Friday, January 20, 2012

Kitchen Renovations: Must Have Or Hassle?

I walk into my home every day and am thankful for the roof over my head, the kids playing throughout the house and a husband cooking dinner.  Five thirty in this house is bliss.  It isn’t until I join my spouse in the kitchen that I start to get a bit discouraged.  The problem doesn’t lie within him or dinner or really anything that we can immediately change or control.  The problem is the outdated kitchen that surrounds us. 
The problem started back when we moved in four years ago.  We decided to forgo kitchen renovations at the time and focus on structure and other mounting issues with the home.  The home came with updated appliance so we were ahead of the game but really the kitchen needs an upgrade.  As many homeowners know once you live in a space it becomes harder to envision any renovations taking place. 
Renovations, especially kitchens and bathroom renovations disrupt the entire flow of life in a home.  When preparing for a renovation of this magnitude it is important to look at all aspects before jumping into the renovation.  It is important first to determine why a kitchen renovation is in the best interest of the home and family living within.
There are many reasons that kitchen renovations cannot be delayed.  If a kitchen area has been involved in any type of catastrophe such as flood or fire it is in the best interest of homeowners, once the damage is assessed to go forth with renovations. Another reason that renovations would no longer be able to be put off is for damage to a counter top in which a sink could no longer be held.  If the counter is gone it really doesn’t make sense not to go forward with the renovation process.
Going into a kitchen remodel it is best to be fully aware.  Kitchen renovations are expensive, time consuming and a large disruption to normal life.  It is best to determine if you, the homeowner, will be proceeding with the process or if the job is one that will require being hired out.  If you choose to do the renovations on your own it is important to remember that the time commitment is going to take more than a few days to complete.  To get a head start on the process it is important to have a solid plan of action, supplies purchased and a week’s vacation.  This should get you on your way to a great start for your kitchen remodel.
If you area homeowner that is fortunate to be able to hire a contractor take advantage of that. Hire a qualified, proven kitchen remodeler.  It is important to hire someone that can handle all aspects of the job.  If you have a contractor in charge of flooring and one cabinetry and one in painting then there are bound to be time issues.  This is to be avoided because the renovations alone will take enough time with everything operating as it should be.
The long and short of kitchen remodeling is to make sure it is something that you want as a homeowner bad enough to deal with the issues that go hand in hand with kitchen renovations.  If you are looking for a quick update a full remodel for the kitchen is not the answer.  At that point try a new paint color, refinish the cabinets or change up the counter tops and appliances.  Those items will give you a fresh looking kitchen without the expense and hassles involved with a full kitchen renovation.