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Spaces for Life: What you should know before remodeling your kitchen

By Lance McCarthy

Kitchens.

This is the heart of most houses. Pancakes are made, dishes are washed, parties are partied, homework is done and midnight snacks are sneaked? Life happens here and every inch matters. It is probably the most expensive room in your house, so the details have to be right.

Here are some tips to consider as you start planning your kitchen remodel.

How much does a kitchen cost?

Check out my article How much does a kitchen cost? And here is a link to a page on our website that helps you with budget ranges. Of course each kitchen (and client) is unique, and a personalized budget should be developed for your project during a collaborative design process.

How far should you go? Here are some quick questions to ask that help you know if you are needing a facelift or a full replacement.

THE QUESTION: What do you wish was different in your kitchen? This is a crucial question that you should take some time to consider. The clearer your answer is, the more likely your remodel will be successful.

  • Do you need more elbow room?  (think in terms of countertop space, storage space, and “people space”)
  • Are you just tired of how it looks?
  • Is the layout inefficient?  (are you walking more than 5 steps between the fridge and the sink or the sink and the range?)
  • Are there just pieces of the kitchen that need fixing?  (an old dishwasher, broken backsplash tiles, sticking door?)

Once you know that, ask yourself these three:

  • Is the layout working?
  • Are the cabinet boxes still in good shape?
  • Are all the walls in the right place?

If the answer to any of these questions is no, you are starting to lean toward a full replacement.

Some of our favorite kitchen finish products and design elements:

  • Quartz or wood countertop   You will not believe the options available for countertops.  If you are up for something creative, I can make you very happy.
  • Pullouts and custom shelves   Today’s cabinet can be up to 40% more space efficient with the right components inside.
  • Dual fuel stove   Gas is great in an oven, and electric boils water fast.  Why not have your cake and eat it too?
  • Pot filler   There are few things in a kitchen that say “I’m a pro” like filling the pot while it is on the stove.
  • Appliance Garage   Keep the mixer and blender off the open countertop, but close at hand.
  • Trash and recycling   This should be happening easily in a pullout cabinet door.
  • Concealed lighting and outlets   The backsplash doesn’t need to be cluttered with outlets any more.  Tuck them up under the upper cabinets for a clean look.
  • Warming drawer    Yep, it is what you think it is.
  • Coffee Bar   Water line, Keurig, espresso machine, all the accoutrements in one place, this is the life.

Kitchen remodeling problems to avoid:

  • DIY nightmare   That Home Depot commercial makes is seem so easy. We get a lot of calls from people who discover there is more to a bathroom remodel than 30 seconds of an exciting song and Josh Lucas’s sexy voice. If this is something you are considering, call me in and I can help walk you through the pitfalls beforehand.
  • Too cheap to be true   We find a lot of advertisements out there for cheap kitchens that trap a lot of people. Kitchens are the room in the house where the difference between quality to shoddy is most obvious.
  • Spacing    A kitchen lives and dies on layout.  Place the dishwasher 3” in the wrong direction and you will curse yourself with every dirty dish.  This is something that you will regret not leaving to a pro.

We are getting more requests for kitchens than ever before. If there are questions you have that we can help with, just send me an email and I can help. Lance@retouchco.com

You can also view this column with our partner PVPost.com & Spaces for life: What you should know before remodeling your kitchen

Ready to Take the Next Step?