A Kitchen Renovation Project Plan with Tips and Best Practices
If you prefer to read along while you listen, or you want a quick refresher after the show, this breakdown distills every teaching point from Joe Stephenson’s latest episode on the Kansas City Real Estate Podcast. I like chatting with a kitchen designer about the renovation process.
You’ll learn exactly how Joe structures a successful kitchen remodel, hardware installation, space planning, setting a realistic budget, kitchen installation, and locking in the kitchen remodel timeline, so you can save money, avoid costly mistakes, and deliver a new kitchen that renters and buyers can’t resist.
Hard-cap budgeting & contingency (track every dollar with our Real Estate Agent Expenses Spreadsheet)
Non-negotiable scope items & kitchen layout decisions (lock them in with a Scope-of-Work Template)
Six-bucket cost breakdown (code each cost correctly using this Rental Property Chart of Accounts)
Day-by-day milestone schedule
Risk control, quality checks & regular check-ins (create punch lists with a Rental Property Inspection Checklist)
Take-away checklist you can paste into your own Kitchen Renovation Project Plan
The episode also unpacks the planning process with milestones, sourcing durable hardwood, and sticking to “one thing at a time” straight from seasoned professionals, so you can deliver a kitchen remodel people remember.
1. Begin with a Hard Cap on Dollars & Days
Joe starts every remodeling project by capping:
Budget: $30 k (plus a built-in 10 % contingency)
Duration: the exact schedule approved with the general contractor
Pro tip: Tie the GC’s final draw to both the dollar cap and completion date. Use a clear Invoice Template so everyone sees the trigger points in writing.
2. Lock the Scope Before Demo Day
Joe’s non-negotiables for this kitchen renovation include custom cabinetry, granite countertops, and a center island. A posted spec list kills “while-we’re-at-it” add-ons and keeps bids apples-to-apples.
Kick off with a scope summit, walk each trade through the plan line-by-line, then pin the renderings to the permit set. For multifamily investors, pair this with a Due-Diligence Checklist to confirm every unit needs the same upgrades.
Construction eats ~80 % of the pie, so value-engineer there first. Run a ten-minute Friday cost huddle comparing actuals to budget. If demolition or appliances are burning hot, adjust in Week 2, not Week 8.
Design approval, demo wrap, installs, clean-up, system tests, and final hand-over. Tie progress draws and bonuses to each milestone, then maintain a three-day look-ahead so no trade is waiting on another.
Want a flawless final reveal? Swipe the Property-Management Cleaning Checklist and schedule it right after “Site Cleaned” on your Gantt.
5. Risk Control & Quality Assurance
Track design tweaks, budget creep, and hidden mechanical surprises in a live risk log, with owners and due dates. Daily emails plus a shared photo log keep everyone honest.
☐ Printed scope on-site
☐ Six-bucket budget tracked weekly
☐ Milestone dates with alerts
☐ Active risk log
☐ Daily status touchpoints & photo log
☐ Temporary kitchen setup (microwave + mini-fridge)
When the remodel’s done, package the deal with an Offering Memorandum Template, prep your marketing using the Listing Checklist, and glide to the finish line with a Closing Checklist.
Hit play on the full episode to hear Joe’s stories, numbers and hard-won lessons in his own voice. Keep this step-by-step guide open while you listen, and you’ll finish with a bulletproof kitchen remodel project blueprint, ready to create, manage and deliver a space that matches your lifestyle vision and your investment goals.
