A Kitchen Renovation with Kustom Restoration
When Taylored Living’s founder, Mary Taylor, encountered kitchen flooding, she started down the path of necessary kitchen renovations. Read her journey from disaster to beautiful new sanctuary.
On a dark and cold December morning, at around three-thirty a.m., my husband was getting ready to go to work when he walked into the kitchen to discover a soaked area rug and water flooding the space. The extensive water damage came from a kitchen sink leak, and called for immediate mitigation and extensive renovation. This was a new experience for us, and we embarked on the journey feeling overwhelmed and disoriented.
After filing a claim with our insurance, we initially hired a contractor for the renovation job based on a referral. Unfortunately, that company wasn’t a good fit, so we were forced to return to our search with renewed urgency. It was then we came across Kustom Disaster Recovery & Restoration. They were experienced, competent, and left us without any skepticism.
We dove into the renovation and remodel process headfirst. My husband worked with our contractor Gordy on layout, and I handled all the colors, textures, and finishings of the space. Our insurance company was covering a certain amount of the costs, and as a family on a budget, we were hugely appreciative that Kustom was respectful of our available funds and worked with us to keep our out-of-pocket costs as low as possible while still helping us build out our vision for the kitchen.
No renovation is without hiccups, and COVID was by far the biggest hiccup in our build process. Appliances were out of stock everywhere, the cost of lumber skyrocketed, we encountered delay after delay because of the virus. Even through the frustration of COVID delays, though, Kustom kept a clear line of communication open, keeping us abreast of delays and timelines, and mentally preparing us for obstacles.
The hiccups were unavoidable, but the process was made so much more comfortable by Gordy’s thoughtful and thorough communication. Kustom was able to step into a partially-completed job, and wrap it up beautifully, to a high standard, with no loose ends.
Living without a kitchen for nine months—the chaos that created—made us realize that we had been taking the space for granted. It’s such a pleasure to be able to use real dishes. It’s even a pleasure to be able to do the dishes now! When my kitchen was out of sorts, I felt that my life was out of sorts also. Now that I have my kitchen back, I relish the small moments of connection my family finds—listening to my sons chat while they eat breakfast, talking about our days at dinner time. Getting back to our routine has been extraordinarily grounding.
Every morning when I wake up and go to make my coffee, I feel incredible grateful for this beautiful space. The kitchen is the hub of our family’s household. It inspires me to cook and find time for connection with my family.
Want more? Read Mary’s tips on what to expect with a remodel on our Fall/Winter 2022 issue.