09.29.08
How to Plan and Execute a Quality Remodel for a Kitchen and Dining Room
John Zumwalt, Sacramento, California
Licensed California Contractor, General Engineering & Building Contractor and in business for more than 21 years.
Remodeling your kitchen and dining room area can be a scary and intimidating job. Many find that it can be an overwhelming task that can become quite expensive. If you take the time to plan and organize your thoughts about this project, you will be amazed by what you can accomplish.
First you need to determine your budget. Kitchen and dining room remodels can have budgets ranging from a few thousand dollars to tens of thousands of dollars. The prices can vary dramatically. Your material cost will largely determine your final budget, so pay special attention to the material you choose for your project. Also, labor costs can affect some of your choices for material. Some materials, like tile, hardwood floors, granite counters, crown molding, base borders, etc. can be labor intensive. These costs should be considered when you are planning your remodel and choosing material.
A good idea is to break this big project down into small parts or categories. Make final decisions about each category individually and then review them together insuring that you are maintaining the look you desire throughout the entire project. For example, you could choose categories like, cabinetry, flooring, countertops, appliances, and custom finishing’s. Do your homework. Find samples of things you like. Look through magazines, search the internet, go to hardware stores, you can even get ideas from visiting new construction home sites and touring their showrooms.
Next, you need to decide what parts of the project you want to do yourself. You can actually save a great deal of money doing most of the work yourself. You can find great deals on every power tool you would need to successfully handle any job. Power tools are competitively priced and shipped right to your home from most online stores.
Finally you want to decide the about some of the finishing touches like kitchen furniture and dining room furniture. Sometimes a kitchen island will work nicely and provide additional counter space. Also, many families are adding computer spaces to their kitchen. We like to have our children doing homework and searching the internet in the kitchen area where we are cooking and spending time together. A computer area in kitchen is very helpful. My wife also uses the kitchen computer for recipes, email, to check nutritional values and other important information.
Remember that the kitchen and dining room area for most families is where much of their everyday life happens. Take the time to make it a special place and a wonderful room. Make it an important part of your home where you make many happy lifelong memories.
