Fix Up Your Kitchen
Remodeling your kitchen is a big investment of time and money, but there are lots of reasons to do it. It can add value to your house, make the space more convenient, or enlarge it to accommodate a growing family. Completing a remodel can be rewarding and fulfilling.
When you want the best remodel available – whether you live in Logan, Smithfield, Ogden, Salt Lake City, or even southern Idaho – look no further than Alpine Cleaning and Restoration Specialists. We are full-service contractors and can help you with every step of the process. But how will the process go? Here’s a run-down of the process and some tips to keeping things within your budget.
Planning Out the Remodeling Budget
A top-of-the-line remodel of your kitchen can run upwards of $50,000 or more. While this is a lot of money, on average the return on investment can be as high as 67% if you ever resell your home. These costs are not absolute, however; with proper planning and budgeting, it’s possible to get a high-quality remodeling job for lower costs.
The first step to achieving this is to work out a vision for your kitchen. Visualize how you want the kitchen to look, how big you want it, what you intend to use it for. Write these considerations down for future reference.
Once you’ve got the rough vision worked out, it’s time to get to the specifics. Get yourself some graphing paper and draw out the floor plan. If you feel you’re lacking in design or drawing skills, you can hire a kitchen designer, or go to your local home improvement store for help. If you intend to hire a designer, be prepared to pay about 10% of your total budget costs to them. It’s not necessary to hire a professional, but it may help the job go more smoothly. Think carefully about how sure you are of your own skills before you decide to design it yourself. Once the work starts, it can be a challenge to rework the design if problems come up, so if you aren’t sure, have a professional try their hand. Best to get it done right the first time.
Ordering Materials
What do you need in your kitchen? Cabinets, lighting, and appliances are the main things to consider, as any kitchen needs them to be a kitchen. But you should also consider what kind of flooring you want. Wood? Tile? Linoleum? Or perhaps you like the flooring you already have. If it’s good for you, that will save some money. You might decide not to do the flooring right away. Holding off on the flooring for a bit can lower the initial costs, which will reduce the interests on the loans you may have to take out for the job. You can always redo the flooring later if you have to.
These items will cost the most and have the most effect on the look and feel of your kitchen. Take your time on these decisions to be sure the items work well together. Be sure to consider the time you want the remodeling to be done when you order your materials, because it may take up to a month and a half for everything to arrive.
Generally, the spring and summer months are the best time to remodel your kitchen. This is when it is most comfortable to eat and cook outside, which will reduce the temptation to eat out. The cost of eating out while you do the remodeling can add up to a lot, so make eating at home as convenient as possible during the process.
This is the most expensive stage because of the cost of the materials. You should expect it to take up around 45% of the total budget.
The Nitty Gritty
Now comes the messy part. This step is where you pull out all your appliances and fixtures so the work can be done. You’ll need to set up a makeshift kitchen elsewhere in the house. Your garage and laundry room are some possibilities, if you’ve got enough space. If your garage is too cluttered, perhaps you could clean it up first.
This step will cost you around 25% of your budget. You will need to hire a professional to tear out old plumbing and electrical lines and install new ones. This part can take up to two and a half months.
Installing Everything
You can now pull out all of the materials you’ve been storing and have them installed. If you took our advice and bought everything ahead of time, this step should roll along smoothly.
Expect to pay 20% of your budget on this step. This will be the most exciting part, because you get to see all of your hard work come together. Feel the thrill as the pieces fall into place one-by-one.
Enjoy Your Kitchen!
Your new kitchen is ready, so now it’s time to invite guests! Show it off to friends, or just enjoy your new kitchen with your family. With the hard work done, feel free to continue making improvements on it. The upgrades will be cheaper and will make your kitchen feel comfortable and look lovely.
Let us Help
Now that you have a bit of an idea about how the process goes, get in touch with us. Here at Alpine Cleaning and Restoration, our team is always ready to help you out. If you have any questions, or would like some advice, or are ready to begin and want a price quote, give us a call. We’re ready to help you with all your kitchen remodeling needs!