Are you planning a kitchen remodel? Or are you in the earlier stage of planning to plan a kitchen remodel? Regardless of your timeline, the pre-production and leadup of a kitchen renovation can feel hectic and overwhelming. Whether your appliances, design, or budget have you second-guessing, we’ve got some expert tips to share with you so you can ensure your kitchen remodel goes off without a hitch. The first of those helpful tips: Breathe—you can do this!
A culinary masterpiece doesn’t happen overnight, it requires the right foundation and inspiration for your kitchen space to come together in perfect harmony. Your kitchen should be fabulous and functional, an expression of your passion for cooking, entertaining, and interior design.
If you want to break free from the doldrums of the past year, bypass the vegan diet resolutions and head straight toward your kitchen remodel to jumpstart 2021. Before you start your next major home investment, be prepared, and follow these 5 tips to ensure a successful kitchen remodel journey.
1. Set Your Budget
It’s a good idea to draw inspiration from your favorite design magazines and celebrity cooking shows, but it’s even more important to consider a realistic and obtainable budget when planning to remodel your kitchen. We all want to wake up to the kitchen of our dreams, but there are a lot of fine details that are easy to neglect when we’re wide-eyed and jumping off the walls.
No matter the price range you establish, value goes a long way in a kitchen remodel. Think about what your cooking space has to gain from including certain appliances or accessories. Will smart appliances add value and enhance your cooking space, or will they act as a stylish and high-tech decoration piece? Make a separate list of the elements you need and the features you desire in your kitchen space; this will help you establish a realistic budget for your kitchen renovation.
Start with the facts—on average, the grand total for a kitchen remodel in Arizona can cost upward of $35,000, but it does depend on how much you plan to remodel, your geography, and the economy—among other factors. You may find it helpful to source a private contractor or a designer to help you map out your budget, but before you do, don’t forget to delve into some of the priceless resources available to everyone.
- Free online remodel calculators will help you ballpark how much a remodel might cost
- Compare quotes between contractors
- Ask family and friends if they know of any reliable and affordable kitchen products
- And the obvious choice, chat with us at Spencer’s—your friends in the business since 1973
And once you feel confident with your budget, don’t forget to leave a little extra wiggle room for unexpected costs or additional purchases. Try to set aside 10 to 20 percent of the total amount budgeted.
2. Functionality Matters
Are you ready to start bringing your vision to life? We're sure you’re getting excited by now, but before you start jack-hammering, take a step back to reflect and envision what your dream kitchen will look like and how you plan to utilize your space.
The best way to establish your new structure is to start with what you dislike about your current kitchen layout. What are the pain points you’re hoping to correct? Is your flooring outdated? Is your lighting unflattering? Do your countertops show every speck and crumb? Are your cabinets not conducive for storing all your cookware? Do you need a larger oven to handle your cooking needs?
This is all to say, while design and decoration can be exciting, form and function carry a little more weight. Keep these key points in mind when working function into your new kitchen layout.
- Kitchen islands open up your cooking space, provide additional storage space, and lend a nifty eating area
- Ambient lighting and task lighting can give your space extra depth and dimension
- Leave room for windows—natural lighting is vital in a kitchen
- Retain plenty of ample cabinet and countertop space
- Celebrate your kitchen’s structure and strive to achieve a cohesive cooking space that matches the rest of your home
3. Lock Down Your Appliances
There are many options to consider for your kitchen appliances. You can choose individual cooking appliances, a suite of products in a kitchen appliance package, or a set of luxury kitchen appliances to match your highbrow taste.
Bundling your products in a kitchen suite or appliance package is a great way to reduce the cost of your appliances. It can cost 20 percent less than purchasing each appliance individually. If you have everything sent to you as a package, you can see how each product looks in your kitchen and how the appliances work with the style and layout of your kitchen design.
It helps to protect your investment because contractors can accurately measure your new appliances to ensure they have the proper fit between your cabinets, countertops, and floorboards. Kitchen suites provide a clean and streamlined look that is consistent and visually appealing, and it helps to utilize similar functions and features from the same brand.
However, if you want your new kitchen to turn heads, then luxury is the way to go. The kitchen is the focal point of many modern-day home designs—it’s where people gather, where celebrations occur, and where delicious meals are prepared. Spencer's has exactly what you need to fit your exceptional lifestyle, including popular luxury brands such as Thermador, Sub-Zero, Wolf, Cafe, Monogram, and JennAir.
You can expect stylish and reliable luxury appliances from any of these top-of-the-line brands, but if you want to take a further look, revisit our luxury appliance buying guide or our Monogram brand guide.
4. Who is Working on Your Kitchen?
We all know the saying “teamwork makes the dream work,” and this is especially true when starting a kitchen renovation. If you’re trusting the hands of designers, contractors, and your next-door neighbor with the pickup truck, take the time to get to know your remodel team.
Before you decide on the team you plan to hire, be diligent and find the right group of individuals for the job. Read reviews (both good and bad), make a few phone calls, look at portfolios of past work, and make sure the contractors are licensed to work in your area.
Once you’re happy with your selection and your team is ready to get started, make for a smooth transition and keep things organized throughout the job with these easy tips:
- Establish forms of communication via text, email, or phone call
- House rules: which rooms are accessible and which rooms are off-limits?
- Agree upon a working schedule—times and days of the week
- Allow your team plenty of uninhibited space to work
- Provide plenty of snacks, water, encouragement, and a place to park out front
5. Make Proper Arrangements
It can be a challenge to prepare for a kitchen remodel—it's a major uptaking, and it can be difficult to navigate through daily life without a kitchen. Do not begin the remodel without first setting up a temporary cooking and dining area. As much as you’d like it to, the world won’t stop spinning during your renovation, and the last thing you want to endure is a big helping of sheetrock or sawdust making its way into your food.
Thankfully, you don’t need to set aside a large area for a makeshift kitchen—a garage, living room, basement, spare bedroom, or backyard patio can all be great places to settle in while your kitchen gets a makeover.
Don’t be afraid to get creative:
- Utilize a countertop microwave that you can easily transport to other rooms of the house to warm meals
- Invest in an electric water kettle to be able to enjoy a more diverse selection of meals
- Set aside plenty of silverware and plates
- Keep things sanitary and utilize a separate sink in the bathroom, laundry room, or use the sink attachment on your barbecue grill if applicable
- Remember, grills are a great alternative to a traditional oven
- Utilize a pop-up table that can double as a workstation and a place to eat your meals
- Small appliances will be your saving grace
Shop Smarter—Shop Spencer’s
While you’re working on your new kitchen, if you can afford to donate rather than demolish, donate! It’s an environmentally-friendly step you can take in your kitchen remodel.
Take a look at Spencer’s wide catalog of brands to help narrow your search—after all, the perfect kitchen needs the perfect appliances. Shop, explore, and compare prices, style options, and trendy features for a kitchen remodel that’s truly unique. Give us a call, shop online, or visit us at Spencer’s today.