What only you will know about your kitchen renovation plans

The great thing about a kitchen remodel is it gives you the opportunity to start completely fresh. With a minor remodel or a major one, you’re starting from scratch and it’s a great opportunity to draw on all of the ideas you’ve seen on HGTV, home design magazines, and Parade of Homes models, and see if you can’t implement them into your own design.

Questions to ask yourself before you start a kitchen renovation

If you’ve compiled a mental list of must-haves, but failed to write them down, we’ve got a list of things to consider that may jog your memory a bit, and help you start with a must-have list when planning your big re-do.

How important is technology in your life?

These days, everyone seems to be touting the advantages of artificial intelligence in the home. Ads for Amazon Echo and Google Home show all sorts of benefits, like being able to turn off all your lights or play background music with a simple command. If you’re into technology and want to explore incorporating it into your pre-tech home construction, talk with your contractor about how to add the components into your design plan that will make smart assistants work best for you.

What style of kitchen do you prefer?

• What’s your style? To make this easy, check out our kitchen style blog.
• Do you like the clean, sleek lines of modern design or are you enchanted by the idea of a beautiful, Tuscan villa?

Knowing in advance at least a basic idea of your preferences will help you decide what type of kitchen style is right for you.

Who aren’t you?

Equally as important as knowing who you are, is knowing who you aren’t.

• Are there colors, patterns, and materials that you absolutely hate?
• Does the idea of a countertop with individual ceramic tiles make you shiver or do you feel nauseous when you see an old episode of That 70’s Show?

Make sure you’re on the absolute same page as your contractor or designer so you don’t end up with an expensive kitchen renovation that you hate.

Can You imagine what you want, or do you need someone to guide you through it?

Let’s face it – you may have an idea of what you want, but absolutely cannot describe it in words. That’s why HGTV, home decorating magazines, and Pinterest exist! Start by compiling a notebook of ideas or creating a Pinterest board where you can collect all of the ideas you like. Having that in place will go a long way toward getting you from concept to reality and ending up with a design that really achieves what you were after.

What’s the realistic budget?

Knowing how much you want to spend, and can afford to spend are really important.

First, you should always be wary of not over-improving your house as compared to your neighborhood, if you care about recouping your investment down the road.
Second, you should know how much you can realistically afford and how you’re going to pay for it. You might be considering a home equity loan. If so, you’ll need to speak with a mortgage lender to determine your home’s value as compared to what you owe and see what equity you’ll be able to use. If you know you have a finite amount to spend (as many people do), it’s important that you and your contractor understand that and develop a renovation plan that will work within that budget.

How much do you know about what is happening behind the walls?

And speaking of budget … you really need to learn a bit about the construction of your house because the placement of existing plumbing, electrical, and venting systems may have to change to accomplish a new kitchen. If you watch any of the home shows on TV, you see the drama created the homeowners don’t plan for Remember to include a line item for contingencies in your budget to account for any hidden issues.

How much cooking space do you need?

Think about how you use your kitchen, and what’s most frustrating about your existing space? Would you love to have a main sink, and a smaller prep sink? Are you an avid baker who needs lots of counter space for rolling out dough? Do you entertain so often that a double oven would be useful in preparing large meals? We all have our pain points when it comes to the things our kitchens are lacking. Pre-renovation is the time to make sure these are addressed as a priority for your new space.

How much room do you have to work with and are you willing and able to expand into other space to make your plan work?

If you want a huge island and a gourmet range and hood, but your current space is a galley style, you’ll need to figure out how to achieve the new space you’re imagining within the existing space you have. Sometimes that means being really creative with the existing space and often, contractors have a better feel for spacing and how things can work. And sometimes it means you may need to expand into your dining room space to create one grand kitchen. Know what might have to happen to make your idea work, whether your budget will allow for it, and whether it makes home value sense to take away a formal dining room.

Is your vision realistic and how much are you willing to compromise?

Finally, know if your idea can really happen, or if you’ll have to make some concessions to achieve most of what you want. A healthy dose of reality and a willingness to compromise may be necessary before you ever pick up the phone for a quote.

When you’re ready to dive into your kitchen renovation project, contact us for a no obligation kitchen consultation. We’ve worked with enough people in the Johnston and Wake County areas over the years to be able to anticipate most of the questions you might have. We can help you think through the entire renovation process so you enter into it with your eyes wide open and exit with a huge smile on your face.