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Top 10 Tips for Remodeling a Kitchen in a New Home.

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At the bottom of the page is our list of the top ten tips for remodeling a kitchen in a new home.

Congratulations! You just bought a new home, and you are considering remodeling the out-of-date kitchen. Now please stop and do your family a favor and carefully consider these tips for remodeling a kitchen BEFORE you embark on your renovation.

Kitchen with green backsplash

Due to the euphoria of buying a new home people can rush into renovations that are poorly planned.

These remodels usually waste tens of thousands of dollars. They can sometimes decrease, instead of increase, the value of the new home. Mistakes arise when new home buyers attempt to finish their construction before they move into the home. By rushing they reason that they are saving themselves mortgage or rental payments.

In reality, getting multiple bids from contractors on the detailed plans you have finalized BEFORE starting the renovation saves more money.

Grey and white kitchen

Among the benefits of a well-planned renovation is that even though the job might begin weeks or months later, because the project is better planned, it is almost always completed before a hastily planned project.

The design itself and the kitchen layout is what adds the most value to your home. Because of this working with a talented kitchen design professional is essential. If you design the kitchen yourself, or let a contractor or architect plan the design, your renovation lacks the most important expert.

The most misguided decision new homeowners make when remodeling a kitchen is to begin ripping out walls and doing demolition with no final plan in mind.

Without direction, unguided demolition creates added work for electricians, plumbers, framers, and drywallers later. The demolition of even the complete interior of a home should never take more than a couple of days. So, starting demolition simply to feel that things are progressing is foolish.

Kitchen remodel in progress. Demolition is complete!
Kitchen remodel in progress. Demolition is complete!

 

Below is our list of the top ten tips for remodeling a kitchen in a new home:

1. Never begin demolition until a final plan for all the proposed renovations is complete and a general contractor has been selected.
2. Never begin the planning of a kitchen renovation without first selecting the kitchen design professional you will ultimately be buying cabinets from.
3. Even if you think you know the contractor you want to do your renovation. Still get at least three estimates. Estimates give you free advice and pricing from knowledgeable professionals.
4. Always hire the general contractor with the total cost of the renovation having been bid in advance. Starting work without a total price is how project costs spiral out of control.
5. Never pay contractors by the day or by the hour. It gives them no incentive to work efficiently and usually costs you more in the end. Plus, it makes budgeting your project impossible.
6. Construction changes like removing a wall, moving doorways, plumbing or electric, is what creates the best kitchen design. This is what affects the resale value of your home, and construction changes have less impact on the total cost of the project. Upgrades to cabinetry, countertops, appliances and other materials are bigger budget busters. Yes, a Subzero refrigerator is great but the additional cost of $6000 for the refrigerator would pay for renovations that could completely change the flow and look of your home.
7. Never bring more than one professional remodeler to look at your home at the same time. You may have limited access to the property, but some contractors won’t bother bidding on a project when they get a feeling that they aren’t being respected. Others will simply increase their bid by 20% cover the possibility of working with a difficult homeowner.
8. Never emphasize that you are getting other bids. Contractors know this and assume it. When remodeling a kitchen, promising future work also sets off alarms for construction professionals.
9. Good kitchen designers always insist on measuring a home first. Any designer willing to accept someone else’s measurements is at best irresponsible. Designers need to measure themselves and see your home BEFORE they begin working on designs. Never work with a kitchen designer that doesn’t insist on this.
10. Do not insist on your timeline for work and materials. The people giving you realistic completion dates usually meet them, while people that tell you what you want to hear will never give you honest answers.

CONTACT US AND START OUR DESIGN PROCESS HERE

 

Remember this quote from Paul when you are remodeling a kitchen:

“The thing that people refuse to spend to get a great kitchen is not money. It is the time required to plan well.”

READ an article on the topic on PORCH.com:

READ an article on western style kitchens here.

Remember this quote from Paul when you are remodeling a kitchen:

Congratulations on your new home,

Paul, Julie, Chris, Ed, Jeremy, Juliet, and Mark

Main Line Kitchen Design

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