Renovating your kitchen is one of the best things you can do for your home.
A simple renovation can transform a drab living space into something truly special. After all, the kitchen tends to be the place nearly everyone spends excessive time in their house. Plus, if you ever plan on selling your home, it can provide a big boost to your asking price.
Like most things in life, it can all go downhill if you don’t plan the renovation in accordance with your budget, schedule, and needs.
Set Your Budget
Setting your budget involves doing a couple of things. First, you need to plan what you are going to do in your kitchen, whether a complete remodel including cabinets, countertops, floors, and appliances, or if you are going to do part of those things, but not all of them.
This is in part determined by the state your kitchen is in now, and also by the amount of money you have to spend. You can save on cabinets by just installing new drawer fronts or doors, and even new fixtures like handles and drawer pulls. Some cabinets can even be painted.
If you have updated appliances recently, you may not need to do so again. This could save you a lot of money.
The second aspect of a kitchen remodel is that you need to determine how you are going to pay for it. There is kitchen renovation financing available from several sources, or if you are doing other projects at the same time, you can look at larger home improvement loans.
Of course, the best way to pay for any remodel is to do so with cash if you have it. You can use credit cards if they are low or zero interest cards and you use them responsibly. Since these home improvements will add value to your home in the long term, it is okay to finance them as long as you do so carefully.
Get Solid Estimates
Once you have set your budget, you need to get solid estimates for what you can really do with that amount of money. Be sure that you look at licensed contractors and get pricing estimates from them. The more thorough their inspection and estimate, the less likely you are to go outside what you intend to spend.
The other aspect of estimates is time. Being without your kitchen is inconvenient at best, horrible at worst. Getting a good idea of exactly how long the project will take is essential, and the estimate should give you a solid idea of what that looks like.
Make a Meal Plan
While you are without your kitchen, you still need to eat, and it is important to make a meal plan. In some cases the renovations will not take that long, so this could be a simple matter of putting a microwave in the garage or a spare room, and preparing meals that you can heat up.
The other important aspect is food storage. Have the contractor put your old appliances in the garage, or if you are keeping them, set them up there temporarily. At least you will have a place for frozen or refrigerated foods in case you need them.
The issue is that without a meal plan, you can end up going out to eat often, which can be extremely expensive.
Plan a Cushion into Your Budget
Just like the contractor should plan a cushion into their budget, you should plan one into yours as well. Often in kitchen projects, you may discover hidden water damage and other issues you were not aware of. You may find that you need to update your sinks with the best kitchen faucets on the market if they advise that the ones already there have a large buildup of mold or mildew.
If you build a 20% cushion into your budget to plan for these things, you should be able to afford any unexpected expense. If you don’t have any issues, then you have money saved that you can put towards something else, or complete other improvements in your kitchen that were not in the original estimate.
Don’t Get Distracted
In the kitchen, it is easy to get distracted by new things you don’t need, or improvements you don’t really need to do. Small appliances can wait, and if you do one thing it often leads to another. Suddenly deciding to replace counters can lead to new sinks, new fixtures, and even new paint. Unless those are a part of your original plan, don’t pursue them.
A kitchen remodel can be amazing, and it can transform your home in ways you never imagined, while also raising its value. However, planning ahead is key so you can stay on budget and complete the renovation with ease. Follow these five keys to keep yourself on track.
