Planning Guide: Kitchen Remodelling

Planning Guide: Kitchen Remodelling

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You might have decided to remodel your kitchen for a wide variety of reasons. Some of the major reasons people go in for kitchen remodelling projects are to increase the market value of the house, modernising the kitchen, increasing space, designing it to suit individual needs, or just for aesthetic purposes. Whatever be your reason, to ensure that your time, effort, and finances are worth all that trouble, try to strive for a balance between function and aesthetics. This is a planning guide for your kitchen remodelling that hopefully should give you new structure and new ideas for a successful kitchen remodelling project.

1-Picture your kitchen: Have a clear and precise idea of what your kitchen should ultimately look like. You can clip together pictures that evoke the ideal kitchen on Pinterest or even start a scrapbook or collage of these pictures. Do your research on where to source the materials you need and how much it would cost you. Visit stores that specialize in kitchenware to study layouts and other details.

2-Purpose and Function: Understand the purpose and function of your kitchen and how its suits your lifestyle. While trends may be a good start, ultimately it is you and your family who will be using the kitchen, so customize it to suit your specific needs.
Layouts: Think about what layout will be ideal for your working style. There are two basic models- the workstation model and the work triangle model. In the work station model, each station or area is themed around a central appliance-for example, cooking, baking, cleaning, food prep, etc. In the work triangle model, the sink, refrigerator and stove form the 3 points of the triangle. Of course, there are other layouts too like the galley, G-shaped, L-shaped, corridor etc. Take into account the space and floor plan of your house and chose accordingly.

3-Budgets: Decide the percentages you want to spend on specific items and set aside anywhere between 10% to 20% of your budget for unforeseen expenses.

4-Contractors: Identify capable and reliable contractors for your kitchen remodelling project. Get estimates from more than one contractor. Ensure that your contractor knows exactly what you are looking for.
Professionals: Hire professionals for the job, if you feel it is something you cannot do yourself. These could be architects or kitchen designers. They could lighten the burden on you a lot, by helping you with choosing the products, fixtures, finishes, ordering products, planning your budget, choosing and planning a layout, shopping etc.

5-Buying Essentials: Shopping for the different fixtures, finishes, cabinets, appliances, accessories, etc. Once you have identified your personal style and your kitchen layout and the colours you would like, now is the time to go shopping. Make a list of all the essentials so you do not forget anything. These could be tiles, light fixtures, material for countertops, material for cabinets, the sink and faucets, and any hardware that is decorative.
New appliances: When you have a new kitchen, can new appliances be far behind? Matching appliances to your remodelled kitchen would make the picture complete.