Kitchen remodeling demands a lot of time, effort, and money, especially when you don’t know what you’re looking for. A good remodeling contractor, though, can guide you swiftly through this laborious task.
But before we dive into kitchen remodelers, let’s first work on analyzing your kitchen remodeling needs.
What do you need to change?
What Makes a Good Kitchen?
The first and foremost thing when it comes to remodeling is, of course, assessing what you want. What does your kitchen need? What do you want to change? What do you want to keep?
Well, a basic kitchen has three main work centers:
· Food storage and preparation
· Cooking
· Clean-up
Now, if you’re going to remodel your kitchen, you’ll need to make sure that you have these essential workstations appropriately set up in your new kitchen because functionality comes first, right?
So, for food storage, you will need cabinets far away from heat sources because food generally needs to be stored at cool temperatures. You will also probably need a long-ish countertop where you can store all the ingredients that you need to use very frequently so that you can access them easily.
For the cooking workstation, you will need a cooking range and microwave. However, you will also want some space in this area for pots, pans, utensils, etc. We would suggest a cooktop because it is the safest and most efficient option and it also leaves ample room for counters. This means that you will have a landing space for hot pots and pans. Also, it helps to get a heat-resistant counter in this case. Plus, a ventilation system is obviously a must.
For the cleaning part, you require a sink, garbage disposal, and a dishwasher. The dishwasher should ideally be situated right next to the sink, not to have any drips. Moreover, if the main cook is right-handed, you should place it on the left side of the sink, but if the main cook is left-handed, you should keep it on the right side of the sink. Your trash compactor, on the other hand, should be on the opposite side of the sink. In addition to this, you want space to put cleaning products, dish towels, and of course, a garbage can.
Overall, the point is that you want to make it easy to navigate around the kitchen and just minimize the hassle. You might wish your kitchen had a certain feature because it would make your life easier, and luckily, kitchen remodeling provides a second chance to get it right.
What Do You Need to Do?
Right, so now that you know what you need your kitchen remodeler to do, you need ideas. Lucky for you, we have lots of plans for your kitchen remodeling project, as well as some tips on what you need to avoid.
Minimize Your Steps
When you're in the kitchen, you want everything to be close by. You want to be able to put hot pans and pots right down when you take them out of the microwave or oven, which is why you need a heat-resistant countertop. You also want just to reach over and place the dishes in the dishwasher as you're washing them. You don't want to walk a mile just to get to the fridge so before you start remodeling your kitchen, make sure that you have space well-planned out to avoid taking any unnecessary steps.
Aisles Need to Be Spacious
When you're remodeling your kitchen, you also need to be sure that your aisles are at least 42 to 48 inches wide so that you have enough space to accommodate everything. Plus, you should carefully consider placement to ensure that any two cooks don't bump into each other while working.
But Not Too Spacious
While we’re big on space, having a really oversized counter is probably not the best idea. Instead, you should go for two relatively smaller islands because they’re easier to walk around. Plus, if it’s too deep, it’s going to be hard to reach the middle. And hard to reach really just equals a waste of space. Similarly, overloading items on the counter is also a big no. You don’t want to overwhelm your kitchen. Keep unnecessary non-everyday use items off the kitchen counters and out of the way.
Think 3D
When you’re looking to remodel and modernize your kitchen, you obviously want to make it more visually appealing. However, functionality is far more important. You need to plan out the size and orientation of all your cabinets, appliances, and even doors so that you always have enough room to do what you need to do in your kitchen. For example, always make sure that your oven or fridge has adequate clearance space.
Make Space for Friends
You need enough space in the kitchen for at least a few friends because when you have company over, you can’t have them wait in the living room all the while. Thus, you need an interactive space where they can just sit and chat while you do your thing.
Don’t Be Impulsive
When you're planning to remodel your kitchen, you might just get too excited and go for the first thing you see because you want to have your new kitchen as soon as possible. However, even though a certain flooring or countertop design looks good in pictures, it doesn't mean it will look good in your kitchen as well. Hence, make it a point to get your kitchen remodeler to deliver a few samples before you commit to a specific design.
Don't Keep Changing Your Mind.
You need to be sure of what you want before you contact a remodeling contractor because if you keep changing your mind, it actually might end up costing you. And you obviously don’t want to have to pay more than you need to. So, once you’ve decided on a certain design or theme, stick to it unless absolutely necessary.
Blend Into Your Surroundings
Sticking out isn't always a good idea. In fact, if your house doesn't blend in with the rest of the neighborhood, you're actually decreasing its reselling price. Similarly, your new kitchen should still look like it's part of the rest of the house. Remember that remodeling your kitchen should add something to your house, not take away from it.
Choose a Remodeling Contractor Wisely
Choosing the right kitchen remodeler is almost as important as choosing what to do with your kitchen. Your remodeling contractor needs to be trustworthy and experienced so that you know you’re in good hands. They also need to be someone you can get along with somebody that truly has your best interests at heart.
And guess what?
We have just the thing for you! We’re always looking out for our customers to give them the best kitchen remodeling experience.
So, what are you waiting for? Get in touch with us today!
Call us today at 469.676.9000 or schedule a free consultation.