When it comes to remodeling your kitchen there are several things to consider. After all, this is the room that you cook and eat all of your meals in, you want it to be inviting. Kitchens require that you be creative in design in order to properly utilize them. A well-designed kitchen cannot only help you when cooking, but can create a friendlier atmosphere for socializing.
Once you have made the decision to remodel your kitchen, you need to setup a temporary kitchen somewhere else, until your remodel is complete. Keep in mind that you will need to have some type of refrigerator or microwave access to eat your meals. You should begin this stage of the planning before you start ripping apart your kitchen.
If you’re going to remodel your kitchen you have to start off basic by creating a timeline. Creating a timeline may be the most important thing that you do. You need to know how long you will have to campout in your temporary kitchen. You don’t want to remodel the kitchen if you are going to have some type of reception in your home in a few months. A timeline will make sure that you don’t put yourself between a rock and a hard place.
Creating a budget will give you accountability over what you buy and how you use the resources that you have. A kitchen can be quite expensive to remodel if you don’t have set constraints in place. There are no limits to how much you may spend if you don’t set your boundaries now. When you begin your budget expect a shortfall, you always spend more then you expect. Give yourself some wiggle room for the unexpected.
After you have set your budget for your kitchen remodeling, the next step it to roughly sketch out what you want your kitchen to look like finished. By sketching the image you have in your head of your new upgraded kitchen, you are taking the foundational steps needed to properly plan for all materials, parts, and labor. By sketching an image of how you want your kitchen to look you are creating the blue prints for your finished product. You are the architect so feel free to change your blueprints whenever you would like. If you feel that this part of the plan should be done by a professional then start searching for someone that charges a reasonable price. Once you have some bids add this expense to the budget. This may be part of the cushion that you have provided yourself.
Once you have the blueprints, you can then analyze the different materials and parts that you need to buy, and can begin shopping around. The nice part about having this budget and image in your head is that you will know what type of quality you can use for materials.
The most important part of this entire project is your own safety. You will want to make sure that you turn off all of the utilities before removing any major appliances. You may need to shutoff the main valve for the gas and water. Remember that the gas valve is by the gas meter outside and you’ll probably need a tool to adjust the meter. Remember to practice safety throughout the project so that you and your kitchen will end up in one piece.
