Considering how much time the family spends in the kitchen it is no wonder it is one of the most remodeled rooms in the house. The kitchen serves as the cooking, cleaning, dining, meeting and entertaining center of the home. In older homes the cabinets and appliances have usually been well worn with use. The colors and finishes are stained and outdated. The walls and floors are scratched and torn from years of family use.
As you might imagine, you can spend a little or you can spend a considerable amount of money remodeling a kitchen. In a high end Chefs kitchen you could easily spend $20,000.00 on appliances alone. In a recent custom kitchen I installed the homeowner specified $35,000.00 worth of cabinets. This was not an over sized kitchen either.
Counter tops are another product that has a big range of prices. Formica, what many of us grew up with is being replaced by natural stone, tile, granite and man made materials. It was not too long ago that sinks came in two materials, stainless steel and enamel coated iron. Now you have man made materials, stone, wood and concrete.
Remodeling a kitchen is a major undertaking that needs to be planned adequately. In most cases you will not be able to use your kitchen while the work is being performed. That means a temporary kitchen in the basement or garage, or many dinners out. To minimize the disruption to your family it is imperative that every detail has been considered and decided prior to starting any work.
If you are considering changing the layout of your kitchen electrical, plumbing and mechanical considerations must be identified and resolved. In many situations, in order to add additional space to your kitchen you will need to remove / relocated existing interior walls. In other cases adding a bump out of an exterior wall may be the most cost effective way to increase floor space.
If you have done any research on remodeling you have no doubt heard the term Cost vs. Value. Essentially this means the return on your investment. If you spend $50,000.00 on a major kitchen remodel and then 1 year later you sell the house and get an additional $35,000.00 because of the kitchen remodel then you lost $15,000.00. No reputable contractor would advise a homeowner to undertake this type of project unless they planned on staying in the home for years. The longer you stay in the home following any remodeling project the higher your return over time. This assumes the job was performed using quality materials and workmanship.
A kitchen remodel can be a very complicated project. It is important that you work with a reputable Contractor or Designer to assist you in refining your needs and wants so a realistic budget can be determined prior to putting the job out for a bid.
Contact us about your kitchen remodel project, 708-497-5868.
