Remodeling Your Kitchen
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Remodeling a kitchen is one of the best investments a
homeowner can make. For most homeowners it is the most
important room in the house. It is used for cooking, eating, and
gathering, and is typically a focal point in the home.
Consequently, though a great investment, a kitchen-remodeling
project can be very disruptive to the family. And the length of the
disruption can take as long as two or three weeks.

The Planning Stage

Planning is absolutely essential in remodeling a kitchen. The
homeowner should first identify the main objectives of their
future kitchen. They should next research the latest products on
the market including: cabinets, countertops, appliances, and
flooring. If the kitchen is more than 5 years old, there are a lot of
new products to choose from. For example, Silestone is quickly
surpassing Granite and Corian, as the premier countertop
surface as it is extremely hard, elegant in appearance, and
comes in many colors. For cabinets, the trend appears to be
towards lighter colors as they help the appearance of lightening
and enlarging a room. In regards to appliances, the Stainless
Steel look appears to be in. And for flooring, vinyl or wood is
the trend. Tile looks nice, however, it can be unforgiving in a
room where things tend to get dropped. In addition, if there is
no radiant heating planned for the floor, tile has the tendency to
feel cold on the feet.

Sketch out some plans

After the main objectives of the future kitchen have been
identified and the homeowner has an idea on the products for
it, they should next sketch some plans. I would suggest
developing two or three sketches, keeping in mind three
important points. First, professional kitchen designers like to
think of a triangle when starting a new design. The three points
of the triangle include the Sink, Refrigerator, and Stove. Make
sure your sketches consider this as it will ensure a good
functional kitchen. Second, consider adequate walking areas
and space for an eating area, such as a table or center island,
with applicable space included for chairs. I would suggest that
the walking areas be wide enough for two people to walk
through at the same time. The sketches should also include
dimensions, as these will be needed when meeting with the
Kitchen Designer. Finally, consider where the existing outlets
and power for the stove are, and assess if additional outlets will
be needed or old outlets relocated.

Visiting the Kitchen Design Center

Once sketches have been created, bring them to a Kitchen
Design Center or Home Improvement store. A certified Kitchen
Designer will then take the sketches and goals and incorporate
them into a formal set of plans. Once the Kitchen Designer has
formally generated the plans, typically someone from the
Kitchen center will visit your home and take very precise
measurements so that the plans can be finalized. In fact, make
sure that they do visit your home; otherwise unexpected costs
and delays could occur when the wrong size cabinets arrive on
your doorstep.
When the cabinets do arrive at your doorstep, ensure that they
match the list of materials generated by the Kitchen Designer.
Again, this will help ensure that no delays or unexpected costs
arise during the actual remodeling process.

Cabinets: Out with the Old and In with the New

Once the cabinets arrive, the cabinet installers will remove the
existing cabinets and countertops, unless the homeowners
decide to do this themselves, and install the new cabinets. If
new flooring is planned, I would suggest installing the flooring
between removing the old cabinets and installing the new ones,
as this will save time and money. In addition, particularly with
Linoleum, you will get a better end product, as the Linoleum will
be unable to lift-up over time, if the material goes under the
cabinets. If new flooring does get installed prior to the cabinet
and countertop installation, additional care will be needed to
ensure the floors are not damage during this process.

Installing the Countertops

After the new cabinets have been installed, measuring and
templating for the new countertops will be required if Silestone,
Granite or Corian are to be used. This task should be planned
in advance so that it can be performed the same day the
cabinets are installed. This will help to reduce the disruption
time. Once the templating has been completed, expect several
days to a week for the countertops to actually be cut and
installed. During this interval the Kitchen Design Center should
install a temporary countertop and faucet so that your kitchen
remains operational.
Though remodeling a kitchen can be a huge disruption to the
homeowner, the finished product will quickly erase the brief
inconvenience. Between its new and contemporary look and
features, and the knowledge of making a sound investment, the
homeowner will swiftly forget about the disruption as they fully
enjoy their new kitchen.
About The Author
Over the past 20+ years Mark Donovan has been involved with building homes and additions to
homes. His projects have included: building a vacation home, building additions and garages on to
existing homes, and finishing unfinished homes. For more home improvement information visit