Home Improvement Articles

Renovation budgets, especially for kitchen renovations, can get out of hand very easily.

It’s a proven fact that homes with remodeled kitchens sell, and have much higher values than homes without remodeled kitchens. In most cases, you will see a return in every dollar you spend in upgrading your kitchen. Even if you have a limited budget, it can really make a difference to change one aspect of the kitchen at a time. Here are some areas of the kitchen that we suggest working on, before worrying about the small details.

Major Renovations

Granite counter tops are in high demand.

A kitchen renovation project can seem like a headache-in-the-making to almost any homeowner. Luckily, there are contractors that specialize in these projects to handle the details. They can help you with every step of the way, from budgeting, to choosing materials, to installation. Sounds great, right? But what criteria should you use when deciding on a contractor?

We don’t often think of having closets in the kitchen. We often settle for simply having kitchen cupboards which are essentially small closets affixed to the side walls of our kitchen. Although rarely noticed, the lack of kitchen closets is a nuisance. It hasn’t always been like this. Our grandmother’s had kitchen closets…large kitchen closets. They called them kitchen pantries.

Most families find that when they have a welcoming kitchen, they get a lot more enjoyment from the time they spend there either preparing meals, interacting together or just enjoying a friends company.

Kitchen renovations not only help to enhance the family’s enjoyment, but also are an excellent way of increasing the overall value of your home. While there are many aspects of the kitchen that can be given a makeover, installing a new kitchen worktop is one that can give immediate visual improvements and can also totally change the ambiance of the kitchen too, so this is always good place to start.

A good way to get some fantastic ideas about different styles of Kitchens, color schemes and even kitchen furniture is to read a few of the popular home magazines, or even go online and check out the testimonial pages of kitchen designers as these often show photos and visuals of completed kitchens and are a great source of inspiration when you are simply unsure of where to start.

Time well spent choosing a great combination of both kitchen cabinet design and the right worktop will really pay dividends as this can really give your kitchen makeover a stunning visual impact.

When it comes to your worktop you will be confronted with a diverse selection of materials but ultimately it will come down to your budget, that said though you would be well advised to investigate the pluses and minus of each type in relation to the wear and tear your kitchen comes under.

A classic mistake here is choosing a high gloss work surface for a busy kitchen for example. Sure they look great to start but easily show marks and blemishes that all kitchens pick up along the way.

We’ve all seen the stereotypical kitchen renovation horror story: Someone who merely wants to replace the kitchen cabinets finds additional problems and winds up paying thousands of dollars for a complete kitchen overhaul. How can you prevent this from happening to you?

Did you know some experts think kitchen renovations may be needed within 18 months of completing the original construction? The wear-and-tear of daily life takes its toll on kitchens. Also, you may not be able to see problems with a new kitchen design until you’ve actually lived with it a while.

The success of kitchen renovation is all in the planning.

With the 2009 housing slump and economic downturn making its way through the entire economy, the countertop manufacturing industry has been adversely affected. The decline is affecting all markets, including the residential home remodeling market, single-family builder market, commercial builder market, and buying market.

During this economic crisis, many builders and remodelers are being forced to cut costs by buying lower-end stock for custom countertops and surfaces. Instead of purchasing premier granite countertops and marble countertops, they are opting to buy plastic laminated countertops instead to save money.

Even homeowners and commercial owners are cutting costs for their remodeling projects or new construction projects by choosing more affordable kitchen and bathroom countertops.

Most homeowners planning on a kitchen remodel or renovation are easily able to find themselves wanting a 20 karat upgrade on a 2 karat budget.  Given the fact that the national average cost of a complete kitchen remodel is approximately $40,000, it is easy for those looking to upgrade to realize how quickly the expenses add up to $40,000.  Many kitchen remodels though, don’t even approach that figure.  The majority of families in today’s economic climate may not have thousands upon thousands of dollars available to spend on a kitchen remodel.  However it is quite common to obtain a small home equity loan for such home improvement projects.

Creating a new kitchen layout is not as simple as one would expect.  There are basic industry standard heights, distances, and depths that need to be observed when positioning cabinets, lighting, ventilation, electrical outlets, doorways, and much more.  Every county within each state has their own particular building codes to adhere to depending on the geographic location of the county.  Because of this it is important to retain the services of an experienced professional builder conversant with the local and state building codes.

Unless the homeowner is exceptionally skilled and knowledgeable about kitchen renovations and building codes, a do-it-yourself approach will involve inordinate amounts of time, frustration, patience, and quite likely several cuts, gashes, and bruises.  Just in itself, researching styles and kitchen materials from countertops and cabinet hardware to range hoods and electrical appliances can be an exhausting endeavour.  Then the truly hard work begins.

Demolition, cleaning, and prepping, if done by the homeowner can take weeks.  Demolition and removal of fixtures needs to be done carefully and safely in order to minimize any damage to the floors and walls.  Should a professional builder and remodeling company be utilized, what may require weeks of work for the homeowner can be shortened to just one or two days.

The easy decision to choose a reputable home builder and remodeler over the homeowner performing the kitchen upgrade themselves is the length of time the kitchen remodel will take.  A realistic time estimate for a do-it-yourself kitchen remodel can easily take over 4 to 8 months depending upon the extent of the remodel.  A kitchen remodel carried out by professionals may take as little as 3 to 5 weeks.  The time savings with using a professional company are readily apparent and the homeowner need never get injured themselves..