Planning a Kitchen Remodel for 2027? You Should Be Starting Now

If you're thinking about remodeling your kitchen in spring or summer 2027, you may be telling yourself you have plenty of time. After all, 2027 still feels pretty far away. But after more than 20 years of designing kitchens, here's what I want you to know:

If you're hoping to remodel your kitchen next spring or summer, now is not too early to start planning. In fact, you're right on time.

And I don't say that to make you panic... starting early gives you something incredibly valuable during a kitchen remodel: time to make good decisions before those decisions become urgent.

Your Kitchen Remodel Starts Long Before Demo Day

One of the biggest misconceptions about remodeling is that the project begins when construction begins. It doesn't. By the time your contractor arrives to start demolition, many of the important decisions about your kitchen should already have been made.

Think about everything that has to work together: your cabinetry, appliances, plumbing, lighting, countertops, flooring, backsplash, storage and electrical needs. And one decision often affects another.

Your appliances affect your cabinetry. Your cabinetry affects your layout. Your layout affects plumbing and electrical.

Suddenly, all those beautiful kitchens you've been saving aren't just pretty pictures anymore. Your kitchen becomes a series of decisions that stack together. That's why I would much rather see you start early than try to make those decisions while a contractor is waiting on you for answers.

HGTV Makes This Look a Lot Easier Than It Is

People think it's going to be so easy because it looks so easy on TV.

We see the dated kitchen. Then the demolition, a quick construction montage and suddenly everyone is standing in a gorgeous new kitchen drinking champagne.

What we don't see are the days, weeks and even months of planning, drawings, estimates, selections, revisions and coordination that happened before construction ever began.

Social media can create the same illusion. You may have hundreds of beautiful kitchens saved on Pinterest—and that's great. Inspiration helps you discover what you love. But inspiration isn't a plan.

That 12-foot island you love might completely overwhelm your room. The open shelving that looks gorgeous in photographs might drive you crazy in real life. And someone else's open-concept kitchen may have absolutely nothing to do with what would work best in your home for your family.

Inspiration tells you what you like. Planning helps you figure out what works for you.

Don't Expect Your Contractor to Design the Kitchen for You

This is another expectation I see all the time. People think if they hire a contractor that they will guide them through the process and it will all go well, but that's not always true. Most contractors are not designers.

A good contractor is an incredibly important part of a successful renovation—but your contractor has a different job.

The truth of it is, your contractor is a builder and needs a plan to work from and it's the homeowner's job to provide a solid plan ahead of time.

Your contractor needs clear information to price the project, schedule trades and understand what he or she is being asked to build.

You don't want to be standing in a demolished kitchen deciding where your microwave should go, realizing your new appliance won't fit in your cabinetry or trying to choose new electrical locations and holding up the entire project.

Starting Early Doesn't Mean Choosing Everything Today

This is important. If you're remodeling next summer, I'm not suggesting you need to pick your cabinet hardware tomorrow. In fact that is one of the last things you need to work on.

Starting early simply gives you breathing room. Time to research. Compare options. Change your mind. Understand where you want to spend your money. And discover potential problems way before you're under construction.

I've always said: “You want to pre-design your kitchen at least 3 to 6 months ahead of time because the more prepared you are, the more prepared your contractor will be and trust me, the better prepared your contractor is, the better your entire renovation experience will be.”

One of my course students Lori, took that preparation seriously. She completed the course, printed the planning materials and created a binder to use while researching and developing her kitchen reno plan. When she was done and interviewed contractors, the one she chose estimated construction would take about eight weeks. And guess what? It took eight weeks.

One thing she said really stuck with me, “We never wanted to be the reason for the delay.” She also said so many of their friend's projects ran way over, going on and on. Not Lori! She was prepared.

Of course no amount of planning can guarantee that a renovation won't encounter surprises, but being prepared helps you control what you can and set you up for success.

Planning a 2027 Kitchen Remodel? Now Is a Great Time to Begin

With summer winding down and kids heading back to school, you may finally have a little more space to think about that kitchen renovation you've been talking about. Use it.

Not because you're behind. Because you're early enough to do this thoughtfully. Start thinking beyond what you want the kitchen to look like.

What's frustrating you about your kitchen now?

How does your family actually use it?

What do you wish worked better?

What would make everyday life easier?

Those questions begin turning all that inspiration into something much more valuable:

a plan.

A Beautiful Kitchen Starts With a Good Plan

After more than two decades designing kitchens, I've seen gorgeous renovations—and incredibly stressful ones. The difference isn't the budget. Very often, it's preparation.

So if you're planning to remodel your kitchen in 2027, don't wait until 2027 to begin. You don't have to figure everything out today. You just need to start.

Not Sure Where to Begin?

That's exactly why I created my free Kitchen Remodel Starter Kit. It's designed for homeowners in the early planning stages who know they want to remodel but aren't quite sure what they should be thinking about yet.

Download the free Kitchen Remodel Starter Kit and start turning your kitchen ideas into a real plan.