Is fall a smart time to remodel your kitchen?

The short versionWhy is fall a smart time to remodel a kitchen?

Because fall stacks the most reasons in your favor. Angi's remodeling guide puts it plainly: "For most projects, autumn is the best time to tackle a remodel" (Angi). In Sacramento, four things line up:

1. the weather turns mild and stays mostly dry,
2. the holidays give you a clear reason to plan ahead,
3. big appliance sales land right when you'd be ordering, and
4. you start the new year in a kitchen you love.

To be fair, not every expert picks fall. A contractor interviewed by Forbes Home prefers winter, and Angi notes summer can suit a kitchen because you can cook on the grill. No season is magic. Fall just gives you the most going for you.

The weatherWhat's Sacramento's weather like in the fall?

Mild and mostly dry. Here are Sacramento's long-term averages from NOAA (NOAA climate normals, 1991-2020):

Why that matters for a kitchen, even though most of the work is inside:

• Deliveries, the dumpster and any work on an outside wall go easier on dry days.
• Mild days mean you can open the windows to clear dust, paint and tile smells. Forbes Home points out that dust and fumes hang around when the windows stay shut.
• Custom cabinet finishes don't spray well when it's too hot, too cold or too humid, so a mild October is easy on them.

kitchens we designed and built

The holidaysCan you have a new kitchen for the holidays?

That's the fun part of a fall start. A project that starts early in the fall has the most room to wrap up before you host. Ask for a written schedule with milestones before any work starts, so you'll know where the holidays land. Our process page walks through every step of a job with us.

Two tips from the guides we read:

• Forbes Home notes that if you host your family's holiday events, having parts of your home taken apart then may not be ideal.
• Angi suggests not starting a remodel right around a major holiday, when crews may take time off.

So the smart move is to start early, or plan the build for right after the holidays and use fall for the design.

The dealsWhen are appliances on sale?

Around Black Friday. Consumer Reports calls it "a great time to take advantage of significant price reductions" on refrigerators, dishwashers and other large appliances (Consumer Reports). A fall remodel lines up with that: you're picking appliances in the fall, right as those sales arrive.

Before you buy, ask the store about installation and how it affects the warranty, so there are no surprises on install day.

Before demo dayWhat should you line up before the build starts?

Whatever the season, these keep a kitchen moving once the old one comes out:

1. A finished design. You see your kitchen on paper first and change what you want there, where changes are easy. Design is included in our price.
2. A list of the three things that bug you most, like no place to put things, bad light after dark, or two people who can't cook at once.
3. A written estimate for the whole job before any work starts, with every change priced and approved in writing first.

Start from how you use the room: where the groceries land, who's at the stove while someone's at the sink, and where people stand when the house is full. The finishes get easier after that.

Living through itCan you live in the house while it happens?

Yes, if you can live with some dust and noise. Some families stay, and some move out or take a trip for the heavy work. We protect the floors from the front door to the kitchen, and we talk through which fits you at the in-home consultation.