If the house were a body, the kitchen would be its heart! That is where all the action happens, be it cooking, breakfast conversations, or coffee shop talk. Also, from a real estate perspective, the kitchen and bathroom are two places that are discussed first and foremost.
And as a homeowner, we all want our kitchen to be all up to date because that is where most of our time is spent! Apart from breakfast, lunch, and dinner, the kitchen is where we go for snacks, tea, and chit-chat.
What more can I say? The kitchen is where the day begins and ends. So every homeowner should make sure that their kitchen is renovated and up to date. In this article, I have listed down a few tips for you to consider! These tips will help you modify your kitchen in ways that you would love and would like the kitchen of the year!
Here we go:
Decide a Budget
Before starting or taking up any remodeling projects, always have a budget in mind. What happens is that you might go to home depot, get carried away, and buy all the fancy and tech items for the kitchen, but in the end, you might end up breaking your bank account in the process.
Here are a few tips for you to keep in mind when taking a big leap of modeling your kitchen:
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- Figure out what elements of the kitchen you plan to remodel
- Based on what you are remodeling, have a set budget for each renovative item.
- You can also take loans and find great credit card offer if you feel renovation is more of a necessity than a luxury.
- Set a time frame that the remodeling will take, and always assume that it will take a bit longer than you anticipated.
- Kitchen Renovation would often include plumbing stuff, so talk to your contractor about it in terms of how much it would cost you.
- Sometimes, in certain states, remodeling requires permits that would mean you are taking into account some gas safety check costs and other housing permits.
- Consider the ventilation in your kitchen when remodeling.
Get Professional Help
If you are good with tools and all that stuff, you can go to home depot and have a look at it and renovate your kitchen yourself. This way, you will save a lot on designing and professional contractors fees.
But if you have no experience whatsoever in remodeling, I do not recommend you do that.
Professional help can be expensive, but the work would be flawless, and accidents are not bound to happen, which are more likely to happen in D.I.Y situations. Here are a few tips for you:
- Do your research of contractors in your area
- If you can afford it, maybe just look for interior designers and let them handle anything and everything.
- Look for contractors that offer free quotes
- Make sure the contractor is offering you insurance, and he/she is licensed.
- Always, always go for contractors who are good with their communication skills.
Empty Your Kitchen
Once you have figured out your budget and have chosen a contractor for the job, be it yourself or a professional contractor, the first step towards remodeling is emptying the kitchen.
That means to empty the kitchen cabinet, your fridge, drawers, etc. In case the remodeling involves some demolishing, then you have to have a dumpster truck ready in front of your house. Also, make sure that you have removed all the electrical appliances.
Last but not least, turn off electricity, gas, and all water supply in the house while your house is getting remodeled.
Measure and Measure Again
You have to find the right size for all your kitchen gadgets and equipment. Otherwise, you might find yourself with all those cool shelves, but your oven won’t probably go in it because the sizing wasn’t done right.
So always, make sure that you measure the right heights of your appliances. If you have hired an interior designer, you don’t need to worry about all these fittings and fixtures, but otherwise, it will be wise you do everything by the books.
Start The Installations of Updated Appliances
The last and final call for renovation is to start the installation to update your kitchen. For this, you will have to take care of the following four elements separately:
· Plumbing
When you are remodeling, the first step towards it is to figure out all the plumbing of the kitchen sink and refrigerator. So, because you will be dealing with a lot of pipes and water stuff, have a towel and bucket ready in case of any leakages; if you have a plumber coming, no need to worry about it.
· Lighting and Electricity
While in the previous step, I told you to unplug all the appliances, now it is time to update your electrical sockets and wires if there is a need according to the appliances and remodeling you are looking for.
The stuff you will have to deal with is light dimmers, garbage disposals, wiring, and all electricity-related issues.
· Flooring
If you are choosing to change the flooring, you can choose from tiles to any kind of wood flooring. According you will have to think about laminating your floors and all the grouting work if you are choosing tiles
· Countertops
First, install the cabinet and then deal with countertops. I would recommend you choose granite for your countertops as they stay longer.
· Painting and Drywalls
Remodeling always comes with repainting and restructuring the drywalls. So be ready with all the ingredients.
Now You Are Ready For Remodeling!
Remodeling is not an easy or cheap task. It always requires a lot of patience and supervision. Let me give you a quick recap; always have a budget in mind, the kind of appliances you want to install, hire professional help, prepare your kitchen and start with the installations.