Kitchen Remodeling, YAY or NAY?

Kitchen Remodeling... Yay or Nay?

Kitchen Remodeling may not be for everyone. This blog will tell you some way in which you can make sure your kitchen remodeling project goes smoothly.

November 9, 2022

Dina Kahrimanovic

Granite and Quartz Countertop Expert

Kitchen Remodeling Ideas

Who doesn’t love a good kitchen remodeling story or a TV show? Yet, the actual process of remodeling can seem daunting to many. Here is a little layout of how you can simplify your personal kitchen remodeling project. In reality it should be a rewarding process even if it comes with its own challenges. Think increase in home value, increase in the joy you will feel spending time in your kitchen as well as the joy of knowing that you were the one who put this project in motion. Everything is truly possible.

Design Ideas

I can say that most design ideas can be broken into two categories. Larger and smaller. The larger of the two will most likely include hiring professionals, such as an architect or maybe even an engineer depending on what your plan is. Are you ripping out walls? It may not be a good idea just to start ripping out bearing walls without consultation. Sometimes walls which look like they serve no purpose can be the most important ones in a home.

The smaller project may just be those of a cosmetic nature. Such as painting walls and cabinets, replacing countertops and adding a backsplash. Perhaps also upgrading appliances and giving the wood floor a good clean and new coat of wax or sealant.

Whichever of these two, the rest of the list will depend on how vast you want to make the kitchen remodeling project. Keep in mind that a smaller project can just as well increase your home value. It can transform your home into a whole new space. The same, of course, applies to the larger projects. They will certainly increase value. How much value will be determined by your budget, we will get this later in the article.

Materials

Materials for your kitchen remodel can be the next biggest thing to consider. Are you looking for the top of the line material? Say if you are replacing drywall or even plywood in your project, you will have plenty of option to choose from. Not only will these determine the budget of your project but perhaps also the longevity of what it is that you are creating.

When it comes to countertops top of the line brands will of course be more expensive, and what you get with them may or may not be the same as what you would get with the lesser expensive material. So ask questions and get to know what it is that you are paying for. Is it only the brand name that makes certain material what they are? In most cases the value of your home will not be higher by using top of the line materials. However, they may be more associated with bragging rights for your kitchen remodeling project.

Timeline

The timeline of project is a favorite subject of mine. We have been saturated with watching HGTV shows doing full kitchen remodeling projects, or even homes in 30 minutes. When one embarks on this journey of remodeling you may quickly notices that it can take weeks or months to achieve what they did in 30 minutes on the show. With this said, I always point out the essentials of a good and flexible timeline. One good piece of advice is to ask your contractors what is their quickest time line and maybe as well what is their longest. As each project is individual and no two are alike it can be hard to say what will show up when remodeling starts.

Even just a simple project like a backsplash upgrade can cause a lot of stir in a plan vs. reality. We have seen water damage that required studs and drywall to need to be replaced. Something no one expected, but it was the reality of that particular kitchen remodeling project. We have also been present at times when old tile were being removed and much of the drywall came with the tile. This ultimately left the wall bare and a drywall repair had to be done before the new tile could been installed.

It can be something as simple as these examples that can cause a stir of issues. So keep in mind that in order to have a successful project you need to be flexible with your timeline expectations. I want to be clear here though, companies that do not show up for their scheduled day of work without an explanation may not fall into this category of “flexible” timeline. It is in favor of everyone to work together. Clearly that will make or break a project. Most companies should be able to give you a best case and worst case scenario.

Budget

Finally, we have come to the budget. As stated in the issues on the timeline, sometimes things happen in remodeling that we are unable to foresee until we start the project. This is why I highly recommend you speak with professionals who can give you a good guide on things that may come up during the work they will complete. Most professionals would be able to give you the potential issues or the most common issues if anything.

When it comes to countertops the biggest issues that we see is something to do with sink hookups in which a plumber may need to spend a little more time completing his task than normal. Or that there is an issue with removing old countertops and some damage is done to the cabinet. I listed some issues that could come up with backsplash installs in the previous paragraphs.

I recommend setting a higher budget and a lower one. As well as maybe reserving a portion of funds for the what-ifs. Most likely these will be determined in the earlier phases of the project and can be eliminated quickly if you are ready for them. No one want an unexpected headache when your kitchen remodeling project has already started. So plan for it and prepare to have the smoothest completion.

There are many tools that will help you with your planning. We have created a checklist for you that you can use for both kitchen remodeling as well as bathroom remodeling. If you are interested sign up here to get it for free.