|
 |
How To Plan For A 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.
Author: Mark Donovan
Are you looking for a remodeling
contractor in Michigan?
 |
|