TAKE YOUR TIME

Embarking on a kitchen remodel for your Naples home is an exciting time with just a little stress thrown in. To help ease that stress a bit, keep in mind that since it’s your kitchen and your project, you can set your own particular progress schedule. Take as much time as you feel you need to plan your remodel. Ask yourself the following questions: What do you really want your dream kitchen to look like? How will you do the majority of your living in it? How many nights a week will you be preparing meals? Will you be using it for other activities? List the things you’d like to have in your kitchen as well as the things you can’t live without. Collect pictures of kitchen styles and details that inspire you.

It’s easy to try out different ideas on paper and far less expensive to revise a plan than it is to change course after you’ve purchased materials and started hammering down walls. Before you start tearing down cabinets, visit your local home improvement store and dream a little. Look at both the cheapest and most expensive items available to compare the difference. Feel the different counter tops and look at sink hardware options. Mix and match drawer and cabinet pulls. Compare flooring. While you’re there, make sure to get some prices.

DO THE MATH

Ah, the fun part, where your dream gets a wakeup call from reality, and you’re presented with the challenge of making both happen. Get a ballpark budget together so you know what you can afford. There are several online budget calculators, including this one, to help you through this process. Now is a good time to bring in the contractor team that will bring your kitchen to life. Meeting with a kitchen designer is also a good idea at this point.

KITCHEN DESIGNER MEETING CHECKLIST

1

Gather ideas.

Collect photos of kitchens and specific cabinetry, fixtures, and appliances that you like. Consider how you’re going to most use your kitchen and any special accessibility options you may need. Go ahead and vent, ie make a list of what’s always bothered you about your current kitchen.
2

Study what’s actually changing.

Discuss what you envision your layout to be, and what types of appliances you’d like. Is it possible to improve your kitchen without gutting it completely? Consider your favorite stovetop and what you’d like to be around it.
3

Have pictures ready of your current kitchen.

Take them from various angles and make sure you can see windows, door openings, HVAC registers and structural elements like ceiling beams, fans and stairs.
4

4. Take rough measurements.

Bring a sketch of your kitchen to help your designer determine possible kitchen plans. Using graph paper, draw and outline of your space, noting wall length in inches. Mark the location of windows, doors, plumbing lines and electrical outlets, and measure the height of the room from floor to ceiling.
5

Establish a preliminary budget.

Designers are pros at working within budgets and giving you the most for what you can afford.
6

Set a target timeline.

You’ll need to be realistic here. Perfection takes time, and you want to get this right. Let your designer know if there is an event in the future you were hoping to host, or an upcoming addition to your family. Work toward and around those events. Try this sample timeline courtesy of Kraftmaid for your meeting.

The above construction and design factors aside, consider the upcoming inconvenience in your life, and how you are going to continue daily activities while your kitchen remodel is happening. Be mentally prepared for takeout and meals in the living room, washing dishes in the bathroom sink, and the upset of a messy, dirty construction area in your home. Keep the end goal firmly in mind, and that will help you through the stumbling blocks and inconvenience while your dream kitchen remodel comes to life.

J. Sweet Construction can help that dream home and/or remodel become reality. Let us put over 25 years of construction experience as remodeler pros to work for you. Customer service is at the heart of our business. Principal John Sweet shares, “Our honesty and integrity are what make the difference. We become partners during the building process.” Contact us today to discuss the possibilities and get a free quote!

Author Dragon Horse

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