These 5 kitchen design mistakes are not uncommon. However, if you make them, your kitchen renovation could be rendered valueless.
Leaving soffits on top of your cabinets
Soffits are completely out of style and so almost all sensible kitchen renovations will require removing the soffits, sometimes called “bulkheads” by homeowners.
Any good kitchen designer and contractor can reduce the height and or depth of the plumbing to fit between the top of the new cabinets and the ceiling and behind moldings that will hide it. Doing this should only cost about $1,000 in extra construction. The value of the change can be worth the cost of the entire renovation.
We recently had a customer tell us that their contractor told them it would cost $17,000 to change the plumbing in their soffits. What an incredible warning sign, this typically means the contractor is not qualified.
Getting arched doors or honey oak wood
These two styles are so unpopular that any kitchen renovation that is done with these choices instantly looks outdated. There is almost zero resale value in choosing cabinets in this style and finish.
Putting cabinets over a doorway or window
Sometimes to get more cabinets the customer begins putting wall cabinets where they don’t belong. Putting wall cabinets over doorways or windows is tasteless and will instantly identify the kitchen project as unprofessional.
The contractor sells you the cabinetry
If your contractor is selling you cabinetry you can be assured of two things. First, you are overpaying for the cabinetry that you are getting. Second, the design of your kitchen is being compromised by the interests of the contractor. Contractors generally do what is easy for them, not what looks good or functions the best. Always buy cabinetry directly from the cabinet dealer.
Getting an island too big for your space
This is the most common design mistake in kitchen renovation. Customers want islands so much that they insist on islands that will completely clog their kitchen. Only when the kitchen is completed, they realize how crowded the space is.
Here’s another blog on the 8 kitchen design mistakes that can be deadly!
