The Ultimate Kitchen Remodeling Guide

kitchen remodeling

Did you know, the average cost of a kitchen remodeling sits at $54,909? That’s a lot of money! So, you want to ensure everything is perfect. Luckily for you, we’ve put together a quick guide to help you do precisely that. Let’s dive in!

Set a Budget

It’s all very well having an idea of the kind of remodeling project you want, but you need to consider your budget.

When you’re reviewing the financials, be sure to look out for the following:

  • Research: Do a quick Google search in addition to visiting various kitchen showrooms. This will give you a better idea of the cost involved. From there, you can work out what you can afford.
  • Be prepared: Add another 10% onto your budget so that you’re covered for any expenses you weren’t ready for.
  • Factor in the cost of labor into your budget. 

If you follow the above advice, you can set a realistic budget to stick to.

Be Practical

A kitchen needs to be practical as well as stylish. This means carefully considering how you’ll use your kitchen, so you can prepare a design that’s fit for purpose.

Ideally, your kitchen layout should form a kind of a triangle, i.e., your sink, cooker, and worktops should be placed to create a triangular looking shape. That way whoever’s cooking can glide from one workstation to another.

You should also consider grouping similar appliances and features together:

  • The sink and dishwasher need to be close to one another, as they both need plumbing.
  • Try to put cupboards for storing crockery and glassware close to either the sink or dishwasher. That way you can put away your clean dishes with greater ease.

You get the idea!

Hire a Good Contractor

How can you expect to enjoy the results of an excellent kitchen remodel if you don’t hire a decent contractor? So, we’ve listed a few tips to help you hire someone to do a good job:

  • Create a shortlist of workers and ask them to supply references. Then contact these references to get a feel for the quality of the work performed on their most recent projects.
  • Sometimes you’ll have to wait. The best contractors are often busy. So, schedule your project around a high-quality contractor (no matter how quickly you want to get on with it!)
  • Take a look at a portfolio of their finished work. Often contractors take pictures of their completed projects, and these are well worth browsing through.

This may seem like a lot of time and effort, but trust us, it’ll be worth it!

Tips for Appliance Shopping

Today’s appliances are brimming with features- but don’t let that dazzle you. Instead, as you start researching kitchen appliances you need to consider all of the below:

Burner Output (in Btu)

The best cookers boast high highs and low lows. As you may already know, the average stove heats to lows of 2,000 Btu and a high of 12,000 Btu. Whereas, the better models can reach as high as 15,000 Btu. This makes boiling things like rice, pasta, noodle, etc.- incredibly quick! Whereas, they can also stoop to lows of 400 Btu, which is perfect for melting chocolate and keeping sauces warm.

Efficiency

By this we mean, how much energy do these appliances need to function? Ideally, you want to purchase gear with an Energy Star rating to their name. This works wonders for cutting the costs of running them, and will probably save you a lot of money in the long run!

Safety First

We don’t need to tell you, a lot of things can go wrong in a kitchen- and we’re not just talking about burning dinner. We mean dangerous burns to the skin, fires, cuts, etc.- these are only a few of the safety concerns that wreak havoc in the kitchen.

This means sourcing appliances that help run a safe kitchen. For example:

  • A stove with heat controls at the side or the front. If you can avoid it, you don’t want the dials to sit between burners. This massively increases the likelihood of acquiring an accidental burn.
  • Proper ventilation: The better the quality of the stove, the more ventilation you’ll need from the hood. This stops the kitchen getting too smokey which can lead to fires and a build up grease and grime.

You get the idea!

Avoid Common Mistakes

As you probably already know, remodeling a kitchen is no easy feat. There are tons of things that can go wrong. However, careful and dedicated planning can reduce this likelihood!

Top Tip: Try not to base the entirety of your kitchen design on current trends. The last thing you want is for your kitchen to look outdated in a few years!  More often than not, fashionable counters might sound like a fabulous idea, but they’re something you’ll live to regret in the not so distant future.

Instead, consider picking a smaller accent that boasts a flash of contemporary flair. This should complement the overall design and style of the kitchen. That way you can quickly change and swap out the feature if and when the trend dies out.

Are You Interested in Kitchen Remodeling?

If you’re interested in kitchen remodeling, we hope the advice in this article fuelled you with inspiration!

Did you know that here at Levi Homes, we can help you design the kitchen of your dreams? We have a team of professional designers who work tirelessly to bring the visions of our customers to life. So, go ahead and book your free consultation today to get the ball rolling!

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