Kitchen Remodeling Guide
Kitchen Remodeling Guide
Kitchen remodeling is one of the most popular home remodeling projects performed today. Whether you’re are looking to expand or update an existing kitchen to accommodate your family’s needs, or are looking to resell your home, kitchen remodeling is a great way to increase your home’s overall market value. But what kind of a budget should you set aside for your kitchen remodeling project? What are the cost averages for a kitchen remodel? What individual contracting services are factored into that cost?
Kitchen Remodeling Costs
According to Remodeling Magazine’s 2014 Cost vs. Value Report, the national average cost for a “midrange” kitchen remodel is $54,909. The national average cost for a “high-end” kitchen remodel is $109,935. There are many factors that will affect the cost of your kitchen remodel. Generally, the biggest cost factors will be the:
- Size of your kitchen
- Scale of the remodel project
- Geographic project region
- Choice of materials
- Attention to detail and quality of work.
What To Consider When Remodeling Your Kitchen
In certain parts of the country, the kitchen has always been the center of life in a home. In other regions, the center of the family’s life has moved from the kitchen to the family room or other areas. But today, in virtually all parts of the country, the kitchen has become central again. A kitchen that is both functional and comfortable is now the norm.
Whether you want to remodel your kitchen to make it more functional, more comfortable, more modern, or to provide more space for family life, you can create wonderful changes within most any budget. If you are considering a kitchen remodel to make a house more marketable, the good news is that, according to Remodeling Magazine’s 2014 Cost vs. Value Report, you can expect to recoup on average between 49% – 55.9% of the cost of the project when you sell your home. This of course varies based on region and other particulars.
A kitchen remodeling project can be as simple as new window and wall treatments, new flooring, or new cabinets. Or you can create the gourmet kitchen/family room that is so popular today.
A simple and relatively inexpensive kitchen remodel might mean new curtains, a fresh coat of paint, new appliances, and new flooring. Hardwood floors are very popular today in the kitchen. The new finishes and coatings on the wood make them as practical in the kitchen as they are in other parts of the house. Ceramic tile is also a very popular flooring option. Tile is easy to clean and durable.
Much entertaining is now done in the kitchen. Preparing a meal can become a time for guests to gather in the kitchen and enjoy conversation. Most kitchens built today will either be open to a family room or they will include a family area at one end of the room. An attached or semi-attached breakfast room is also a popular design. An island that is functional for food preparation and provides a place for people to sit and talk to the cook is also very popular. In fact, one side of the island can be serviceable in food preparation while the other side functions as a casual dining counter.
If your home is older and your kitchen just needs a little modernizing, you will certainly want to consider modernizing your cabinets and perhaps, replacing your counter tops. Raised-panel cabinet doors are certainly a good way to go. This can be accomplished by simply placing new doors on existing wood cabinets. If your budget permits, you can even install custom or semi-custom wood cabinets. While laminate countertops are still being used, there is a clear trend toward quartz or granite countertops. They are both beautiful and functional.
Your choice of appliances will be important in the total appearance of your kitchen. To be sure, appliances are available in a wide variety of colors and styles. There is, however, a clear preference in most new appliance purchases for stainless steel.
A quick look around an appliance or department store will provide a head-spinning variety of styles, colors and functions in appliances. Your refrigerator can be simple and functional or it can provide a variety of accessibility options and features that go far beyond ice and water from the door. Microwave ovens can be built in, or they can sit on the counter, or they can hang from the bottom of a cabinet. And stoves and ovens are available with an amazing array of options from warming chambers to griddles to multiple ovens, including convection ovens.
You will also find a wide variety of sink styles and faucet and spray options. Sinks are available in the standard single basin style, as well as equal double basins or even double width with various configurations of additional small basins. Under-mounted sinks are a popular choice today when choosing a solid material such as quartz or granite for your countertops.
Water filtration and purification is becoming more important in many areas. There is a great deal of choice in systems that are either built-in or installed under the sink. There are also small systems that simply attach to the faucet.
Ventilation hoods can be simple or extravagant, depending upon the style you want to achieve in your remodeled kitchen, ranging from porcelain to stainless steel to copper.
To make standing easier on the cook, you can even consider installing cork flooring, hardwood or luxury vinyl; all of these products or more forgiving than ceramic or porcelain tile. And you can add a trash compactor, composting and recycling organizers to reduce the number of trips to the garage.
Lighting is also important in your new kitchen. Installation of low-voltage under-cabinet lights are fully functional, energy efficient, and conducive to warmer lighting in the rest of the kitchen. In addition to light fixtures, you might want to consider installing a skylight for warmth and natural lighting.
Another great feature to add in cabinets, especially high cabinets or low corner cabinets is a lazy Susan that brings items to you without stretching. Pull-out shelves and recessed areas that permit shelves on the inside of doors will also make items more accessible.
If your house has a family room in close proximity to the kitchen, you may find that opening up that space by taking down the separating wall will provide a feeling of spaciousness and keep the cook interacting with the rest of the family or your guests.
Two popular approaches to connecting the kitchen and the family room are to either take the wall out completely, and allow the rooms to open naturally, or to remove the wall and replace the bottom part of the wall with cabinets backed by drywall with an opening at the top. Yet another possibility is to remove the wall and replace it with a dual-function counter.
Remodeling a kitchen can be great fun. It offers the opportunity to create a more efficient kitchen and to create a space where the family can entertain and relax. Whether your remodel is simple or you want to create a gourmet super-kitchen, you can count on adding to the value of your home as you create a warm and functional family space.
Finally, you must ask whether this is something you can do yourself, or you need to hire a contractor. This will depend on the extent of the renovation, your skills and knowledge, and your time. You may be able to do all of the work yourself. You may need to hire someone to do the parts of the remodel that you don’t feel competent to do. Or, you might just want to relax, have someone else do the work, and simply enjoy the result.
Experience Our Services
Remodeling your kitchen can be an exciting endeavor so long as you’ve hired the right team of professionals to take on your project. If you’re located in our service area, which encompasses Ithaca, NY and the surrounding communities, why not call on us for some free advice? We truly enjoy speaking with people about their remodeling plans.
Are you a do-it-yourselfer or do you need the knowledge, skills and talent of a professional remodeling contractor to handle it all? Either way we can help you. We can design and provide your cabinets, countertops, hardware and flooring for you to install… or we can handle the entire project from start to finish including installation by our talented craftsmen.
Having served this community for more than 22 years, we have extensive experience in all of the following remodeling services and more:
- Additions and Major Renovations
- Kitchen & Bathroom Remodeling
- New Countertops and Cabinetry
- Basement and Attic Spaces
- Energy Efficient Window and Door Replacement – Featuring Marvin™, Andersen™, Pella™, Simpson™ & Therma-Tru™
Year after year dozens of discerning homeowners trust their homes and remodeling projects to us and our team of designers, trade partners and craftsmen. The vast majority of our work is repeat and referral business.
As a professional, “full-service” remodeling contractor, we will work with you to incorporate your ideas and ours into a project that best fits your home, lifestyle, and budget. Large or small, we can take your project from concept to completion and our services are second to none.
If you would like to discuss the exciting possibilities for improving your home with a qualified and reputable remodeling company, simply give us a call today at (607) 539-6014.
We’ll be happy to discuss your needs over the phone to see if we can help. Then, at no cost and without any obligation, we’ll be happy to set up a consultation in your home to have a closer look, discuss your ideas, make suggestions, and answer all of your questions.
