Guide For a Perfect Kitchen Remodel
Kitchen remodeling is at the top of homeowners’ wish lists. Finding a contractor to work on your kitchen remodel is the most important aspect of the remodel. The right contractor will save you money in the long run, even if he isn’t the cheapest one to bid on your project. With proper research, and help from friends and relatives. Your kitchen remodeling project will go smoothly and problem free if you follow these few steps.
Hire The Right Contractor
A good place to start your hunt for the right contractor is to ask your friends for recommendations. But before you make a decision, remember these few tips.
- They’re only as good as their last job. Ask your top three candidates to supply references, and actually call them up. A good contractor will always have plenty of references to hand you. If they are at all hesitant, step away and find a new contractor.
- In addition to completed projects, try to visit a job in progress. You can learn a lot about a contractor’s commitment to quality and safety by seeing for yourself how clean the site is. Visit the cabinet makers’ shop or showroom and look for imperfections. If you find imperfections there then they will definitely show up in your job. Think of this as buying a car, no one would buy a car without test-driving it.
- The best ones are worth waiting for. The best contractors tend to be the busiest ones. Work your schedule around the contractor you choose. If he is busy there’s a big chance that his quality is worth waiting for.
Planning your Kitchen Remodel
Now that you have chosen a contractor, there are a few things to consider when planning your kitchen remodeling project. An experienced kitchen designer or cabinet maker can save you time and money by foreseeing potential problems before they arrive. Kitchen designers know all the tricks: how to maximize storage, and smart substitutions for high-end materials. Here are something’s you will need to know when meeting up with your kitchen designer or cabinet maker:
- A detailed wish list indicating what you expect your kitchen remodel to have. Do you want more space? A larger pantry? Which style are you interested in, modern, traditional, or transitional? Just to name a few. Knowing these few things in advance will make the kitchen designers’ job much easier.
- Put together a file with pictures of kitchens you find amazing, products, materials, and design details that you just love and would like to incorporate into your kitchen. It is also important to write down things that you definitely would not like to have in your remodel, this will save lots of time. Are you a neat freak? Glass-front cabinet doors or just solid wood? Maybe you have seen a must-have kitchen organizing insert that you must have. A specific color, purple maybe? What is important is that you plan ahead and know what you would like to have and what you must have in your kitchen remodel.
Choosing Kitchen Appliances
Kitchen cabinets will most likely be the biggest ticket item in any kitchen remodel. But if you are not careful, appliances can rack up a mighty large expense too. Today’s appliances come fully loaded with features, but don’t let all those extras fool you. Things to consider when buying your appliances are as follows.
- Energy efficient appliances: Look for dishwashers and refrigerators and electric stoves that come with Energy Star ratings. You’ll save money on the cost of running your appliances. These appliances will end up paying for themselves in the long run with all the energy savings they offer.
- Easy-to-grip stove knobs, refrigerator with easy access controls, dishwasher that loads easily. For example, Samsung has a new flagship smart fridge. With a four-door model with built-in Wi-Fi and an integrated LCD touchscreen. These little things mean a lot to some people but will come at a high cost.
- Safety should be a top priority: Choose a stove that has controls at the front or side, not between burners, and click-and-turn knobs, to prevent kids from having accidents. Induction Cooktops are the safest for cooking. Unlike the glass on a traditional
- l electric cooktop, the glass on an induction cooktop does not heat the pan. Instead, a magnet excites the molecules in the pan so that the pan itself becomes the cooking surface, directly cooking the food.
- Chose appliances that are easy to clean: Sealed cooktop burners, refrigerator shelves that are easily removed, and fingerprint-resistant metals reduce cleanup time. Maybe it’s just me but I hate spending my useful time cleaning up. So chose appliances that offer easy cleaning.
Kitchen Remodel Mistakes
In a perfect world, demolition starts on time, deliveries arrive on schedule, installation takes place without a hitch, and cleanup is quick and easy. Chances of all that happening are slim; don’t fall prey to these common mistakes, as they will cost you in the long run.
- Trying to be your own GC. This is one of the biggest mistakes you could probably make. Being a GC is a job you don’t want to undertake. A kitchen remodel is one of the most costly, complicated, and time-consuming projects imaginable. Having to deal with multiple contractors and scheduling all of them to arrive on time can take a toll on any non-experienced person.
- Putting the job out for bid without clear enough specs. This means specifying the type of flooring, countertop material, lighting, and even cabinet hardware all in advance. If you don’t, a contractor might assume higher-end choices, and you could end up overpaying.
- Paying in advance. I am always shocked when I hear from a client that they have paid more than 80% of the job and have nothing to show for the money given to the contractor. Never pay more than 50 percent of the total job cost upfront. Then work out a schedule of progress payments based on the completion of each phase of the job.
- Face it: The next owners of your house will start dreaming of ripping out your beautiful dream kitchen as soon as they move in. Unless you’re planning to move within the next couple of years, go ahead and build the kitchen that works for you and your budget. But be careful not to over-customize. What’s perfect for you today might not work tomorrow.
A Kitchen remodel can, and normally does cost the most of all home remodeling projects. By following these few suggestions you will be on the way to a successful remodeling project. Probably the best thing to note is that your ROI on a kitchen remodel can be up to 130% of what you put into it. So get started on your kitchen remodeling project on the right foot, and hire a professional kitchen contractor. If you are looking for kitchen remodeling companies in the South Florida feel free to contact Alliance Cabinets & Millwork for your kitchen remodel. We are custom kitchen cabinet makers offering South Florida a wide arrange of cabinets and services.
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