Home Improvement Articles, resources and tips
Kitchen Remodeling
The kitchen is one of the best places to remodel, both because it will reap financial benefits and because it is one of the rooms used most by the whole family.
Remodeling a kitchen is such a major undertaking. Therefore a general contractor would be a good investment, but you can also choose to hire needed professionals — which may include a kitchen and bath designer, a plumber, an electrician, carpenter and appliance installers, among others—on an individual basis. See bathroom remodeling for more information.
Before hiring anyone, it's best to know what you want. Current design thinking is much different than when food was prepared a tiny room sequestered in the back of the house. Today's kitchens are open and often flow into the living or dining rooms with no barriers. Oversized islands with different work stations are extremely popular, and are an added bonus when entertaining because guests can sit and chat with the cook without interrupting his or her work. More people are also adding products that were before unheard of except in luxury homes, including pot-filer faucets, radiant heat flooring, professional-style appliances, pull-out drawers, drawers with a self-closing mechanism, and marble and granite countertops.
Another trend is taking the kitchen out of the kitchen. In fact, kitchen appliances and cabinetry are showing up all over the home and outside of it. From a weather-resistant mini-fridge and small dishwasher near an outdoor grill to a fully plumbed espresso maker in the bedroom, these satellite kitchens make life more convenient.
One of the most important decisions to make is what to do about cabinetry. On lower budgets, simply repainting can sometimes work wonders. If new cabinets are purchased, you have a choice between stock, semi-custom, and custom. As their names suggest, custom can be completely built out to your space, stock comes more or less as is, and semi-custom is more adaptable than stock, but much less than fully custom.
Of course nothing good ever came without some sacrifice. A kitchen remodel can take several weeks or sometimes months. Unless you have relatives in the area, moving out for the entire time probably won't be feasible. Think about where meals will be prepared. Some clients even set up temporary "kitchens," in their garage, with a microwave, fridge, and tables. It's a minor inconvenience for the gorgeous kitchen being built.
Get FREE estimates on your Kitchen Remodeling projects
