For most homeowners, gutting their kitchen prior to renovation can be a bit overwhelming. From a physical standpoint, there is the inconvenience of not being able to use the space for weeks at a time, not to mention the dust that inevitably comes with a tear down. And emotionally—even though you’re excited about transforming and updating your home—it's tough to watch the place you've made so many happy family memories stripped bare.
For Cindy, whose 1,000 sq. foot Toronto home is being renovated by Monarch Kitchen & Bath Centre, seeing their entire home gutted was devastating. 
"When I walked into my house after the first few days of demolition, I was devastated and terrified that we had made a mistake,” admits Cindy. “Seeing a house I love and have built a family in destroyed was hard to take...the realization that places in the house where memories were made were gone."
Monarch president Neil Samson was not surprised. "As much as we crave change and want to improve our surroundings, there's an emotional element to tearing down the walls of our home that often sneaks up on homeowners."For Neil and his team at Monarch, this emotional turmoil only adds to the incredible sense of responsibility they feel to ensure each step of the renovation process runs smoothly.
"In this case, we aren't just working on a kitchen or a bathroom, we're renovating an entire home," explains Neil. "We could sense John and Cindy’s stress and tension building during the rip-out and demolition—it really is the first serious test of your relationship with the homeowners.
“From experience, we know things will turn around when reconstruction commences,” adds Neil. “For now, however, we have to deal with demolition, previous building code infractions and any little ‘surprises’ that teardown reveals...anything that will compromise safety. All the while, maintaining a good working relationship with our clients.”
