Marni Jameson: Pregnancy, home remodeling go together in my family

The young homeowners spent two years envisioning what they wanted in their kitchen. Here is the kitchen shown after renovations. (Courtesy Kate Saige Interiors)

By Marni Jameson | Syndicated Columnist

June 28, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

She wouldn’t be my daughter if she weren’t undergoing a major home remodel in her third trimester of pregnancy. But here we were.

I still remember being pregnant with her and standing in my torn-up kitchen in the California home I was remodeling — surrounded by hammers pounding, drills grinding and no working appliances — when my water broke.

History repeats.

Now a very pregnant Paige was calling me daily with construction updates. The cabinets were in, but they still needed counters and appliances. Tick-Tock.

When Paige and her husband, Adam, bought their first home together in the Denver area two years ago, the kitchen and primary bathroom needed work. The bathroom shower was not fit for a prison camp and the 15-year-old kitchen felt cramped and dated. The backsplash was busy. Old appliances were not energy efficient. Temperature markers had worn off the stove dials. The refrigerator stuck out too far. Cabinets were unremarkable. And the builder-grade fixtures were ho-hum.

Because they both love to cook and entertain, Paige wanted an eat-in kitchen with room at the island for a couple of counter stools. Adam wanted a gas (rather than electric) stovetop. But the more they studied the space, the less they thought this would be possible, let alone affordable. They lived with what was and pondered their options, which included the unappealing prospect of maybe eventually moving.

When my daughter and her husband learned a baby was on the way their kitchen remodel, shown here before renovations, took on a new urgency. (Courtesy Marni Jameson)

Then Paige learned she was pregnant and the nesting instinct kicked in with the force of a Dodge Charger Hellcat. Suddenly, resolving the question of could they get their dream kitchen or not became a top priority. “I needed to find out if we could do this, or if we needed to think about moving,” she said.

They called interior designer Kate Clapp, owner of Kate Saige Interiors, who saw not just one but several ways they could get their dream eat-in kitchen and also a spalike bathroom without knocking out walls or blowing their budget, and importantly, before the baby arrived.

Game on.

Over the next few months, Clapp drew up plans and worked with the couple to select finishes and appliances. They would run a gas line for the new cooktop. To get more kitchen floor and counter space, they would knock out the walk-in pantry, which took up a large diagonal space in the corner, and they would replace the oversized refrigerator with one that was counter depth. More cabinets and smart storage systems would compensate for the lack of a pantry.

Demo began in early April, eight weeks before Paige’s due date. The pressure grew.

“I can’t tell you how many times I was on the phone with a contractor saying, ‘And you’ll get this done by this date, right?’” Clapp said.

Marni Jameson: She wanted a new shower, it came with a new kitchen and bath

Baby George arrived four days ahead of schedule. Miraculously, thanks to solid planning, careful timing and workers who knew the meaning of hustle, he came home to a beautiful new kitchen.

Here’s what Paige and Adam learned along the way:

Best decision. We hired an established general contractor, Tim Saul, owner of Saul Construction, who was neither the lowest nor the highest bidder. “This job was beyond the skillset of a talented handyman,” Adam said, “and we didn’t want the stress of finding tradespeople ourselves.” Saul assigned a project manager, who brought in good tradespeople. When something did go wrong, the GC was the heavy and got it fixed. The GC also made sure we had all the proper permits, home association approvals and inspections.
Guidance and choices. “In all the design decisions, we felt guided not pressured,” Paige said. “No one said you have to do this.” For instance, when choosing whether to reface or replace kitchen cabinets, the couple had initially planned to reface to save money, but after looking at the quotes, they saw it would only cost $2,000 more to have all new cabinets, which really made the kitchen. “If you’re taking out walls and changing the footprint, you want all new cabinetry,” Clapp said. “But if the footprint is the same, refacing will cut costs.” That said, she only recommends refacing if the cabinet bases are good.
The compromises. The designer and contractor both respected the fact that this was a first-home project. “We didn’t expect the highest-end finishes,” Paige said. Clapp recommended installing good knockoffs of more expensive tile for the backsplash, and using the same engineered quartz throughout the kitchen and primary bath because using the same material would save. They also chose midpriced KitchenAid appliances.
Hardest part. Having patience. Though the project only took eight weeks from demo to done, it took the couple two years to think through what they wanted, save up, find a designer who could make it happen, get quotes and find a contractor. All involved agree, the construction phase would have taken much longer if they didn’t have every detail planned and materials on site. Being pregnant helped.
Happy surprises. “We were braced for disaster,” Paige said, “but because we picked good professionals, and no one dropped the ball, we met our timeline and also came in slightly under budget.”
Pride factor. “Moving might have been the easy way out,” Adam added. “But you get so much more satisfaction when you put in the sweat equity and make what you have into what you want.”