Remodeling your kitchen is a daunting task but it is exciting at the same time. There are a lot of things to consider when remodeling your kitchen such as the space available, architectural design, budgets, ideas, and plans. These aspects play a major role in deciding on the ideal renovation for your kitchen.
It is important to remember that renovating can be quite expensive at times. So you should take time to consider whether the cost involved and the disruption in regular activity are justified. Kitchens renovations are made for two reasons:
- to make the house sellable, that is, increase the resale value of the house
- to add comfort and value to the home
Here are the top 20 considerations to keep in mind when opting for a remodeling of your kitchen:
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- Needs That Should be Met The most pertinent questions to consider before renovating your kitchen is: what are the glaring drawbacks of the present kitchen? What are the areas of the present kitchen that need modification? These are important as they prevent the new kitchen from having design problems like your old kitchen. For example, if you feel that your kitchen is too small and crammed with utensils, the new kitchen needs to be more spacious with air circulation. If you feel that your kitchen is larger than necessary, you could consider making the new kitchen a multipurpose one with a small table for having meals or a low bookshelf to read books while cooking.
- Visualization of the New Kitchen It is important to imagine and visualize how you want your new kitchen to appear in terms of the size, cabinetry, and appliances. For this, consulting kitchen magazines, books, and showrooms is a good idea. You need to take into consideration the practicalities of incorporating the various items that you wish in the remodeled kitchen and how the outlay of the kitchen will be in sync with the rest of the house. The first step toward remodeling your kitchen is to visualize it properly.
- Deciding on a Kitchen Layout The kitchen layout depends on the size of available kitchen space. A kitchen can have a galley design, an L shape, a U shape, a G shape, or it can be a single-line kitchen (where the cooking range and refrigerator are placed in a single line). The connection requirements such as electricity and water and the height of windows need to be considered as well. As Arizona’s climate is mostly dry, it is a good idea to locate the windows somewhat high up on the walls. This is because heat is warmest near the ground, a higher level of the windows will lessen the chances of heat coming in the kitchen, which can become very hot already.To have a proper kitchen work triangle – the distance between the sink, refrigerator, and cooktop – is also something to think about. The work triangle should be about the number of steps the cook takes between the three areas, while preparing a meal so it’s minimal distance.
- Determining a Budget Having a budget is extremely important when choosing to remodel your kitchen. This is because we often tend to over-improve and cross the limit when refurbishing a certain part of our home. However, capping the kitchen renovation budget at an appropriate proportion of the home’s value, say 15%, is a good idea as it restrains you from overcapitalizing. The budget should include the cost of appliances, cabinets, countertops, plumbing fixtures, labor, and so on.
- Employing a Designer Paying to procure a design from an experienced and professional designer, even though somewhat expensive, is ultimately a great idea. It is important to remember that your kitchen project will be as effective as its design. You will want to hire a veteran designer who can help achieve your dream of a remodeled kitchen. A proper design approximately costs around 3–10% of your project, which is a reasonable price when taken into consideration that the outcome of the remodeled kitchen depends on the design. Arizona has some of the most innovative interior designers in the USA and you can make the best use of this to have an appropriate design at hand.
- Adequate Storage A sufficient quantity of storage space is important for your dream kitchen. This will enable storing of the necessary items in a single space and in turn, prevent the cook from traveling large distances to collect items related to cooking. Blind corner cabinets can be used to make the most use of corner spaces. A Lazy Susan corner cabinet or easy reach cabinet can also be used to save corner space for storing things. Such closets and cabinets help in making the kitchen a compact space fully equipped to function as an independent room.Adequate storage also helps protect your utensils from dust, which is not uncommon in an dry region such as Arizona.
- Maximizing Headroom In a remodeled kitchen, it is a good idea to build the cabinetry all the way to the ceiling. This saves space, which is important. Having dead space tends to create dust, especially in a dry place. Blocking the spaces with relevant items and even false cabinetry will make the kitchen more compact and easier to maintain. So you may want to consider maximizing the headroom while remodeling your kitchen.
- Functionality While remodeling your kitchen and making it neater and more efficient, it is important to ensure its functionality in the given scenario. Consider whether your kitchen will be convenient for daily usage.Similarly, for storing utensils that are required frequently, it is good to use deep pullout drawers instead of lower base cabinets. This is because drawers provide relief to your lower back and knees in the long run. Also, wine bottles, trays, pots, and pans need to be kept out of the way of cooking to ensure workability and convenience. In such a manner, the kitchen’s functionality should take precedence over its modified getup.
- Construction Work Due construction work may be required to remodel the kitchen. For this, you need to ensure that you are familiar with your local council requirements and restrictions. You also need to be aware of what permits are required for your proposed renovation and the time generally taken to get council approval. When considering the time required to complete construction work, consider unforeseen delays that could take place due to bad weather, shortage of labor, etc.It is also important to make sure that your house insurance covers renovations so that any damage stemming from construction is taken care of. You need to sign a fixed price contract if it is applicable with your contractor. If the project needs a building consent, you must attain a code of compliance certificate from your building consent authority after they finally inspecting the finished project.
- Hiring a Builder The builder should be cooperative and understanding and caters to your requirements in the remodeled kitchen. A good builder will accurately inspect, assess, and quote accurately enough to give you a fixed price quote. While hiring a builder may not always be one’s first choice due to the cost involved, it can remarkably improve the appearance of your kitchen.However, Arizona has recently witnessed a shortage of construction workers as businesses from elsewhere have been attracting them with a good pay and the promise of raises. So, builders may be difficult to find in the state. This factor needs to be considered as the shortage of labor may make the work all the more troublesome to execute, thereby leading to question if the act of building is truly required.
- Consider if You’re Selling Anytime Soon If you are about to resell your home within the next 10 years, could the remodel help with selling the home? A simple cosmetic upgrade involving the painting of old cabinets and replacement of the wood on doors and drawers may be enough. It is important to remember that the demand for real estate in Arizona, especially in Prescott and Tucson, is steadily increasing. So, it would not be a bad idea to sell your home later in the future, which could save the investment of a lump sum on your kitchen now.
- Honoring the Home’s Architectural Integrity If your home has an early architectural style, it is important that while remodeling your kitchen, it is in tandem with the rest of the house. The kitchen décor should not be out of sync with the house in general. A state-of-the-art kitchen in an old-fashioned house will look completely out of place, if not considered with the style in mind. Similarly, a modern, designer home with an archaic-looking kitchen will seem to be at odds. Hence, it is very important to respect your home’s overall architectural integrity while remodeling the kitchen.Arizona has single family residences, condominiums, townhouses, patio homes, modular homes and so on. Each kind of house is unique and deserves a kitchen remodel that fits with the rest of the house.
- Trendiness of the Kitchen While remodeling your kitchen to make it trendy is a great idea, you also need to consider how often you will be able to keep it neat and organized. For example, too many open shelves can create clutter and dust, which can be difficult to clean on a regular basis. Arizona’s climate needs to be kept in mind, as the dry weather can lead to dust accumulation. Kitchens should be designed in such a manner that they can be easily cleaned and polished. It should not be so picturesquely perfect that it is difficult to maintain, as that defeats the purpose of having a modified kitchen.
- Playing it Too Safe If you wish to remodel your kitchen simply for an upgrade and not to help sell your home, you may want to try changing the color and style rather than playing it too safe. This is because using informal colors and designs that bring out the tastes of the family helps to make the remodeled kitchen more personalized. The kitchen, after all, should not be too bland and symmetrical, and not every item needs to match. A remodeled kitchen with the use of creative colors will help present the family’s character. it can also fill the room with warmth and interest.
- Affordable Expansion All the houses built within the last few decades invariably have an undersized kitchen. While remodeling your kitchen, it is a good idea to expand it in an affordable manner. By reassigning floor space from an adjacent hallway or a closet that is out of use, you can expand your kitchen at a much more economic rate. Another method is by adding a small extension along one side of the kitchen. Instead of resting on a foundation, this extension can hang off the house, thereby saving a lot of expense compared to a full-fledged addition. The kitchen can also be made to feel bigger by removing a wall and having an open floorplan between the kitchen and neighboring dining or living room.
- Keep Things That Work Renovating your kitchen does not necessarily have to entail a replacement of everything in your kitchen. You can keep the gadgets and items that are in good condition in your remodeled kitchen. This will help to curtail excess expenditure and thereby save costs. For example, by keeping the original wooden floor as well as plumbing fixtures and appliances in place, you can invest your money on items that have out grown their use and truly need replacement.
- Plan the Demolition After ordering or purchasing the necessary cabinets, appliances and fixing the remodeling date, you can demolish the kitchen. However, it is important to see to it that there is a make-shift food preparation area, food storage area, and space for dishwashing so that basic meals can be cooked for the next few weeks or months. Planning out the demolition of the old kitchen will help pave the way for a more organized modeling of the new kitchen.
- Painting the Kitchen One of the easiest ways to renovate your kitchen is to paint it. If the walls, windows and doors as well as ceiling are freshly painted, it feels like a new kitchen. If two or more coats of paint are used, you must ensure that the previous coat dries up before applying another coat. It is important to clean the surfaces thoroughly prior to applying paint to obtain best results.In Arizona, painting during winters is a good idea as summers and monsoons have thunderstorms and high winds, it can make the drying time slower.
- Repairing the Floor The kitchen floor is exposed to many spillages and stains compared to other rooms of the house. It should have a floor that is properly sealed and durable. Any cracks and fissures on the floor need to be repaired while remodeling the kitchen so that food and dirt do not get lodged in there. Some reliable flooring options: linoleum, treated hardwood, bamboo, tile, and rendered concrete. Tile and concrete floors are ideal for kitchens in Arizona can provide a cooling effect in the summer. Floors that are convenient to sweep and keep clean like tile, laminate, and vinyl, can be considered for your new kitchen.
- Decide on Your Renovation Timeline Remodeling of the kitchen takes time, but it is important to be prepared for the renovation time in advance. Unforeseen issues can crop up and will delay the progress of work. If you have an impending vacation, you may want to wait before beginning the renovation. It is a good idea to keep some leeway or extra time to complete your dream kitchen design and not remodel it in a hurry. Given the severe monsoons in Arizona, which are marked by thunderstorms, lightning, and flooding, you want to carry out the kitchen remodeling before the rains set in. If the renovation drags till monsoon, it is advisable to halt it till the season is over for the smooth execution of work.Hope these considerations will help make the task of remodeling a kitchen easier. Before you proceed toward renovation these points will help steer you in the right direction!
