Kitchen Remodeling

Tanya asked:


We are currently renovating our home with the major renovation being the kitchen. We chose maple cabinets with a coffee glaze and would like wood floors. I have not picked out countertops, I am very confused. Is there any rule as to what color counter tops and floors should be? Should I go light on the floors and counters, a dark color, a mixture? All the kitchens I see in the magazines look so well blended. I don’t want to spend all this money and do a designer mess up. Any input will help ease my confusion.

Manuel

exilex13 asked:


I am planning to renovate my kitchen. I am going to change the countertops and the cabinets. How much would this cost me (estimate)? And do you know of any companies that do a good job with kitchen renovations and are reasonably priced in Michigan? Any help is appreciated. Thank you!

Randy

Vikram kuamr asked:


Remodeling your kitchen or bathroom can work wonders for your house. Kitchen remodeling will not only modify how your house looks, it will likewise give an additional character to your house’s personality. Kitchen and bathroom remodeling are two major restructuring in the house that could cost a lot. This is because it is in these two places that special electrical wiring and plumbing specifications are required.

And when it comes to quality home improvement, nothing comes close to Vista Remodeling. Professional home improvement service is what they pride in. From bathroom remodeling to kitchen renovation, installing hardwood and tiles, you will find excellent ideas and support from your team at Vista Remodeling.

Remodeling your bathroom and kitchen should be an exciting experience for you and your family and should not scare your pockets. Playing around with the existing cabinets in your kitchen as well as bathroom can do a lot of change and breathe in extra life to these rooms. Also, consulting with the Vista Remodeling staff can help you come up with a budget that is friendly to your bank account without sacrificing the quality of the desired remodeling project.

With Vista Remodeling one is offered a great selection of products for your bathroom and kitchen renovation. For all your desires to come true, one can avail of the custom bathroom or custom kitchen remodeling consultations where your every whim is taken into consideration and studied.

For your bathroom renovation project, you should feel confident consulting with our team at Vista Remodeling. Having been in the business for over fifteen years now, Vista Remodeling assures you of quality work when it comes to giving your homes its well-deserved new fantastic look. From the most meticulous minor works of installing tiles and putting up shower doors to the more difficult installation of faucets and tubs and major bathroom remodeling, our team at Vista Remodeling will definitely get the job done right for you.

As to your kitchen remodeling project, trust Vista Remodeling to come up with an endless list of options for you to choose from. They are competent in doing a complete kitchen renovation, install tile or install hardwood floor, reface cabinets, and even fix the lighting arrangement in your kitchens.

Updating the way your kitchen and bathroom looks should not take much time. A perfect timetable set for this project should give you enough time to prepare for it and clean up after the whole thing is over. Then everything should be ready again for a small party where your neighbors can see and be amazed at how your new home looks. Vista Remodeling is known for organizing their projects in such a way that they don’t take much of your busy time and that everything is done according to schedule.

Vista Remodeling guarantees every client that their job meets the highest of standards with utmost consideration of the client’s demands. Availing of Vista Remodeling’s home improvement services is definitely an investment that you will never regret.



Cynthia

Nina asked:


i’m moving into a new apt. and need to have the kitchen and bathroom redone, flooring too.

Betty

Madonna Jeffries asked:


An old friend of mine moved into a beautiful, late 19th century, Victorian style home a little more than 12 months ago. At a recent party she held at the home many of the guests commented about the quaint old fashioned style of the kitchen and how cozy and friendly it seemed. At this point my friend declared that she and her four children all absolutely hated the kitchen area and would love to renovate and modernize it but were utterly daunted by the task and so had not attempted it.

Her main fear was the perceived high cost of renovating an old home as she had heard many home improvement horror stories - People spending tens of thousands of dollars on what started out to be quite modest renovations, only to find a number of non-budgeted repairs and maintenance were also required, therefore significantly blowing out the estimated costs. My friend did not relish the idea of finding herself in a similar predicament so the idea of undertaking restoration and renovation work had been shelved. One of the guests at the party was a builder and another a professional interior decorator and they both explained that while restoration work (restoring the building to ‘as new’ condition similar to when the building was originally constructed) was quite extensive and time consuming, however, a renovation (modernization) project was relatively cheap.

Kitchen Renovation Ideas - Without The Fear Factor

Most homeowners, my friend included, have the perception that old houses are especially difficult to renovate purely due to their age, but this is not entirely correct. In reality whether the house is old or quite new, a kitchen renovation nearly always turns out be very cost effective and the habitants will see a marked improvement in the area. Kitchen renovation ideas for old homes can be planned so that new items and appliances can be integrated along with the kitchen’s older features, for example your new stainless steel refrigerator would not appear to be out of place being in the same kitchen as an old wood-burning stove.

The true key to affordable and effective kitchen renovation ideas is in the planning stage and this applies to any kind of home, whether new or old.

First on the list of all sound kitchen renovation ideas is to adequately cost your planned renovations. This is the most critical aspect as you should not attempt any substantial renovation project unless you have enough funding available or you can enlist the help of your bank or mortgage provider. Notwithstanding the fact that you require substantial funding, take heart in knowing that you can reduce costs in some areas without sacrificing the over-all quality of the renovation. It is important that you allocate adequate funds for the key aspects of the renovation, namely the design component, labor costs and appliances and fixtures.

If you propose to undertake extensive remodeling or structural changes then be aware that this type of work is extremely expensive. When structural changes are part of your remodeling project then it is essential that you employ a builder who can work within your budget. Always ensure before you start the work that any structural changes, such as the addition or removal of a room divider or the installation of a seat-window or skylight, have been adequately costed into the overall project.

When you are reviewing your kitchen renovation ideas always build in an allowance for unexpected contingencies such as repairs being necessary to plumbing, heating and electrical equipment. There is nothing worse than having an aesthetically pleasing kitchen which is great to look at but in reality is a fire-hazard or energy-monster because of the old and ineffective equipment. In old houses it is highly likely you will need to spend money upgrading this type of equipment.

Once you have addressed the structural and services (heating, lighting, plumbing etc) aspects of the kitchen renovation you can then turn your attention to other aspects like choosing counter tops, cabinets and floor coverings. This is a great area in which to control costs as it is possible to use many alternate materials, that are just as durable and impressive as for example marble or granite, however they cost a fraction of the price of the real material. It is also recommended that you consider buying stock cabinets instead of custom-fitted ones as this too will save you a great deal of money.

If you are like my friend and own an older style home and are not sure whether you can afford to implement your kitchen renovation ideas why not consult with a friendly builder and get an idea of what restoration work is required as well as the cost of appliances and fixtures…. you may be pleasantly surprised.



Jimmy

Librarian X asked:


I just can’t afford to do everything at once and I definitely need new appliances (mine are ancient), but I’m wondering if refacing the cabinets or installing a new counter at a later date could damage the new appliances. But the workers should be able work around them, right? Or should I do it all at once somehow? Thanks!

Anita

Jerry K. Blackburn asked:


One of the most important rooms in your home is your kitchen, and nowadays it is much more than simply a place to prepare and cook food. Today most people use it for relaxation, eating and entertaining, a major reason why most opt for home improvement and home repair by using kitchen remodeling and utilizing the various options of ideas and designs. Kitchen remodeling lets you get the fresh look you want, and dependent on your budget and personal needs, you will be able to make a marked difference to your special room. Redesigning a kitchen can be a valued form of home improvement that benefits you two ways: you have the pleasure of using it while you live there; and your home’s value increases. Most buyers do put great weight on the kitchen on the list of their most important needs, and so making improvements to your kitchen can increase your home’s salability if you opted to move or sell at some point in the future.

Whatever option you choose for a kitchen, it will be greatly dependent on your personal needs, saving you a fortune in money, especially is your choose to reface your kitchen cabinets and countertops. However, if your kitchen cabinets and furnishings were not salvageable then you would be surprised at the fantastic deals you can choose from in regards to kitchen fixtures, cabinetry and furnishings. You may even choose to make additions, and if you do not presently have one, you could opt to install an island, adding needed workspace, extra storage, and a stylish new look. Whichever option you go for, installing new kitchen furnishings and cabinetry or simply refacing existing ones, you can access some amazing deals and also an excellent range of choices. This will enable you to find the best look for your kitchen. You can choose from a broad selection of finishes as well, meaning that whatever theme or look you want to get for your kitchen, you will avoid all the problems of finding the best answer to that needed look.

Setting up your kitchen with new furnishings and cabinetry can sometimes be expensive, but if you look around in the correct places, you can cut your costs dramatically. One of the best places to begin is on the Internet, letting you access a broad range of super choices, plus good value for your money regarding your kitchen needs, from accessories and furnishings to fixtures and whatever you may want to get your kitchen looking perfect. You should make comparisons between each product and prices first, as you can locate some amazing options from the varied range of both top quality and reputable manufacturers, who endeavor to assist all their customers in achieving the best final look for their revamped kitchens.



Robert

Lee Cameron asked:


One way that we can increase the investment of our home is to carry out improvements ourselves. Before you groan that you can only plant pansies in the yard, consider this. The second most profitable way to increase the value of your house is to renovate your kitchen. This does not necessarily mean that you have to rip out your whole kitchen and buy everything brand new. We are talking about AFFORDABLE value, so let us investigate a few shortcuts.

Color is one of the cheapest and most high impact ways to change a home. Interior decorating is also the number one way to improve the salability of your home. In a kitchen if you do paint it, do not skimp on the quality of the paint. It is the one room where we will always be cleaning off marks, finger prints and splashes.

Do not underestimate the power of pure white in a kitchen. It is clean and sparkling. It will also go with any color. If you want to get started, but you are still dithering over a focus color, start with white, the cleanliness will inspire you!.

The most noticeable parts of a kitchen are: sink, cupboards, floor and counter tops. These are the areas to examine for your new look. Obviously, to replace everything with brand new is the ideal, so study each of these carefully and critically. If you are trying to improve your kitchen within a budget, something’s gotta give!

For instance, could your sink be improved by re-caulking and just replacing the faucet with a nice modern set?

How about a back splash? Changing (or adding) a tiled backslash behind your sink serves several purposes. It takes away the focus from your sink and it is practical. If you do not want to stay neutral, it also allows you to bring in your color scheme and it can be extended, according to the design of your kitchen. It is also a very inexpensive ‘face-lift’. Because of the relative cheapness, you could make it a luxury touch and incorporate the new glass-effect or natural ‘field’ tiles.

Kitchen cupboards are a very expensive outlay which can be cleverly avoided in most cases. They can be painted or revamped using an intense color stain gel. Also, many companies advertise that they will replace your cabinet doors (ONLY doors) for a very modest fee. These new kitchen cabinet door fronts can be as reasonable a $20.00, although an oak door can start nearer to $30.00. This idea will considerably lower the cost of a new look for your kitchen.

If the kitchen is dark you can order white doors, or if you want luxury, you can order cherry doors, or anything in between. As most of us have had to learn how to use a screwdriver, this will be an improvement that you can manage on your own. An easy way to brighten up a kitchen is to add strip lighting units beneath your wall cabinets. These can be bought cheaply, just pay attention that the wiring does not look messy.

Improving a floor need not be as expensive as you think. While linoleum is still pricey, the acrylic floor tiles that look like Italian ceramics can be found as cheaply as $1.00 per foot. (One tile measures 12″ x 12″) Colored dyes can now be bought for the grout, to give a tiled effect or to just keep it plain.

Well, the counter top had to be dealt with at the end. Yes, there is a budget way to spruce up your counter top, but this is one area where you may have to bite the bullet! First let us examine one of the ways to save your counter top.

One way is by re-coating the existing top, to use the word ‘paint’ would be to over-simplify. There is much prep work, including cleaning with detergent and with alcohol, fine sanding between all coats of primer and top coats of oil based paint. Then finally several finishing coats of marine varnish (or polyurethane is a second best option).

Once completed, you must always use a chopping board and do not place hot pots directly onto the counter. These are rules that we often follow for our laminate surfaces as well. The ever-faithful laminate counter top is getting some competition these days from the granite gang. The gang comprises of granite and other real stone countertops and also top quality look-alikes to choose from. If you are choosing a new counter top on a budget, then granite is not the least expensive option!

If you are still in the planning stage, then start to collect a file of ideas for kitchen decor. A piece of squared graph paper will help you plan within your true measurements.

Although a kitchen renovation can be a costly venture, it can also be fun and very rewarding. At the end of all your work, you will have a bright clean kitchen to work in and you will have improved your investment. Money spent on the kitchen is most likely to show the best financial return on resale of your home. Experts say that up to 75% of your expenditure will be returned to you via the increase in sale price.



Philip