How To Plan For Kitchen Remodeling
Project
 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.
About the Author:
Over the past 20+ years Mark Donovan has been involved with building homes
and additions to homes. For more help on remodeling your kitchen, see
http://HomeAdditionPlus.com’s Kitchen Remodeling Bid Sheet
http://www.homeadditionplus.com/Kitchen%20Remodeling%20Bid%20Sheet.htm and
visit http://www.homeadditionplus.com & http://www.homeaddition.blogspot.com
If you are looking for a kitchen remodeling contractor in New Jersey,
then please call Ron (856.981.7569) or Joe ( 267-471-1998) today or
complete our online
estimate form.
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