Challenges of the Kitchen Saga – Part 2

We had a big agenda for this visit, mostly related to a kitchen remodel. We had one month to specify everything for the kitchen and get the cabinet order finalized. Then there were the usual doctor and dentist appointments, mostly for me. But between entertaining guests and buying stuff for the condo, we did manage some pool time.

Getting There

As usual, we arrived in Cancun and passed immigration, with no problem. Then we waited a long time for our bags. For the first time, all the bags then had to go through the scanner, so there was a line for that. Unfortunately, the inspector saw something he didn’t like so we got to have a full inspection of our bags. That was somewhat worrisome because we brought down enough meds, etc. for four months and some other stuff that I bought for the condo.

We usually travel with three bags but this time it was four. Fortunately, we passed with flying colors and they didn’t take anything. After the inspection, the ride to Playa was pleasant with our regular guy, Francisco.

Kitchen Design and Decisions

Most of the time in Playa was spent getting our kitchen design done because the long pole in our project is the cabinets and they said they would be 12 weeks. If they took 12 weeks, we wouldn’t get the kitchen done before we had to leave Playa in June. The cabinets couldn’t be finalized until all of the appliances, colors, and the exact configuration were worked out. But my designer said she could push the manufacturer to get them to us in 9 weeks. Fingers crossed.

I really like our designer and she puts up with our back and forth of cabinet configuration detail. She also told us where to look for quartz countertops and tile for the backsplash. But the best part was that she said her regular contractor would be available for our job, which includes removing part of a wall. That took a load off of our minds. So the designer would pack up stuff and then the contractor would handle the demo, all of the plumbing and electrical. Only dealing with one contractor makes everything easier.

When the contractor came to see the job so they could provide a price, they said they would just remove part of the wall and leave 15 cm at the top along with posts to support the second floor. So we didn’t need to put in a new beam, which makes the job easier. It turned out that we also had to specify all of the electrical to get the estimate. That meant every outlet, ceiling light, and electrical for the patio fans. Not a trivial task, but we got it done.

No Rest for Me

Before we left for Argentina, we got the estimate from the plumbing and electrical contractor, all of the cabinet pricing, the order for the cabinets was submitted, and I started buying appliances, tile, and picking my countertop slabs. I considered that a success but as you can imagine, it didn’t leave much time for kicking back by the pool or the beach.

You are probably wondering about the cost of a kitchen remodel in Mexico. I would consider this a high-end project even though the kitchen is small. When everything is said and done, it will cost about as much as my kitchen in Saratoga did 20 years ago. Roughly $50,000, not quite US rates but closer than I was hoping for. Of course, I can’t imagine what a full kitchen costs in the US now, probably double that.

Laundry Room Challenges

So, we’ve had a little problem in the laundry room. You can’t open the door of the dryer fully so things need to go in and out of the dryer by feel and sometimes a little contortion on my part. It’s very awkward. Also, we wanted to remove a permanent tile and concrete basin for which we have no use and it takes up a lot of space. My primary goal was to move the washer/dryer to some other space in the room so it was accessible.

We must have spent at least half an hour with four guys from the contractor, the designer, and Mike and I trying to find a solution. At the end of the day, Mike came up with a very clever solution that involved changing the door configuration to extend the space in the room. Simple and elegant and it won’t cost an arm and a leg.

Buying Stuff for the Kitchen

Much of the stuff for the kitchen could be ordered from Amazon and that made life easier. Also, I could pick exactly what I wanted without driving all over town looking for things. The kitchen faucet, water purification system, and induction cooktop were delivered without a hitch. I didn’t order the oven, dishwasher, or refrigerator because there was no place to put them while we were in Argentina. The condo was rented during that time so anything we bought needed to be locked up.

We are also installing a few things that are uncommon in Mexico. A garbage disposal, a small dishwasher, and a water purification system. The dishwasher needs a water softener to keep working and we decided that a whole house water softener would save our faucets too. Yet another thing to find and buy.

The Awesome Sink

My biggest extravagance is the sink I picked. We spend more time at the sink and refrigerator than anyplace else. So I decided to get a workstation sink that is fitted with accessories that go on top. The accessories include a strainer, a drying rack, and a wooden cutting board. It turns out that Mexico is trying to protect their local tree species and they don’t want foreign wood coming into the country. As a result, I started getting emails telling me that my sink was with customs and it would cost more because they had to do the inspection.

I left money with our concierge to pay at delivery but the sink finally arrived with no extra charges. Our lovely neighbors offered to store some stuff for us, so they have the sink since it is too big for the locked space in our condo.

Remodeling Challenges in Mexico

As I mentioned in Learning About Remodeling in Mexico, just finding reliable vendors is the first challenge. During the first few weeks while we were adjusting the cabinets I spent a lot of time just converting metric to Imperial and back again. I’ve remodeled two kitchens and I understand what the standards are in inches. They are close when converted to metric but I had to communicate in metric.

The plumbing and electrical contractors asked about the work restrictions in the condo. Something that never occurred to me but I suppose the neighbors wouldn’t appreciate being woken up on vacation. Fortunately, our rules are 10 am to 5 pm, pretty easy to work with. And the building staff and our property manager have been helpful to our vendors.

The next challenge was sourcing things from countertops to tile to appliances. I got a list of places to look for the countertop slab, some in Playa and some in Cancun. Mike and I stopped at a few in Cancun together but his tolerance for the time it takes is quite limited. After seeing several places I had two candidates but I wasn’t quite sold on either. There was still one more place on the list that was in Cancun. So, I drove myself to Cancun and found the perfect slab, so the two-hour roundtrip drive was worth it.

I was able to find the backsplash tile at a place in Playa so I quickly ordered the tile and picked the grout myself. We took delivery before leaving for Argentina, one less thing to worry about.

Appliances the Final Chapter

The final challenge, so far, has been the appliances. While I said I bought them on Amazon, in part because you can see the specifications and features. I couldn’t find any cooktops or ovens to look at in person. The only things available are refrigerators.

There are also a lot of brands you never heard of so that makes understanding the features more difficult. It was also difficult to find reviews and learn about the reliability as well. For some of the appliances, I have had to rely on my designer’s experience so the dishwasher and the oven are Teka. This brand is made in Italy but it is common in Mexico so I figured it could be serviced in Mexico. I also stuck with fairly simple appliances, with less to go wrong.

Phew, we completed everything we needed to before heading to Argentina. We also arranged for the major demo to happen while we were gone, so we didn’t have to live through that noise and dust. Yeah us.

What would your concerns be about doing a remodel in Mexico?