Let me tell you a story. A relative of
mine (who will remain nameless because he's bigger than I am) had the
same dilemma a few years ago. He had his kitchen as part of a larger
renovation which included the master bath, which was located directly
above the kitchen. A neighbor just completed a kitchen make-over and the
wife was envious. So my relative decided to do the kitchen first. His
wife was happy.Two years later,
they renovated the master bath. Guess what. The piping from the bathroom
ran through the kitchen walls and ceiling, to the basement. Since his
plan called for relocating those pipes, he had to open the walls and
ceiling in the kitchen. He spent about $6,000 more than he needed to,
because part of the kitchen work was done twice.
What's the moral of this story? If you
decide to split the work up, make sure you think through the entire
project, and talk to your contractor about the sequence of the work.
It's essential to have a plan that addresses the work to be done in a
practical order. Otherwise, things can get unnecessarily expensive. Make
a few probe holes if you have to, but make sure your contractor knows
the full extent of the job.
