Everything To Know Before Doing A Kitchen Remodel
The kitchen is the most frequently used room in a home. This leads many people to feel the kitchen is also the most important room in a home. The importance and frequency of use of the kitchen was established far before the COVID-19 pandemic 1st hit the U.S. in early 2020. Rampant surges in coronavirus cases around the nation resulted in multiple restrictions, however, forcing families to work and attend school remotely from home.
Kitchen remodels are always big priorities near the top of to-do lists. Most remodels tend to have no shortage of needs and ideas as well. New paint, cabinets, countertops and flooring are all viable project options. Space and convenience-creating additions such as islands or partial bump outs are also project possibilities. Kitchen remodels are an even bigger priority during the pandemic, due to most homeowners and families spending less time outside their homes and a majority of time inside together. Read ahead for hot tips and information on various types of kitchen remodels, where to find the best ideas and how to hire the best, most affordable contractors available.
Benefits of Doing a Kitchen Remodel
The benefits of doing a kitchen remodel are vast, while also dependent in scale with both the size and purpose of the remodel itself. Benefits are visual or financial in nature, but sometimes both. Benefits are also practical and functional. The amount of benefits experienced is also relative to household needs.
For example, applying new paint gives your kitchen a fresh, new look. The benefits of a fresh new look largely translate to an increased comfort level and enjoyment of your kitchen. Lighter colors also improve the perceived size of the room. For homes about to be listed, however, new paint in the kitchen has only a negligible direct impact on the overall market value of a home, even if it potentially increases buyer interest.
Alternatively, a full or partial bump out, or the addition of a new island, new appliances or improved flooring, all have the potential to significantly increase the value of your home. In those examples, multiple benefits are possible from each singular element of the remodel. In a world where time spent at home and therefore in the kitchen is so heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, kitchen remodels both small and large create many varied, and needed, benefits.
Small Kitchen Remodel Ideas
Small kitchen remodel ideas still have a big impact on the mood and potential selling price of your home. Improved or simply different lighting is perhaps the first remodel idea to consider when looking for a small idea capable of having a large affect on your kitchen. Task lighting is a small financial investment into a large increase of available light for specific, small tasks. Statement lighting helps change the mood and dynamic of your kitchen overall. Other small kitchen remodel ideas include:
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Adding throw rugs or runners for comfort, color-splashes and flow.
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Adding or removing storage as applicable to increase available space.
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Hanging mirrors to increase visual real estate and light.
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Adding an island or movable kitchen bar.
Large Kitchen Remodel Ideas
Large kitchen remodel ideas cost more money and take more time to be completed, but pay off with increased personal and financial benefits. Installing new floors is an example of a larger kitchen remodel project. Marble, hardwood, natural stone, ceramic and porcelain floors are the most expensive flooring types available but also viably increase the value of your home. Installing all new cabinets or appliances are also large remodel projects. The largest kitchen remodel projects of all are partial or full bump outs. A bump out extends the size of your kitchen by several feet or more and gives it significantly more space, while also increasing the market value of your home.
How Much Do Kitchen Remodels Cost?
Kitchen remodels cost varied amounts based on the type and size of the remodel, as well as the types of materials being used. The average price for a kitchen remodel in America ranges from approximately $4,000 for smaller jobs to a little over $143,000 for extravagant makeovers. Replacing cabinets tends to be the most expensive individual project, averaging around $15,000. Kitchen floor installations average between $1,000 and $5,000, although more expensive materials such as marble cost significantly more. Countertops average approximately $6,000 per remodel, while new lighting, painting and throw rugs are the least expensive remodel projects to undertake.
Where to Find the Best Kitchen Remodel Ideas
Being creative with your kitchen remodel project takes being creative with discovering inspiration and ideas. There are suggested kitchen remodel ideas offered by well-known retailers such as The Home Depot and Lowes. IKEA presents a large variety of kitchen remodel ideas available for purchase, either in sections or as whole rooms. When looking for ideas beyond the norm, creative searches offer many results. Fitzgerald Kitchens in Dublin gives pictorial tours of fantastic celebrity kitchens, as does People Magazine. It is also possible to generate new ideas looking through historical magazines or websites, pictures of period homes as well as search results for the latest kitchen trends.
Tips on Hiring the Best Affordable Kitchen Remodel Contractors
There are practical approaches to saving money when embarking on a kitchen remodel. It is important to purchase as many wholesale items/materials as possible, thus avoiding retail markups and middlemen companies. Know your budget and stick to it, avoiding impulse purchases and expensive last minute changes. Unless it is absolutely needed, also avoid moving any sinks, appliances or items attached to water lines, gas lines, electric wiring or plumbing. Moving such items always incurs additional charges. Finally, also avoid replacing your cabinets unless necessary or part of a bigger plan. Replacing cabinets is the most expensive type of all kitchen remodels.
Hiring the best affordable contractors is crucial, and also a required priority for all successful kitchen remodels. How do you find the best contractors with the best service prices? Word of mouth is an age-old form of advertising. It is also valuable, free information for you. There are numerous online review websites designed specifically or in part to provide actual customer reviews of countless kitchen remodel contractors across the country. Consumer Affairs is a longstanding company with a helpful and credible history. Other online kitchen remodel review websites include:
