Kitchen Makeovers That Prove Every Room Has Potential
Don’t let previous owners’ questionable decor choices stand in the way of your dream kitchen. These total transformations prove that some white paint and new lighting can erase even the biggest interior design sins.
BEFORE: Vinyl Flooring
Vargo of Yellow Brick Home had a common problem: The kitchen had good bones but was covered in dated decor.
AFTER: Scandinavian Haven
In a lucky break, discovered original 1930s Douglas Fir flooring under the vinyl and worked to refinish it to its earlier glory. The gray tile, wooden shelving, and modern tools make the rest of the kitchen a minimalist dream.
BEFORE: Yellow, Yellow Everywhere
A Beautiful Mess fell in love with her home the second she saw it, but knew the kitchen would need some TLC to become a bright and functional space.
AFTER: Clean and Modern
swapped out the dated cabinets for sleek open shelving and went with a mostly neutral color palette. The best part? The gorgeous mint green oven adds the perfect amount of fun to a bright white space.
Things to Ask Your Contractor Before Remodeling Your Kitchen
Hiring someone for kitchen remodeling takes a lot of trust. You need to put tremendous amount of faith in knowing the job will get done. Communication is everything, especially for such an engaging project like remodeling your kitchen. That’s why you need to ask some serious questions to the contractor you hire. This will help you find out how the staff will finish the project, before it even starts. Here are three things you need to ask before you get the task underway.
What’s the Schedule?
For any major construction project, knowing the schedule is important not only for timing but budgetary purposes. A few days over a course of a month can easily turn into a week or so. When you have a start and finish date, it helps you organize the small tasks that lead to getting specific things built in the home. Work with your designer to create a step-by-step schedule to reduce the margin of error. Additionally, by creating a schedule you’ll have a better understanding for the work that will be completed on any given day / week. Good distribution of tasks will help make the work more feasible.
Do You Have Insurance?
This is extremely important because in certain cases there will be some damages during the course of remodeling. You want to make sure that you remove delicate items ahead of time or designate certain spaces where the staff shouldn’t work. This way you can prevent mishaps from occurring to things that mean a lot to you. Also, check to see what kind of workers compensation is available in case someone gets injured on the job. You don’t want that liability coming to you – that is extra money and a potential lawsuit waiting to happen. Also, if property damage is not your fault, you should be compensated or at the least, the contractor should fix it without extra cost. It’s better to sign a contract with all of your questions accounted for before the project starts.
What’s the Best Mode of Communication?
Being able to properly communicate on a close-knit project like this is integral for completion. Not only do you need a good schedule, but knowing the best modes of communication with your contractor will be key. Find out the office number, cell phone number, and email contact. Set up a contact method even after hours if you have any pressing questions or ideas. Also, you should have a meeting in person once a week. That way you can meet face to face to discuss the future of the project. This is better than a text or phone call, because you can truly see the intentions behind each answer.
KITCHEN REMODELING IDEAS THAT WILL SURELY PAY OFF
Kitchens are, without a doubt, the soul of a house. No other area of the modern home compares in terms of versatility and actual foot traffic. The kitchen of today is not hidden in a corner, only to be accessed for cooking. The modern kitchen is used for entertainment, parties, get-togethers, and everything in between. As a result of its emergence into the limelight, kitchen remodeling has turned into this giant multi-billion dollar industry
The return on investment on these projects vary dramatically. And like it or not, you can indeed go wrong with kitchen remodels. If you don’t plan the budget and expenditure carefully, you might end up not recouping the money. As a rule of thumb, mid-range renovations have the highest ROI. You should aim for these as they not only recoup the original cost but also increase the resale value of the house.
PAINT IT RED
Not literally of course. Or who knows, maybe red will work for your kitchen. The point is, painting your kitchen with a fresh coat can do wonders for your resale value. Even though it is minor in terms of pricing, you can do a lot with just a bunch of paint cans and brushes. Just make sure you pick something that complements the rest of the space.
CABINETRY UPGRADE
Another kind of minor to mid-range upgrade which has a brilliant ROI. No matter how funky, chic, or cool your kitchen is — it all comes down to utility at the end. As a rule of thumb, you should invest in things you NEED in your kitchen. And upgrading cabinets is always a good idea in that regard
NEW COUNTERTOPS
Gorgeous countertops are really what make or break a kitchen, don’t they? But with so many different materials available out there, countertops can easily transform into a splurge rather than a thought out investment. Make sure you have researched the market you’re in before deciding on a budget for the countertop. There’s no point spending half of what an average house costs in your locality to upgrade the countertop.
Minor Design Tweaks That Make Your Kitchen Feel Remodeled
Want a new kitchen but don’t want to spend the money or time necessary on a major renovation? Forget the idea of the “right” kitchen and improve your space with some “right now” partial remodeling ideas
“Take a hard look at your kitchen with all its pros and cons to decide what can be accomplished first, and what can be accomplished down the road,”. “Lifestyle, time spent in the home, and future resale are all factors that should be considered by any homeowner looking to make changes to his or her kitchen, while keeping budget in mind.”
BRIGHTEN UP THE LIGHTING
While giving the walls, ceiling, and trim a fresh coat of paint will combat dinginess, new lighting is an even better way to brighten your kitchen. “Good lighting has the psychological effect of making your kitchen feel brighter, more cheerful, less cavernous, and easier to work in,” she says.
ADD ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS
“A contractor once said that he could make any home look more expensive simply by adding better-quality—and prettier—trim, such as baseboards, crown molding, and door and window casings,”. “This is true for almost all homes. If you’re a handy DIYer, consider adding these to customize your kitchen.” If you’re a novice, pass on this upgrade until you can hire a pro: your home is likely not perfectly square and it can require some expertise to make sure everything lines up.
SPLURGE ON ONE APPLIANCE
Splurging on a professional range won’t necessarily put lesser-quality appliances in the shade. “Today’s appliances have a sleek appearance in almost any price category,”. “While it’s nice to maintain the same quality throughout—and imperative if your home is in the high six- and seven-figure price range—the same is not necessarily true for low- to mid-range homes. A nice stainless-steel professional range can be paired with a lower-priced stainless-steel refrigerator.”
things you must do before renovating your kitchen
If you are ready to renovate your kitchen, then there are a few things that you should consider before you start ripping out cabinets and knocking down walls. Having a plan before you start, and talking to the right experts will go a long way in getting you excellent quality and highly-functional kitchen that you and your family will love spending time in. Here are some tips from the team at Dash Builders to help you get into renovating your kitchen.
Don’t over-improve
You do not want to improve your kitchen to the point where it no longer matches your home. A good rule is that your renovation budget for your kitchen should not be more than 15% of the value of your home. There are many websites where you can get an approximate value of your home online.
Work with an interior designer when renovating your kitchen
It is super convenient to go to a home reno store or big box stores where they offer free design services for your new kitchen. Often, these “designers” have no formal training and are limited to recommending only their own products or minimal products from a few providers they have agreements with. It is worth it to either hire a designer, who is not limited in choices or to go with a reno company that has a designer on staff. A designer will be able to make the most of the space and help you budget; they know where to splurge and where to save.
Consider the size of your kitchen renovation
It may not be worth it for you to do a full kitchen renovation if you are going to be moving soon. You may not be able to make back the money you invested into your new kitchen in a move. So, rather than doing a full renovation, consider doing a cosmetic renovation. You can repaint or stain the kitchen cabinets, get new fixtures and a new sink, and even replace and upgrade the counters for cheap. You may even be lucky enough if your home is older, that under the linoleum there is beautiful hardwood.
Look for ways to gain space when renovating your kitchen
Homes that were built before the new millennium tend to have smaller kitchens. If you have a kitchen in an older home, then you will want to consider adding space to your kitchen if you are doing a major renovation. You can build into the hallway, remove a front hall closet, or even add an addition or a bump-out if you are truly strapped on space. You can also consider knocking out a wall to create an open floor plan, which can give you more kitchen space or at least the feel of more kitchen space.