Nothing has the ups and downs of a good emotional rollercoaster like the show 24. A ground breaking television series, it returned last week to a blaze of furious paces, intense action and the familiar but haunting ticking of the final seconds of each segment and episode. Watching as I varied my attention from the show to my kitchen and bath work, one thing became very clear to me….Jack Bauer could never handle a kitchen remodeling project.
There’s a level of patience and dedication required for the emotional rollercoaster ride know as a kitchen remodeling project. It starts the moment you start doing research, when the excitement of starting a kitchen remodeling project is tempered by all the pictures to look at, the decisions and research to be done. Some would say, “Jack Bauer doesn’t need to search the internet, he just stares a computer down until it gives him the information he needs”. Don’t we wish doing the research for our kitchen remodeling project was that easy for all of us! It takes time and patience and communication with a designer to begin to narrow down options to make good product choices.
Then comes the design process. The ideas go back and forth between client and designer, who skillfully suggests, adapts and revises based on client input and their own expertise. Do you think Jack Bauer would be willing to listen to anyone other than himself, more than once? Absolutely not!
And let’s not forget about the installation process. It’s not a perfect world out there (which Jack knows) so no doubt there will be some sort of issue to be dealt with, be it the need for an extra piece of molding, a damaged cabinet, or a door that needs to be replaced because it just does not look right. The most successful kitchen remodeling projects have a strong client-designer relationship where communication helps them work through any issue, thus avoiding a Jack Bauer style reaction or interrogation from either side.
So please…when you feel that moment of “24-like” crisis in the journey of your own kitchen remodeling project, don’t go all Jack Bauer. And we promise not to either. Take a breath. Talk to your designer. The relationship of communication and trust built along the way will help us survive and work through any issues on the way to the kitchen of your dreams.
By Jim Grace
