The kitchen is the heart of the home. It is where families gather to cook, eat, and socialize. Friends often join the mix. Sometimes everyone joins in and helps make the meal. The modern kitchen should be open, airy, bright, and sunny.
Unless, yours is not. An older kitchen is often closed off, tight, dimly lit, with few windows. If that sounds familiar, you need a kitchen remodel. Updating a kitchen will make it a pleasure to use and increase your property value in many cases.
For a successful project, you need to avoid these five kitchen remodeling mistakes:
- Being Impatient – A kitchen remodel takes time. Putting enough time into the planning, demolition, and construction phases will pay off with a well-designed, well-constructed kitchen. Take time up front to plan the kitchen remodel. Establish the style of kitchen and then set a budget. Plan for how you are going to live during the renovation. Once you have that established, that is the time to begin the demolition. Give the contractor time to do the job right, since rush jobs lead to major problems down the road.
- Overlooking the Details – The details make or break a kitchen. When you set the theme of the kitchen, you can start setting some of the details into place. What style of cabinet do you want? What kind of drawer/cabinet pull do you want? These are only a couple of details you need to consider in the planning. Other choices include counter tops, back splash material, flooring, wall color, appliances, sink finish, and kitchen accessories. These details make the difference between an amateur result and a polished one.
- Thinking You Can Do It on Your Own – Unless you have experience as a kitchen designer and a contractor, a major kitchen remodel is not something a homeowner should tackle. A contractor brings experience to the table. They know how to schedule all the details that go into a kitchen renovation project. They also know the decisions that a homeowner needs to make before the demolition even begins. Leave a major kitchen renovation to the professionals.
- Not Considering the Electrical Impact of Your New Appliances – When you upgrade your kitchen appliances, you need to consider whether you have enough electrical power to handle it. Modern appliances, while energy-efficient, are more numerous than many years ago. When doing a major renovation, adding extra kitchen circuits makes sense. You can handle your current needs as well as give yourself room for future requirements.
- Plumbing Lines Nightmare – Most of the plumbing lines in your home are in the walls and crawl spaces. When you want to knock down walls and move openings, you may find that the plumbing lines are all in the wrong locations. You may find old plumbing in poor condition. You may find prior renovations have created a maze of pipes. Plumbing nightmares are a major reason bringing in a contractor is so important to getting a good kitchen renovation.
If you do not avoid these kitchen remodeling mistakes, the project will not go as you want it to. The kitchen of your dreams is just around the corner. Be patient with the process and take your time making decisions. The details are what make a kitchen remodel successful or not.
Leave a major kitchen remodel to the professionals and always consult them about electrical and plumbing challenges. Make your kitchen remodeling efforts a success. A contractor with a solid record of success is the best way to avoid mistakes along the way. Hire the best and sit back to enjoy your kitchen.