Essential Planning Tips For Kitchen Remodeling

Do you really need kitchen remodeling?

Kitchen remodeling can be one of the most rewarding upgrades to your home.  On the other hand, it can be one of the most challenging.  There are so many things to consider:

• Is the flooring in your kitchen stained and cracked?
• Are the countertops marred with burns and nicks?
• Is the floor plan of your kitchen awkward and ill-designed?

If so, it may be time to consider kitchen remodeling. Updating your kitchen can enhance the value of your entire house, and kitchen remodeling can be an exciting process that calls upon your creativity.

You may need a little bit of patience as you live through the kitchen remodeling process, but the end result will be a kitchen you love and are proud to share with family and friends.

Should You Remodel The Whole Kitchen At Once?

Kitchen remodeling can be a series of simple, relatively small projects, or you can take on creating a new look for the whole kitchen, from scratch.

If you want a full scale luxury kitchen, most likely you will want to do the whole kitchen as one single, project.  In many cases, you might want to do a whole new design to get the best look for your home.

Small upgrades could include changing the hardware on your cabinets, refacing the cabinets, or replacing them.

Or you might just want to replace that scuffed floor, or just change the countertops.

On the other hand, unless you go for the exact same flooring you had before, the colours in your cabinets and backsplash may not match the new floor… something to think about.

Also, in the process of getting new countertops, will you end up damaging the floor or the cabinets beneath the countertops?  That might mean you will need new kitchen cabinets at the same time as replacing the countertops.

Then there’s paint.  Do you need to refresh your paint?  If you get new floors, countertops or cabinets, will your existing paint still look good?

Think carefully about “simple” changes.  Are there other implications that would naturally come up if you made the small changes first.

If you decide to make small changes, slowly, over time, think about how long you are willing to live with a kitchen that doesn’t look coordinated.

After all is said and done, a full-scale kitchen remodel is probably going to result in the most satisfying changes for your home.

Think About What You Want In Kitchen Remodeling Vs. What You Need

• Start your kitchen remodeling by making extensive notes about what you want.
• Think about what works and doesn’t work in your current kitchen.
• Look through magazines or scan the internet for kitchen remodeling ideas.
• You might want to make a file of designs and products you like.

Don’t hold back at this point-make a note of everything you might want to include in your kitchen remodeling.

Drawing A Budget For Your Kitchen Re-Design Project

This is when you match your beautiful ideas to what you can afford. You might be surprised how much you can get for your money, or the compromises you can make that will still afford you an elegant, functional design.

At this point, you may also want to contract the services of a designer or space planner. They can be enormously helpful with your kitchen remodel, and point out products and design ideas that might not have occurred to you.

Hire An Experienced Kitchen Renovation Contractor

One of the most important decisions you will make is hiring a contractor, so take you time and do some research.  Realty Renovation can help you at every stage of the kitchen remodeling process.

We have people that will sit down with you and go over your options and their approximate costs, so you don’t have to wait for an official quote every time you have an idea.

Realty Renovation will also show you where to find quality kitchen cabinets, flooring, paint, countertops and anything else you need.  In every case, you will be happy to have a “partner” who can quickly assess the impact on costs, time involved and compatibility of the ideas you are considering.

This is the best way to “use” a kitchen remodeling contractor.  Bring them into your planning sessions at an early stage so they can put perspective and experience into the ideas you are considering.

Prepare For Some Lifestyle Disruption During Construction

Since pretty-well everything revolves around eating, not being able to use the kitchen for a period of time will require some planning and patience.

Prepare yourself and your family for the disruption that occurs with a kitchen remodeling project. With advance planning, the feeling of disruption (and stress) can be minimized.

Discuss the time frame with your kitchen remodeling contractor.  Share this information with your family, so everyone is aware of how long the construction will take and what to expect.

In a very short time, all memories of any uproar with the kitchen remodeling will be forgotten and you’ll be enjoying your beautiful new kitchen.