How To Plan For Kitchen

Remodeling

 by:

Johnathan Bakers

Kitchen remodeling is one of the most desirable home improvement

projects for many homeowners. A new kitchen increases the value of your

home and makes your life easier. The first step to your new kitchen is to

set a budget. Decide how much money you are willing to spend. This will

help drive your other decisions. Be sure to leave a cushion in your budget

for additional, unexpected expenses.

When determining your budget, consider how long you intend to stay in

your home. If you are planning to sell in the next year or so, you may

want to spend less money. Decide which features you must have in your new

kitchen. You can cut corners in other areas by substituting less expensive

materials for the counter tops, flooring or cabinet doors.

Research Kitchen Trends

Before you start planning your remodeling project, do some research on

the current trends and designs being used in kitchens. Look for

information on the internet or in home decorating magazines. Visit your

local home improvement center for more ideas. Start a file for pictures of

kitchens you love, furniture, appliances, fabric swatches or anything else

you find interesting. This will help when you are ready to start

purchasing items for your new room.

Options in Kitchen Remodeling

Cabinets are an expensive item in any remodeling project. They often

take up half of the overall budget for the room. If you can't afford the

cost of brand new cabinets, there are cheaper alternatives. Consider

cabinet refacing rather than replacing the entire cabinet. In refacing,

the doors are replaced and exterior wood areas are covered. This is much

less expensive since you are using the same cabinets. An even cheaper

alternative is to paint your existing cabinets and buy new hardware.

If you must have new cabinets, consider adding some extra features.

Features such as tilt out drawers, pull out garbage cans or a lazy Susan

inside a corner cabinet are great space savers and make the room more

functional. The doors can be either solid wood, clear glass or stained

glass. Shop around to find out what is available before making a purchase.

You can save money on flooring and countertops as well. Substitute

vinyl flooring in place of more expensive ceramic tile to save money. If

you can install ceramic tiles yourself, you can have them for about the

price you would pay a contractor to install vinyl flooring.

Countertops vary widely in price depending on the material that is

used. Counters that are more durable are also more expensive. You may want

this if you want to be able to cut food directly on the counter. For most

people, this is an easy way to cut the overall cost of your kitchen. You

can find less expensive material that gives the look of marble, butcher's

block or other expensive materials.

Once you have decided what you want, consider how much of the job you

can do yourself. Contractors can eat up a large portion of your budget.

The more you can do, the more you will save in the overall cost of the

room. Use the savings for great new furniture.