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The easiest part of remodeling your kitchen is making the decision to undertake the project. The difficult part is in the mountain of details and decisions that you must carefully consider. Starting with a written plan is essential. Take into consideration your budget, available space, your family needs, your lifestyle, your expectations (things you really want in the new kitchen), and things to avoid that you really dislike in your current or previous kitchens. Work with a licensed and insured, reputable, experienced business. We highly recommend the Home Innovations staff at Cabinet Discounters. Our factory-direct prices will save you money PLUS you will be able to take advantage of the services of an experienced designer absolutely free. You will also save time by seeing displays of cabinetry, countertops (Corian, granite, laminate and tile), and all types of flooring, all in one place at any of the Cabinet Discounters 6 conveniently located showrooms. So, let's get started. Get a pad or a notebook. Title a page for each of the following topics and write down pertinent information on each page. As you think of additional comments or ideas add them to your evolving notebook. This is your master plan. BUDGET: This is frequently a delicate topic, yet it is one of the most important. You will waste a great deal of your time and that of your kitchen dealer by looking at products you will never buy. Determine how much you can afford to spend - that is your upper limit. Discuss with your designer how much would be appropriate to spend considering the value of your home, how long you expect to live there, and what your expectations and desires are for a new kitchen. Based upon that discussion, you may or may not choose to spend less than you can afford. The decision is always yours. Select a reputable dealer and a designer you can trust. You can tell a good designer because they listen as much as they talk. Most of their initial talking is asking questions about you, your family, your lifestyle, your likes and dislikes. If you find yourself in the clutches of a saleperson who doesn't ask questions and wants to immediately begin showing you products, be wary. A good designer is a consultant who will give you advice and help you through the mountain of decisions that you must make. They will help you make good decisions, but only if you are open and honest with them. The decisions are always yours. If someone begins pushing products at you, you may choose to shop someplace else. AVAILABLE SPACE: The best way to get a fast start on your project is to make a simple drawing of your existing space with measurements. Check out our online KITCHEN PLANNING GUIDE and print out the layout sheet for your convenience. Measure the sink wall first, starting in a corner. Measure in inches to the edge of the window trim, mark the width of doors and windows from outside of trim to outside of trim, and continue around the room (working clockwise) and record all measurements noting breaks such as doors, offsets, etc. To check your dimensions, the sum of measurements on opposite walls should be equal. Having this information in hand will help your designer give you quick estimates of costs for various products. It is also helpful to list the age of your home, the type of interior walls (drywall, plaster, block or brick), if you have soffits above your cabinets (the height from the floor and the soffit depth), the size of your kitchen table, and how many people it normally seats. FAMILY NEEDS: You may want to consider special design options to accommodate children, elderly family members, handicaps, heights of counters and cabinets if you have very tall or very short family members, whether or not you eat in the kitchen, and other needs such as a desk or bookshelf. Check out our online LIFESTYLE SURVEY. It can help you organize your needs and wants. LIFESTYLE: Make notes on your needs and desires pertaining to your lifestyle. Do you frequently entertain? Do you cook a lot or depend more heavily upon the microwave? Do you frequently bake? Do you need phone, modem, or cable TV connections? Are there critical traffic patterns through the kitchen? Do you have pets? Do you have collector plates or other things that you want to display? Do you have any special storage needs? Write down everything you can think of. EXPECTATIONS: This is your dream list. Write down everything you think you want: built-in wine rack, pantry, roll-outs, range hood, eye level microwave, built-in trash basket, spice racks, cutting blocks, tilt-outs, special lighting, matching wood panels for refrigerator doors. Write everything down. You can pare your list down later. DISLIKES: Avoid duplicating things that you absolutely hate about your current kitchen or kitchens from your past. Is there wasted space in hard-to-reach corners? Do you have a difficult time storing certain items or getting access to them? Is it difficult to put away groceries when you return from the store? Write it down and be as detailed as possible. Armed with the above information, you are ready to start working with your designer. They will add their experience to make sure that your design will work, and they will help you be consistent in your decision making. Discuss the above lists with your spouse and family to avoid wrong assumptions or unexpected disagreements at a later time. Only after your homework is done will you be ready to consider specific designs and look at various products. Good luck, and above all, enjoy yourself! |
