Fast Facts-What You Need to Know Before You Start a Kitchen Remodel
In the construction industry, it’s often common to find calculations that estimate how much money you will recoup from a home improvement project. One of the projects that are always towards the top of the list is a kitchen remodel. Depending on the market and the scale of the project, a kitchen remodel can provide as much as an 87% return on investment. That’s why it’s crucial that the undertaking is executed properly the first time. Below is a list of ways to make this project as pain-free and as successful as possible.
Finding the Right People for the Job: Think of a general contractor as the coach of a team. Their job is to gather bids, work with subcontractors and make sure that the work is done correctly, within your budget and on schedule. A general contractor has connections within the industry and has solid relationships with subcontractors (cabinet makers, countertop showrooms, etc.). These subcontractors want to perform exceptional work for general contractors because they know that this is how they will stay in business. Subcontractors are less likely to stay on time and within budget for someone they know they have little chance of ever working with again, such as the homeowner. While on the front end, hiring a general contractor can seem like an added expense, working with a skilled professional will often keep you on schedule and within budget.
Lighting: This is one area that often gets overlooked. Oftentimes, homeowners wrongfully assume that a single fixture mounted in the center of the room is going to provide adequate lighting for the entire space. This can cause a glare that overpowers the room. Other options include track lighting, skylights, and recessed lighting.
Having a Budget with a Buffer: It’s important to establish a budget when renovating a kitchen. The budget should include a slush fund that takes into consideration unforeseen circumstances and overages because even with the best-intentioned bid, incidentals will likely still come up.
Appliances: If your greatest culinary accomplishment in the last 5 years was not burning a grilled cheese sandwich, you may want to forego a vaulted oven in favor of something more practical and splurge elsewhere.
Quality Materials: Educate yourself on the materials you’re looking into using. It may be tempting to go with a cheaper floor or countertop but if the product’s life expectancy is lower than something of better quality, you may end up costing yourself more in the long-run when you’re purchasing a replacement sooner than later and paying for it to be installed.
Needs vs. Wants: Obviously, every kitchen needs things like a sink or flooring. However, a cutting edge, built in coffee system should fall into the “want” category. Make sure you’ve got the necessities covered before you start committing to luxury accessories.
Ample Space: When planning your kitchen, be sure to include enough space so the doors on your appliances, such as refrigerator and oven, can be open and still have enough space to walk around them. so that doors can be space in front of your refrigerator and oven so that you can still walk in front of them even 
when they are opened. Don’t allow corners to become a wasted space; consider adding a Lazy Susan. Kitchen islands can be a great place to set up food buffets and store countertop appliances. However, if space is already tight, you may want to go without since having one will only make your kitchen feel and look smaller.
Take Your Time: Take some time to page through magazines and websites such as Houzz to see what you like in terms of style and layout. While it can be tempting to jump the gun and get the project going in order to meet a deadline, like a graduation party or wedding shower, you can end up incurring more costs if you decide mid-way through the project that you want to remove a wall, relocate a sink, etc. Imagine your disappointment if you hurry up and select a countertop only to learn later that it requires annual re-sealing, something that would have made you make another choice if you had known.
