Planning a Kitchen Remodel? Here’s What You Should Know

Planning a kitchen remodel is hard but exciting work. By far, the kitchen is one of the most remodeled rooms in the house, and Americans spend more money on their kitchens than other rooms by a large margin. Whether it be appliances, cabinets, countertops, islands, the kitchen gets more attention, and with good reason. The kitchen is the heart of the house. So without further ado, if you are planning a kitchen remodel, these guidelines will be helpful to you along the way.#1. Kitchen Design SoftwareIt exists and it’s what the pros use. You may not need to invest hundreds of dollars for a piece of software you’re only going to use once, but having something to help you visualize the process is going to be very helpful. The programs range from free, to moderately expensive, to too expensive to justify for a single use. But it’s a good first step for the planning process, and they’re also fun to play with.#2. Effective Planning Reduces Construction TimeThe process of kitchen remodeling is hard work, and you will not have the use of your kitchen while it’s being done. This translates into an inconvenience for you, and a lot of eating out, which can itself be costly. The better planned out the process is, the fewer hiccups the kitchen contractors are likely to face, and the sooner you’ll have your kitchen back.#3. Leaving the Layout the Same Will Reduce Costs ConsiderablyOnce you start rearranging the layout of the plumbing and electrical outlets, you’re talking about spending major money on the process redesigning your kitchen. Your best bet is to work with the existing layout unless there’s something really wrong with it.#4. Storage Will Be ImportantThere are two things that kitchens never seem to have enough of: storage and counter space. This is largely because older kitchens were designed with different needs in mind. Modern Americans have far more appliances than they did 40 or 50 years ago when many of these kitchens were designed, so coming up with a good way to ensure all these newfangled devices have a space to go is going to be just as important as making your space beautiful. If your kitchen is smaller, consider adding a pantry.“As kitchen contractors, we like to keep an open line of communication with our customers in case any issues arise and choices have to be made,” says one kitchen designer who works in the Detroit area. “And it’s generally true that the more we have to work with in terms of the customer’s idea of what they want, the more successful we are and the less time it takes us to complete the work.”