How to Remodel a Kitchen

Decide on Materials

Once you figure out some details about the layout of your kitchen remodel, it’s time to start looking at materials. For this, you’ll want to consider what sort of atmosphere you want to create in your kitchen and your house overall. You should make sure the materials you pick will flow well with the rest of your home.

First, take a look at cabinets and floors and decide whether you want to use wood or a different material. Stone can make for beautiful, polished kitchen surfaces, whereas wood will create a warmer, more elegant feel. You need to decide whether you want your kitchen to feel light and airy or sophisticated with darker colors.

After you’ve decided on the cabinet and floor materials, it’s time to take a look at countertops. Of course, you’ll want to make sure these coordinate with the materials you picked out already. But you should also take practicality into account here. For instance, if you cook with vinegar a lot, a marble countertop may not be your best choice. Realtors Lead Generation Appointments

Plan for Enough Counter Space

One of the biggest questions in kitchen remodeling is how much counter space you want/need. This will depend in large part on your cooking habits – how often you like to cook, and for how many people. In general, if you have space, it’s better to err on the side of more counter space than you need.

If you cook every night for a family of four or more, you probably want to arrange for a lot of extra counter space. You should work with a contractor to determine how much counter space is enough, and you want to have enough to prep meals for everyone. However, if your family is smaller, or you eat out most nights, sacrificing some counter space for more storage may be a good idea.

The other factor you’ll want to take into account when deciding on counter space is how many appliances you have. If you have a stand mixer, a toaster oven, a coffee pot, a countertop microwave, or other appliances, you’ll want enough counter space to store them all.

You should also make sure your cabinets are high enough to accommodate all your appliances. Professional Carpet Cleaners

These are all things that your Expert Kitchen Designer can help you with!

Decide on Lighting

Lighting can make or break a kitchen, and it’s one of the most important things to consider when you’re planning a kitchen remodel.

No one wants to feel like they’re cooking in a cave, and a properly lighted kitchen can be a joy to use. You’re going to want to focus on high-traffic areas when deciding where to put your lights.

If you know you like to chop vegetables and prepare meat on the counter to the left of the stove, you should have some extra lighting there. Putting some spotlights over your stove can be helpful for keeping an eye on dishes while they cook. You may also want to consider putting some lighting under your cabinets to add some visual and functional lighting to your kitchen.

Take some time to think about what style of lighting you want as well.

If you’re going for the light and airy look, pendant lights can be a beautiful choice. But if you’re planning to have dark cabinets and floors, recessed lighting can provide good light sources without detracting attention from the other kitchen fixtures. Tree Removal

Plan Storage Space

After counter space, the next biggest real estate accommodation should be for storage space. Nothing is more frustrating than trying to cram dishes or groceries into overcrowded cabinets or drawers.

What kind of storage space you want, as with most things during a kitchen remodel, will depend on how you plan to use your kitchen.

If you’re a shorter person, you may prefer to forgo upper cabinets in lieu of a pantry. Or depending on what set of dishes and utensils you have, you may prefer to have more drawers than cabinets. When you’re thinking about how you currently use your kitchen, take some time to consider what storage options will work best for you.

This is one of the stages of a kitchen renovation where having a Professional Kitchen Designer will be crucial. They can help you decide on the right combination of cabinets, drawers, and pantry space for your kitchen needs. There are also some very creative storage options for kitchens these days that they can help you incorporate.

Design Ventilation

Ventilation is an important and often-overlooked part of any kitchen renovation. Depending on how your kitchen is structured, you may need to plan for a vent hood. But even if you don’t have a full vent hood, you do need some sort of ventilation in place in the kitchen.

If your stove is against a wall in your kitchen, you’ll need to plan to have a vent hood installed. Your options for vent hood designs are almost endless, from minimalistic, sleek models to more dramatic copper and wood versions. You’re limited only by your design needs and your budget.

In some circumstances, you may have a stove/oven in an island. In this situation, you’ll still need put in a vent hood, but you’ll need to get a different model than the standard ones that install against a wall. This isn’t a big deal, but it may require modifying your ventilation system a little more than usual.

Group Functions Together – The Kitchen Work Triangle

When you’re planning your new kitchen layout, you want to make your kitchen as easy to use as possible.

You won’t enjoy cooking if you have to hike halfway across your house every time you want to put a dish in the sink. The key is to group different functions together so all your tasks are in one place.

It’s a good idea to put your stove and oven near each other if they aren’t part of the same unit. If your stove is on an island and your oven is on the wall, try to place them across from each other. Likewise, it’s a good idea to put your dishwasher near your sink and the place where you store your dishes.

Compact kitchen layouts offer a good way to keep everything within reach. You can create layouts that offer plenty of space and still keep things near at hand. Your Expert Kitchen Designer will be able to help you lay out plans that will make the best use of your space.

Consider a Side Sink

Everyone knows the main sink is a crucial part of a kitchen, and this is a detail you’ll need to figure out during your remodel. But it may be a good idea to also have a side sink in your new kitchen. If you have a tendency to procrastinate on doing dishes or if you want to have a wet bar or a coffee bar, a side sink can be a lifesaver.

Sometimes, dishes just pile up, and when you’re in the middle of getting dinner on the table, the last thing you want is to have to do a load of dishes just to get a glass of water. If you put in a side sink with a small basin and a tap, you can grab water out of that when the sink is full. Talk to your designer about the options, but you may be able to get away with running a cold water line over to that smaller sink.

Choose Your Dishwasher

As anyone who loves to cook knows, having a good dishwasher is as important as having a good stove or oven. You want a machine that’s powerful enough to get your dishes clean without you having to scrub everything first. And some of the newer dishwashers have some very cool features.

Of course, the first question with dishwashers is going to be your budget. You can spend almost as much as you want on a dishwasher, depending on what features you want for your model.

Decide on what you’re willing to spend and the features that you consider absolutely necessary ahead of time to make the decision easier when it comes time to choose.

Smart Dishwashers

Smart devices are the name of the game in terms of appliance replacement, and dishwashers are no exception. New smart dishwashers can tell you how much water you’re using, reduce water wasting, and help you save on your water & electricity bills. For those looking for an eco-friendly option, these dishwashers can be a great addition to a renovation.

Add Some Height

If you’re short or have tall upper cabinets, having some extra height around can be handy. But if you don’t have a tall spouse, you may not always want to have to drag the step stool out of the closet every time you need some flour off the top shelf.

Luckily, kitchen layouts these days have all sorts of clever options for helping you reach the things you need to.

Some of the cabinet manufacturers are now beginning to introduce hidden storage and accessibility options into their cabinets. Talk to your designer about how to incorporate step stool options into your kitchen and pantry.

Dishwasher for kitchen remodel

One of the biggest mistakes you can make when redesigning a kitchen is to follow the current trends just because it’s a “hot new fad”. It may be tempting to paint your new cabinets the color that’s all the rage this year. But just a couple years down the line, you may look back on that decision with regret.

Instead, pick styles that will stay around for a while. There’s nothing wrong with following new design innovations, but in general, it’s better to stay away from bold trends when it comes to kitchen remodels. Wild colors and strange architecture can also make it harder to sell your house down the road. Buy houses in Rowlett Tx

Stick to neutral colors and classic materials when you’re planning your new kitchen. You can use unusual materials like concrete and resin, but make sure they’re done in sophisticated, timeless styles.

This is another area where help from an expert kitchen designer can make a huge difference, and save you from buyer’s remorse a few years later.

Get Kitchen Planning Ideas

Remodeling a kitchen can be a wonderful thing. It’s exciting to have a new space to cook in, and creating something to fit your family’s needs is wonderful. Be careful in considering the details, and you’ll wind up with a kitchen you love to be in.

If you need kitchen planning ideas, check out the rest of our site at Harrisburg Kitchen and Bath. We have ideas and portfolios that will help you remodel kitchens, bathrooms, and more.

A Guide to Choosing Bathroom Fixtures

Did you know that remodeling an entire bathroom can boost the value of your home by 20 percent?

When you decide it’s time to redesign the bathroom in your home, it might seem like a daunting process. However, once you learn to break it up in steps it will get a lot easier.

In this article, we’ll show you the basics of choosing the right bathroom fixtures for your next remodel.

Read on to get started.

Shower Heads

Let’s face it, most of us like to start our day with a nice shower to wake us up and get us ready for the day. If you don’t enjoy your shower as much as you should, need to consider a few things for your next shower.

First things first, you want a shower-head that has great water pressure, but you also don’t want to spend a lot of money in the process. For example, a high-volume shower head often needs up to 55 pounds per square inch of water.

You can actually get the best of both worlds by choosing a showerhead that uses less water while maintaining great water pressure. If you’re in doubt, pick a showerhead that has the EPA WaterSense certification.

If you don’t have a specific type of showerhead in mind, there are many types to choose from.

Single Spray Shower-head

You’re probably the most familiar with single spray showerheads because they’re the traditional ones. Although they’re very inexpensive, they still come with an adjustable nozzle and you can change the water spray patterns.

Rain Shower-head

Rain showerheads have gained a lot of popularity in recent years. These showerheads are larger than your average single spray showerheads and hang over the ceiling or could also be mounted on the wall.

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If you’re looking for a showerhead with a bit more water pressure, this showerhead might not be the best option. Because it spreads over a larger area, it reduces the amount of pressure.

Handheld Shower-heads

Handheld showerheads are great for those who want more flexibility. This model can stay mounted on the wall like a classic showerhead but it can also detach due to the long hose.

People who want a little extra help to rinse those hard to reach places love the handheld showerheads.

Sliding Bar Shower-head

If you live with people of different heights, the sliding bar shower head is perfect. As the name suggests, the showerhead can slide up and down the bar to adjust to people of different heights.

This will ensure everyone gets the right amount of pressure.

Toilets

Choosing the right toilet is also a big step if you’re in the process of remodeling your bathroom. This is the toilet you plant to have for the next few years, so it’s important you make the right choice.

Start by learning about the latest toilet innovations if you’re looking for a more modern toilet. For example, now you can find self-cleaning toilets and high-efficiency toilets that can help you save water.

High-efficiency toilets can flush at a rate of 1.28 gallons per flush (GPF). As opposed to standard toilets which flush at a rate of 1.6 GPF. There are also ultra-high-efficiency toilets that flush at a rate of 1.0 GPF.

You can also pick from two types of toilets, round-front toilets or elongated toilets.

Round-front toilets are perfect for smaller bathrooms because their design is more compact. Elongated toilets, on the other hand, offer extra room in the front which means added comfort.

Before you choose the right type of toilet, think about how it will look in your space. You should consider the size of the room and the design you’re trying to achieve.

Sinks

Before you settle on a bathroom sink for your remodeling project, you need to consider which bathroom you’re trying to remodel. Your family bathroom or powder room might need different requirements than your master bathroom.

Undermount Sink: These sinks are perfect for family bathrooms because they’re easy to clean. The countertop sits right above the top of the sink, which gives it a smooth transition.

Top-mount Sink: This sink is the opposite of an under-mount sink. The top of the sink sits on top of the counter, so the entire rim is exposed.

Vessel Sink: As the name suggests, the vessel sink looks like a bowl that sits entirely over the countertop. These sinks are perfect for powder rooms.

Wall-mounted Sink: If you’re going for a minimalist look, the wall-mounted sink is perfect. As the name suggests, this sink is mounted to the wall and it eliminates the need for a counter which gives the room a sleek look.

Faucets

Once you start looking at faucets for your bathroom remodel project, you need to ask yourself a few questions. First, are you planning on replacing the entire sink? If you want to keep the sink and just replace the faucet, you might have more limited options.

However, if you plan on starting from scratch, you have a blank canvas.

Before you settle for a faucet, determine how many holes and where are the holes located on the sink. This will give you a general guideline on what to start looking for.

You can choose from single-handle faucets, vessel faucets, widespread, and wall-mounted.

Bathtubs

If you want to start the search for the bathtub for your new bathroom, you need to consider the style, materials, size and your lifestyle.

The style of the bathroom will depend on the space you’re working with. If you have a limited amount of space, it might also limit the materials available.

Fiberglass tubs, for example, are the most affordable and they come with a plastic sheet to reinforce them. You typically see these tubs in smaller bathrooms. We buy houses in Fort Worth

For example, if you have plenty of room, you can choose a freestanding bathtub. This is also a great tub for people who take full advantage.

How to Choose the Best Bathroom Fixtures

Now that you have an idea what to look for in bathroom fixtures, it’s time you get to work. You need to consider the shower-head, toilet, sink, faucet, and bathtub.