Simple Guide to Kitchen Renovation

Renovations and remodeling is extremely popular these days and even homeowners with very little knowledge of the process are taking to the internet and watch videos and taking tutorials to strike out on their own with a renovation project. Another reason homeowners have shifted to making renovations instead of packing up and moving is because a weak global economy has put a stranglehold on many consumer’s incomes and the next best thing to buying new is improving the old or outdated. In order to avoid becoming overwhelmed by the process, there are a series of steps you can take to streamline your kitchen renovation so that your dollar goes further and you receive the intended result from you or your contractor’s labor.

Design

Two main choices in the outset of your project: you can either contact an interior design firm that creates architectural mock-ups exclusively, or if you‘ve already established rapport with a contractor that performs design and installation, they can help with your schematics. Either way you need a clear cut design that the contractor can work off to ensure he gives you an accurate estimate and timeline for completion.

Contractor

Finding the right contractor that you work well with is one of the keys to any successful kitchen renovation project. The feeling of a shared understanding of what you expect from the project will help the contractor make your dream kitchen a reality.

Décor

After you’ve got an agreed upon design and a killer contractor that’s ready to work, you can focus on the fun stuff like picking your appliances, countertops, styles and colors. The size and shape of these will help your contractor choose the dimensions for other integral parts of your kitchen like windows floor covering and cabinetry.

Organization/Storage

Depending on your vision and where you are with your budget, you may elect to keep the cabinets you have or purchase new ones. Storage in the form of hanging shelving is a cheap alternative to new cabinets for instance. Increasing the size of your cabinets by extending them to the ceiling is also cheaper than new furnishings. Should you elect for new cabinetry, there is a lot a variety in custom work, but not as much in the cheaper, stock options, so if your kitchen has pretty standard dimensions, odds are you can choose ready-to-assemble (RTA) cabinets that a contractor can install relatively cheaply.

Trends

Chasing the latest trend can be a slippery slope. Everyone wants the kitchen with the hot new gadgets and amenities, but who know if those will obsolete or out of fashion in a few years. The key is choosing the trends that aren’t going to be overwhelming to update later on if necessary. Paint, lighting and appliances are all examples of items that can be updated with relatively low costs, whereas cabinetry, countertops and flooring can be a much greater expense.

Kitchen renovations are not just a benefit to the homeowner’s well-being, they are also a helpful to one’s finances. Studies have shown that the kitchen and bath are the two rooms in the home that generate the most return for you investment. In some cases the return is between 80-100%, so if you have the money to spend, you can rest assured that the majority of it will come back to you at appraisal or in the event of a sale.

Simple Guide to Kitchen Renovation