Remodeling Your Kitchen
Remodeling your kitchen can be either a huge, grueling
undertaking, or a relatively pleasant experience, with
only a minor disruption of your family's life for a
short period of time. While everyone understands the
benefits of remodeling their kitchen, many are hesitant
to undertake a remodeling project because they fear the
process will disrupt their home life for long periods of
time. But it doesn't have to be this way. With a
well-thought out plan for your kitchen remodel project,
you can begin the remodeling with confidence it will run
smoothly. Take time in advance to familiarize yourself
with every aspect of your remodeling job and the process
will flow in an easy, efficient way.
The single most vital step to a satisfying kitchen
remodeling project is planning. This plan will cover the
overall look of your kitchen, as well as every aspect of
the remodeling, such as appliances, cabinets, storage
space, flooring, countertops, hardware and lighting. Put
your kitchen remodel plan on paper, starting with
listing all of these topics and anything else you'd like
to add (perhaps you want to buy all new dishes and
flatware to go with your new kitchen, for instance).
Let's look at each area you'll need to consider, step by
step.
Begin by thinking about the total design. Do you like
the way your current kitchen is configured? Or will your
remodeling project need to take new traffic patterns and
better use of space into account? Is there adequate
light? Enough room for food preparation? Space for your
family to gather? Do you want a contemporary kitchen or
would you prefer to establish a more traditional mood
with the remodeling? Once you get a vision for the look
of your new kitchen, you can start to lay plans for the
individual components.
The next step is determining appliances. If you are a
gourmet cook who loves to create fancy meals, you are
going to want to incorporate high-end appliances into
your remodeling plan. If you are a more casual cook,
this might be someplace you can save some money. Next
think about cabinets. Will you need to replace the ones
you have or can you perhaps do a cabinet refacing? If
you are happy with the way your current cabinets are
situated, cabinet refacing can be a good budgetary
alternative. Consider the issues of storage space. Is
what you have adequate, or do you need to find ways to
carve out more? In today's kitchen remodeling, there are
so many options for elegant cabinets, with choices
ranging from oak or cherry or birch, to laminate or
glass-faced cupboards.
Flooring should be charming and functional, as well as
easy to clean. Many materials easily fit these criteria.
Countertops also need to be easily maintained. There are
natural and synthetic choices here, each with their own
advantages. Lighting can vary from recessed lights to
fancy chandeliers-it all depends on what you want the
look of your kitchen to be. When it comes to hardware,
do you want hand-made ceramic knobs for your cabinets,
shiny chrome, or burnished black? These are just a few
of your options.
Remember to write down all your ideas and keep good
notes as you ask yourself these questions. When you've
pondered all the options for your remodeling job, you
can take your plan with you to a home improvement store
or local contractor and you'll have a huge head start on
your kitchen remodeling project. With a strong plan in
place, you'll be cooking in your new kitchen in no time.
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