Most Kitchen Remodel Problems Aren’t “Bad Contractors”

When kitchen or bathroom remodels go wrong, people often blame the contractor.

Sometimes that’s justified.

But in many cases, the real issue started earlier — at the approval stage.

Plans were signed off with small, reasonable assumptions that later became expensive corrections. Not because anyone was careless. Because certain failure patterns are predictable and easy to miss on paper.

Before construction begins is the only stage where risk is inexpensive to manage.

Most plan sets show appliances and cabinetry in their ideal positions — doors closed, drawers shut, nothing in motion.

On paper, clearances meet minimum dimensions. Everything technically “fits.”

In real use, it’s different.

Appliance doors open into each other. Drawer banks block walkways. Two people cannot move through the space without stepping aside.

These are not dramatic design flaws. They’re stacking assumptions.

Before approving plans, ask:

• What happens when two things are open at once?
   
• Can two people use this space simultaneously?
   
• Are swing arcs actually overlaid?
   

If the layout only works when everything is closed, it’s already compromised.

Symmetry is persuasive.

Balanced layouts feel professional and well-considered. But visual balance is not the same as functional flow.

A refrigerator that interrupts prep paths. Trash that requires crossing the entire kitchen. A sink centered for aesthetics rather than use.

These rarely trigger change orders. They simply degrade daily experience.

Walk through the space on paper:

• Prep → cook → clean.
   
• Where do you naturally stand?
   
• How many times do you cross your own path?
   

If workflow hasn’t been tested deliberately, it’s being assumed.

Some plans concentrate uncertainty in one area.

Late appliance selections tied to early cabinet installs. Structural decisions overlapping with mechanical routing. Dense clusters of systems without buffer zones.

Each individual choice seems reasonable.

The risk appears when one small change cascades.

Ask:

• If this changes, what else breaks?
   
• Are late selections tied to early construction?
   

If the answer is “several things,” risk is already concentrated.

Most project failures are not caused by lack of skill.

They’re caused by decisions made in isolation.

A clearance approved without simulating use. A cabinet run assumed to fit perfectly. A code requirement expected to be caught later.

Once construction starts, flexibility collapses.

Corrections become expensive.

If you’re about to:

• Submit for permit
   
• Finalize appliance selections
   
• Authorize cabinet production
   
• Sign off on drawings
   

Pause.

Run a structured risk screen first.

I created a short document that outlines seven predictable failure patterns and includes a 15-minute approval checklist.

It’s not design advice. It’s a structural review framework.

If uncertainty appears during the screen, that’s the moment to slow down — not after installation begins.

 For higher-risk projects or complex revisions, I also offer independent plan reviews prior to construction.