Our process
How our renovation process works
Every project at Calico Designs and Renovations follows the same order: a phone conversation, a free site visit, a budget discussion, and a design you approve before anything is built. You can ask for a full 3D rendering first. And we don’t demolish at contract signing, so your old kitchen stays usable until the design is signed off.
Design first, demolition last
The usual way to run a renovation is to sign, demolish, and then work out the details while the room sits empty. Decisions get made under pressure, materials are ordered late, and the family eats takeout for weeks.
We reverse the order. Everything that can be decided on paper is decided on paper. The design is approved before a single cabinet comes off the wall. Demolition and installation then happen back to back.
The kitchen timeline
- Design and sign-off
- Old kitchen usable
- Demolition and preparation
- Start 7 to 9 days after approval
- Cabinets installed
- One day
- Countertops and everything else
- The next day
- Total time without a working kitchen
- 2 days
In total, you are without a working kitchen for 2 days.
The nine steps
Phone conversation
It starts with a call. You tell us about the space, what bothers you about it, what you would like instead, and roughly what you want to spend.
There is no charge and no obligation.
What we need from you: A rough idea of your budget and a few photos of rooms you like.
Free site visit
We come to your home or business anywhere in the GTA. We measure the space and look at the things that decide what is possible: where plumbing and ducts run, which walls carry load, the age of the wiring, and any signs of moisture.
The first consultation and the site visit are free.
What we need from you: Access to the space, including the basement or mechanical room if services run through it.
Budget discussion
Before we design anything, we talk about money. We work within your budget, as long as it is realistic for the size and type of project. If it is not, we tell you what the budget can achieve and what would have to change.
Designing to an agreed budget from the start is what keeps the plan you fall in love with from being cut apart later.
What we need from you: A number you are comfortable with. Our cost guides can help you set one.
Design from your inspiration
We design from your mood board and inspiration photos, not from a catalogue of our own. Saved photos, a board of ideas, pictures of a friend’s kitchen: all of it helps.
What we need from you: Your mood board, saved photos, and any must-haves.
3D rendering
On request, we produce a full 3D rendering of your project. You see the layout, cabinets, colours, and finishes together, from the angles you will actually stand in.
This is the stage to change your mind. Moving an island on screen costs nothing. Moving it after the plumbing is roughed in does.
What we need from you: Your honest reactions. Ask for changes until it is right.
Design approval
You sign off on the design. Until this point, nothing in your home has been touched. Your old kitchen is still in place and still usable.
Where the project needs a building permit, the permit drawings are prepared from the approved design.
What we need from you: Your approval.
Demolition and preparation
For a kitchen, demolition and preparation start 7 to 9 days after design approval. The old room comes out and the space is made ready: plumbing, electrical, walls, and floors.
What we need from you: A cleared room and a temporary spot for the kettle.
Installation
Because the design is final, installation follows demolition directly. In a kitchen, cabinets are installed in one day, and countertops and everything else follow the next day.
What we need from you: Nothing. This is our part.
Walkthrough
We walk the finished space with you, compare it with the design you approved, and note anything that needs attention before we call the project complete.
TODO: owner to confirm how the project is handed over (final walkthrough, deficiency list, warranty documents).
What we need from you: A critical eye.
Questions about the process
When does demolition start?
Not at contract signing. Calico Designs and Renovations leaves your existing kitchen in place through the design stage and sign-off. For a kitchen, demolition and preparation start 7 to 9 days after you approve the design.
How long am I without a working kitchen?
Only for the construction stage, not the design stage. After demolition and preparation, cabinets are installed in one day and countertops and everything else follow the next day. In total, you are without a working kitchen for 2 days.
Is the consultation really free?
Yes. The first consultation and the site visit are free, anywhere in the Greater Toronto Area.
What if my budget is too low for what I want?
We will tell you at the budget discussion, before any design work. We work within a client’s budget as long as it is realistic, and where it is not, we explain what the budget can achieve so you can decide how to proceed.
Do I have to get a 3D rendering?
No. A full rendering is available on request. It is most useful when the layout is changing or when you are choosing between options.
Who handles permits?
We do. Where a project needs a building permit, we prepare the drawings from the approved design and manage the application with your municipality.
Book a free consultation
The first conversation and the site visit are free. Tell us about your space and your budget, and we’ll show you what’s possible.