Three Things to Keep in Mind When Remodeling Your Kitchen

You’ve finally decided it’s time to remodel that boring old kitchen. Good for you! Now comes the hard part: how much do you actually do?

The cost to remodel an entire kitchen from the ground up can be a staggering figure, easily on the unpleasant side of five figures. But take a moment and ask yourself three important questions.

“What needs to be replaced?” A warped and water-damaged floor is a no-brainer — it’s simply got to go. Likewise with broken kitchen cabinetry or faulty plumbing. But even in the “must replace” scenario, you have a variety of options. The range of possibilities in kitchen floor options alone is enough to occupy your evenings for a month, sifting through materials, styles, and colors. Just make sure that every replacement is also an upgrade.

“What would I like to replace?” Here is where you can be a little more creative, if you have the flexibility in your budget. This can include backsplashes, appliance fronts, countertops, wallpaper… anything that has a purely aesthetic impact in an otherwise functional kitchen. Realize, too, that desire can often follow necessity: replacing a damaged countertop could inspire you to see what kitchen flooring options might best match the new look, even if your floor is fine.

“How can I maximize my renovation dollars?” Never do more than you have to. If all you’re looking for is a facelift for your kitchen, try changing only one or two elements at a time, and see kind of impact it might have before plowing ahead with more changes. Different kitchen floor options or even just new cabinet facing can change the entire look and feel of a kitchen, often dramatically.

Put these three questions at the very top of your remodeling checklist, and let them guide the entire project, and you’ll end up with a kitchen that looks, functions, and feels exactly the way you want it to. Get more here.