Four Keys to Remodeling Your Kitchen the Smart Way
When we talk to our customers about kitchen remodeling, they almost always bring up the subject of how their project will influence the resale value of their home. What we tell our customers is that their kitchen renovation, done the smart way, can add significant value to their home, even in this economy.
We believe a smart kitchen design takes into account these four factors:
- Don’t Go Overboard: When planning a kitchen remodel, consider the neighborhood in which your home is located. If you decided on a high-end kitchen remodel in a modestly priced neighborhood, you probably aren’t going to recover the costs you spent on this project when you sell your home. Keep your kitchen renovation project in scale with the value of your home and your neighborhood. According to research reported in Remodeling Magazine’s annual Cost vs. Value Report, the average minor kitchen remodeling project returned 72% of its value. Major kitchen remodels recoup slightly less. To get a good bang for your buck, we recommend updating cabinets. Kitchen cabinet refinishing, refacing and replacing is affordable for most budgets and can dramatically improve a kitchen’s appearance.
- Focus on Essentials: Smart kitchen remodeling planning should focus on the elements that are most important to you. If durability is important to your family, pay for products that will be most durable. If space is an issue in your home, put your money in features that will help you use your space in the most efficient manner.
- Get a Good Contractor. One of the most important ways to ensure good value for your project is to hire a good kitchen remodeling contractor. Your contractors will be in your home for several days, so you’ll want to trust them and feel comfortable with them. Remember, while you may think you’re saving money going with a cheaper contractor, poor workmanship often costs more in the long run.
- Planning: We’ve found that our customers who do careful planning at the beginning of their kitchen remodel process are less apt to change their minds later. Why is this important? Because changing your mind often leads to extra costs. For this reason, we talk with our customers from the beginning about traffic flow through the kitchen and how exactly customers plan to use the space. Families who entertain, have kids who do homework in the kitchen, are expecting a baby or cook three meals a day all have different needs. A kitchen’s design should take into consideration how the space will be used on a daily bases. Good kitchen design also means locating elements within the space (dishwasher, garbage, sink, etc.) so that you can work most efficiently.
If you consider these four important factors, you should be well on your way to remodeling your kitchen the smart way.
Tags: countertops, kitchen cabinetry, kitchen cabinets scottsdale, Kitchen Remodeling
