Save big $$ With your Kitchen Remodel

Kitchen Remodeling 101

Modern kitchens are no longer shut away in the back part of the house where nobody can find them. Nowadays they’re often the heart of the house, making it easier to work in your kitchen and still be involved in the life of the family going on around you. So it’s important that your kitchen looks beautiful and is welcoming, otherwise your whole house will become less appealing.

If your kitchen is looking a little dated or worse for wear, it may be time to remodel it. Remodeling your kitchen can be a very simple project to cheer it up a bit, or it can be a major project involving the total removal and replacement of all the kitchen elements. Your budget and your handyman skills will be the major factors that determine just how extensive your remodeling project is going to be.

It’s worth spending some time studying your existing kitchen, to determine whether the problem is simply that it needs a new coat of paint and maybe some other minor changes, or whether the kitchen itself has major design flaws. Kitchens should be designed so that all the major work areas are close together. These include the sink, stove and preparation areas. Is your food storage cupboard close to the preparation bench? How about the fridge? If your whole kitchen is badly designed and a nuisance to cook in, then you may be better off starting again from scratch.

But if you’re going to remodel the whole kitchen, you need to be very careful with your budget. It’s also worth looking to see if you can recycle some of the existing elements. Maybe the stove is in good condition; it just needs to be moved. Cupboards can be reused, perhaps with new doors, but rearranged to be more convenient. Don’t get caught up in the excitement of having a completely new kitchen, unless you’re prepared substantial amounts of money.

Consider, too, whether there are cheap and simple solutions to any kitchen flaws you discover. Perhaps you don’t have enough bench space for food preparation. Rather than replacing the whole kitchen, how about installing an island bench, even a movable one that you can wheel in and out when it’s needed? If the cupboards look dated, it’s amazing how much difference a new set of handles can make. Perhaps add a coat of paint, or even go as far as replacing the cupboard doors, and your kitchen can look completely different.

Remodeling your kitchen is a great way to add value to your home, because many homebuyers will choose their new home based on whether or not they like the kitchen. Having said that, though, it’s important not to spend too much. Try to limit your remodeling budget to around 15% of the home’s value; otherwise you’re spending more than you probably should.

Once you’ve determined just how much kitchen remodeling you want to undertake in your kitchen, all that’s left is to choose the color scheme and the items you want to use in the kitchen, from bench tops to floor coverings and even light fittings. Aim for a consistent look that’s warm and inviting, and you’ll be glad you made the decision to remodel your kitchen when it’s all completed.

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Kitchen Remodeling Ideas For An Old House

Many people think that old houses are especially difficult to remodel purely due to their age. In fact, this is not entirely correct. Whether the house is old or quite new, a kitchen remodeling nearly always turns out to be very cost effective and the habitants will see a marked improvement in the area.

Kitchen remodeling for old homes can be planned so that new items and appliances can be integrated along with the kitchen’s older features. The true key to affordable and effective kitchen remodeling ideas is in the planning stage and this applies to any kind of home, whether new or old.

First on the list of all sound kitchen remodeling ideas is to adequately cost your planned remodelings. This is the most critical aspect as you should not attempt any substantial renovation project unless you have enough funding available or you can enlist the help of your bank or mortgage provider. Notwithstanding the fact that you require substantial funding, take heart in knowing that you can reduce costs in some areas without sacrificing the over-all quality of the renovation. It is important that you allocate adequate funds for the key aspects of the renovation, namely the design component, labor costs and appliances and fixtures.

When you are reviewing you’re your kitchen remodeling ideas always build in an allowance for unexpected contingencies such as repairs being necessary to plumbing, heating and electrical equipment. There is nothing worse than having an aesthetically pleasing kitchen which is great to look at but in reality is a fire-hazard or energy-monster because of the old and ineffective equipment. In old houses it is highly likely you will need to spend money upgrading this type of equipment.

Once you have addressed the structural and services (heating, lighting, plumbing etc) aspects of the kitchen renovation you can then turn your attention to other aspects like choosing counter tops, cabinets and floor coverings. This is a great area in which to control costs as it is possible to use many alternate materials, that are just as durable and impressive as for example marble or granite, however they cost a fraction of the price of the real material. It is also recommended that you consider buying stock cabinets instead of custom-fitted ones as this too will save you a great deal of money.

SOURCE:  http://8rd.org/decoration/

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Save Big Remodeling your kitchen

Your primary kitchen remodeling idea is probably staring you in the face. Most people have at least one area of the kitchen that gets on their nerves and would like to see changed. Simple kitchen chores can be a great place to start. If you hate doing the dishes, a new custom kitchen sink and deluxe dishwasher, should make your list. If food prep is your least favorite part of cooking, a new countertop with a built-in board would be nice. If you simply hate your kitchen’s look, kitchen decorating and design should have top priority.

Replacing your kitchen cabinets  is almost never a bad kitchen remodeling idea. They can increase kitchen storage and overall convenience, they enhance your kitchen decoration and feel, and cabinet resurfacing is a cheap expenditure next to many other kitchen remodeling ideas.

It could be that your kitchen does need major updating. Maybe your stove and refrigerator are right next to each other. Any remodel worth the name has to change that. Maybe there’s just not enough room for the four or five people that normally prepare meals in your house – so you really do need to expand outside the current kitchen walls. 

These tend to be the big ticket items, but often there’s no getting around them. There’s no decorating substitute for the effect of replacing linoleum or vinyl flooring with stone tile, hardwood, or laminate flooring. Countertops, too, are nearly impossible to ignore when assessing the beauty of a kitchen. If you can do so without breaking the bank, at least one of these items may be the center for the rest of your kitchen remodeling ideas to work around.

SOURCE:  http://8rd.org/decoration/

www.LKNcabinets.com offers FREE estimates for the Charlotte, NC and surrounding area.