Deciding to remodel your kitchen is one of the best investments
you can make. The kitchen is where people spend most of their
waking hours while at home. It is where they cook, eat, and
gather with the family. It is also where they talk and share
ideas about the latest trends and fashions. Consequently, it is
not surprising that the kitchen would be on the top of the list
of home improvement projects. Having an up to date, modern
kitchen, allows people not only to function better with new
cabinets and appliances, but also enables them to feel that they
are indeed living in modern society.
Kitchen remodeling however can be a very messy and disruptive
home improvement project. And the length of the disruption can
take as long as a month or more, even when well planned out.
To mitigate the disruption of a kitchen renovation project,
planning is absolutely essential. The first item to consider is
whether you will do it yourself, or hire a general contractor.
Regardless of what route, a homeowner needs to first sketch out
some kitchen remodeling ideas to ensure the kitchen design and
costs will meet their targeted functional requirements and
budget. If a general contractor is to be hired these initial
sketches will be helpful in communicating your kitchen
remodeling plans and ideas.
During the planning phase, the homeowner should identify the
main objectives of the future kitchen. They should research the
latest products on the market including: cabinets, countertops,
appliances, and flooring. If the kitchen is more than 5 years
old, there are a lot of new products to choose from. For
example, Silestone is quickly surpassing Granite and Corian, as
the premier countertop surface as it is extremely hard, elegant
in appearance, and comes in many colors. For cabinets, the trend
appears to be towards lighter colors as they help the appearance
of lightening and enlarging a room. In regards to appliances,
the Stainless Steel look appears to be in. And for flooring,
vinyl or wood is the trend. Tile looks nice, however, it can be
unforgiving in a room where things tend to get dropped. In
addition, if there is no radiant heating planned for the floor,
tile has the tendency to feel cold on the feet.
It is also important to consider any structural changes to the
existing kitchen area. Is a new kitchen island desired, or will
walls or doorways need to be moved or installed?
When developing your kitchen remodeling plan, it is important to
note that professional kitchen designers like to think of a
triangle when starting a new kitchen design. The three points of
the triangle include the Sink, Refrigerator, and Stove. Make
sure your sketches consider this, as it will ensure a good
functional kitchen. Also, consider adequate walking areas and
space for an eating area, such as a table or center island, with
applicable space included for chairs. I would suggest that the
walking areas be wide enough for two people to walk through at
the same time.
The sketches should also include dimensions, as these will be
needed when meeting with the general contractor or kitchen
designer. Finally, consider where the existing outlets and power
for the stove are, and assess if additional outlets will be
needed or old outlets relocated.
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