so let’s say you’ve made the decision, it’s happening… you're going to remodel the kitchen! (Yay! Personally, my favorite room to design… also generally your best ROI, so double excitement!)
Now that you’ve got the design nailed down and picked the best contractor to fit your needs….it turns out the contractor can't start for 6 months to maybe even a year?...now what? As you continue to stare at your existing kitchen and despise the look of your old fridge or the dishwasher that barely cleans the dishes… I want to preface by saying, I totally understand wanting to just go buy the appliances to at least have something new in the meantime…. But today I’ll be going over all the reasons why I would advise against that!
There are several reasons why this isn’t a good idea, and really just one good reason why it makes sense to buy new appliances before you're ready to start a remodel.
First I’ll go over why it “might” be a good idea, and no I’m not going to say because there was a Black Friday sale and it made sense to buy it ahead of time to get that discount, (even though I'am a girl that loves a good sale!:). The only real reason it makes sense is if one of your appliances has completely gone out and doesn't make sense to fix.
Now I’ll go over some reasons why I would advise against it! #1 reason….it will most likely cost you more money!!
Even if that Black Friday deal is enticing, you now will need to pay for it to be installed twice. Then you would also need to factor in the cost and/or labor of getting someone to move it out of the way while you are remodeling the kitchen.
This also significantly increases the risks of it getting damaged during construction…construction can get messy and trust me when I say there would be nothing more disappointing than having a brand new kitchen with a new scratched or dented appliance… and no way to find out how it happened in the process. Some appliance retailers will store the appliance until you are ready for them but that is also another incurred cost.
What about availability issues?
When I’m working with a client to design their kitchen, we select appliances VERY early on. Early on as in, after the initial design proposal, early on! I go with my clients to pick out appliances [and plumbing] so we are sure whatever is being picked out works in the design as well as what the availability is.
So when is the right time to buy them?
After selections have been made, I work closely with my appliance rep to insure we wont run into timeline issues for your project. If you buy them too soon you then can have an issue of storage or incurred costs with storage fees, but oftentimes [nowadays] certain appliances can honestly take 6 month to a year+ to receive. Which is when you would want them on order asap. That is why we select appliances [and plumbing] at the beginning of the design process! One of the many benefits of having a general contractor is that they will handle the coordination and timing of this!
It is also really important to not impulse buy before the design has been finalized because there are design factors that are important to consider if you are going to be investing in a new kitchen.
Don't forget about the appliance handles!
If you are going the stainless/ [non-panel ready] route for your fridge and or dishwasher, it’s also important to coordinate the handles! I’ve seen clients buy a fridge beforehand and then be disappointed to find out it wasn't going to look good with the range they want and now they are buying another fridge so that the handles can coordinate.
Finally when possible [budget permitting] I always love to incorporate panel ready appliances into the design to give your fridge and dishwasher a seamless look into the cabinetry. So anyways that is my spiel on tips when to buy appliances for your remodel!
Be patient and intentional so that everything comes out looking its best because that is what you deserve if you're going to invest in a new kitchen!
Much Love + Big Hugs!