Plan Your Kitchen Remodel

Starting a Kitchen Remodel:

One of the most seemingly overwhelming tasks in a remodel of your home is the kitchen. You want to start your kitchen remodel off right. Delays are inevitable, and not having the use of your kitchen can be especially challenging. Homeowners spend more on kitchen renovations than they do on any other renovation project in their homes and with good reason! The kitchen is the heart of the home, it is the place families come together. The kitchen is a place of community. Check to see if you are ready for your kitchen remodel with this helpful checklist.

New Kitchen Ideas:

But a kitchen remodel does not have to be the daunting task it is often made out to be. A well planned out kitchen remodel can be a fun and enjoyable experience. In a kitchen remodel planning is essential. Kitchens also offer a great return on investment when trying to sell a home, as it is the place where most people look first when viewing a home. A costs of a kitchen remodel are the most offset by this return on investment when it comes time to sell. A complete kitchen renovation with a national average cost of $60,000 recovers about 67% of the initial project cost at the home’s resale, according to the 2015 Remodeling Impact Report

But a kitchen remodel is not just something to consider before placing your home on the market. A newly renovated kitchen also brings the homeowners a high “joy-score”, makes homeowners want to be home more, entertain more, as well as make meals at home. The kitchen brings new life to the whole house and is a worthwhile endeavor whether you are selling, or you have just purchased your dream home.

Kitchen Design and Planning:

There are some elements to the successful kitchen remodel. The planning for the remodel should take more time than the remodel itself. Design every detail in your mind and on paper before execution. There is no detail too small or too minute for you to give it your time and careful attention. You can reduce the risk of anything going wrong or anything not turning out the way you wanted it to by planning out every detail of your new kitchen. If you do not feel like you covered all areas in your planning process, ask a professional to help you plan this project in detail.

Keep the Same Layout if Possible:

We often do not think of what is behind the walls in our homes until it comes time to rip them open. Water lines, electric and gas is hard and expensive to move. Think about the existing structure before diving into your kitchen remodel. If there is anything that can be significantly upgraded without being moved to another part of the kitchen, leave it where it is. If the kitchen is being moved to another room of the home, this is not applicable, and you will ask your contractor where the hook ups for your utilities will be. Together you can plan those outlets to fit your needs and create your perfect space.

Be Reasonable About Your Appliances:

We all want that six burner stove with a built in brick pizza oven to complete our dream kitchen design, but stay within reasonable limits. Larger appliances take up a lot more room and will make the space seem more crowded. They will also take away walking and sitting area. The appliances should match and fit your home. If your home is a standard size single family home, you should be focussing your shopping on standard single family size appliances. If there is something you want to add in the addition, this is possible of course. Consider the possibility of adding more appliances to an outdoor kitchen or cooking space in order to preserve room inside the home.

Good Lighting Goes a Long Way:

Lighting can make or break a room. Good lighting which is well placed and well utilized can make your kitchen decor feel larger and more open. Think carefully about the placement and the type of lighting you will be installing. For lighting, use this simple rule: there should be some variety.
Task Lighting: Under-cabinet lighting should be on your must-do list, since cabinets create such dark work areas. And since you’re remodeling, there won’t be a better time to hard-wire your lights. Plan for at least two fixtures per work area to eliminate shadows on your counters. Pendant lights are good for islands and other counters without low hanging cabinets. Recessed lights and track lights work well over sinks and general work areas with no cabinets overhead. The other type of lighting is ambient lighting, which can set the mood for the whole room. Ambient or mood lighting can be controlled with a sliding switch or remote to be dimmed or brightened. This type of lighting can change the atmosphere of the room dramatically.

Think About Function, Durability and Quality in Your Decision Making:

When choosing a contractor, a planner, a kitchen designer, or even your new appliances, think about quality. Don’t spend all that time and money on creating your perfect kitchen only to fill it with things you do not love. When the remodel is over you will want everything to be in perfect condition and to last you a long time. Choosing quality, durability and functionality in this stage can save you time and money in the long run.

Add Storage Where You Can:

Instead of creating more open space, create storage space. Storage is a lot more useful than an open concept kitchen. You can add space by removing unused counters and perhaps downsizing your cabinets or appliances to better fit the space, however, do not sacrifice storage space. Some easy ways to incorporate storage space into your new kitchen design without making the kitchen feel smaller is to add hanging cabinets. These are tall and are mounted from the ceiling. They will not obstruct floor space and these can be positioned over counters or over the floor. Hang it up! Shelves, pots and pans, anything you can think of can be mounted in the walls and ceilings, creating a unique look as well as a good use of your space.

Have Clear Communications With Your Contractors:

When starting out with a new contractor or kitchen designer, set a high standard for communication with your contractor. Let them know you want to be involved in the process and the decision making. Set up regular communications with your contractor so you will have a time each day, week and month to communicate and update one another on the developments.
You should never feel bad for dropping in unexpectedly and checking in on YOUR kitchen. Nor should you feel any guilt about setting some house rules about the facilities you want them to use, to the noise level from any music they may be playing. You want to be considerate of your neighbors and anyone else entering your home. Be kind and hospitable to your workers. Offer them some refreshments, and offer praise when warranted. The appreciated worker will always go above and beyond!