Starting Your Kitchen Remodeling Process - Tips and Notes - Staying on Budget
Planning your kitchen, and staying on budget, may seem a daunting task, but if you take a deep breath, do your homework, and go through the process one step at a time, before you know it, you will have achieved your goals. Many people have unpleasant experiences installing a new kitchen because they don't plan carefully and they don't give themselves enough time to complete the project. If you want a new kitchen in time for a holiday dinner, don't start demolition in late November. Construction is a business of surprises. No matter how thorough you are and how skilled and dedicated your contractor is, things will go wrong. Shipments could be delayed, parts could be damaged on delivery, there may be problems behind the walls, and the weather may not cooperate. The more room you have to compensate for the unexpected, the more successful and satisfying your experience will be.
Get Specific and Keep a Journal - Developing a Modern Kitchen on a Budget
Start by charting your family's daily routine. Evaluate the features of your current kitchen, reflecting on what works well and what you hope to improve. Talk with over family members who will use the new kitchen. In your current arrangement, do people trip over one another trying to use the microwave oven and the stove at the same time each day? Also, how is your kitchen being used? Is cooking the main priority, or do entertaining and working take center stage? Are more windows and lighting a major priority?
Keep a Journal: For a week or so, keep a journal to record how your kitchen is used, and describe any aggravations caused by the existing kitchen layout. Note times when it's too busy. List inconveniences in terms of storage and layout. Think of how you would use a stove top with a grill if you had one. Would two ovens make family holidays easier? Do other members of your family enjoy sharing cooking chores? For your own journal entries, start by thinking about your daily routine. Are there major traffic jams in the morning and evening, such as family members cutting through prep and cooking centers? After every trip to the supermarket, do you rearrange the contents of your refrigerator so everything will fit? Do you face a similar puzzle when storing non-perishables? Are your cabinets boring? Do you back into the island when you open the oven door?
Getting the most kitchen for your money is only smart. Making a budget and sticking to it will relieve the inevitable stress that comes from preparing to invest a large amount of money in kitchen remodeling, even in areas like Greenwich and Johns Creek. Don't be afraid to ask questions to the experts as experience is the best teacher.
Keep a Journal: For a week or so, keep a journal to record how your kitchen is used, and describe any aggravations caused by the existing kitchen layout. Note times when it's too busy. List inconveniences in terms of storage and layout. Think of how you would use a stove top with a grill if you had one. Would two ovens make family holidays easier? Do other members of your family enjoy sharing cooking chores? For your own journal entries, start by thinking about your daily routine. Are there major traffic jams in the morning and evening, such as family members cutting through prep and cooking centers? After every trip to the supermarket, do you rearrange the contents of your refrigerator so everything will fit? Do you face a similar puzzle when storing non-perishables? Are your cabinets boring? Do you back into the island when you open the oven door?
Getting the most kitchen for your money is only smart. Making a budget and sticking to it will relieve the inevitable stress that comes from preparing to invest a large amount of money in kitchen remodeling, even in areas like Greenwich and Johns Creek. Don't be afraid to ask questions to the experts as experience is the best teacher.
