Kitchen remodeling of a Kansas City home is an excellent choice for adding storage and style, and for creating a welcoming space ready for entertaining! A kitchen renovation is also one of the most expensive home improvement projects you might take on, which is why it’s good to ensure you’ve considered all details involved in this project before you begin.
While there are many precautions to remember about a Kansas City kitchen renovation project, homeowners are typically incredibly pleased with the end result and have few regrets about their decision to move forward with their plans. Those who do their homework about what’s involved in kitchen remodeling in Kansas City are more likely to end up with a space they love for years to come. To ensure you’re in that category, check out a few things that some homeowners wish they had known before they started their kitchen remodel!
You might be surprised to hear a kitchen renovation contractor in Kansas City, MO, say that at least 5% of your remodeling budget should be set aside for potential repairs or materials replacement. Keep in mind that a renovation contractor will often pull up floors and remove appliances, and rework plumbing and electrical features. During this process, he or she may find weakened subflooring, outdated wiring and plumbing fixtures that won’t support new appliances, water-damaged drywall, and the like.
In some cases, a kitchen remodeling contractor in Kansas City, MO, might also need to damage kitchen surfaces during the renovation process. For instance, older floors might have absorbed water over the years so that the grout is virtually fused to the subflooring! If your contractor cannot scrape away that grout to prepare the space for new floor tiles, he or she might need to pull up areas of the subfloor and replace it.
One common reason for deciding on a Kansas City kitchen renovation is that the current space lacks adequate storage. While knocking back a wall or installing a new pantry might be what’s needed in some homes, keep in mind that more space doesn’t necessarily mean more storage! One common mistake in planning a new kitchen design is overlooking accessibility of various storage options.
As an example, deeper cabinets won’t provide more storage if you cannot reach their far corners and wind up leaving them empty. If your new pantry is across the room and far from cooking and food prep areas, you might end up not using it as much as expected, just to avoid that long walk. Ensure you discuss how to add adequate yet accessible storage with your kitchen remodeling contractor in Kansas City, MO, so you’re happy with the end result.
Homeowners are often concerned with how to lower their Kansas City kitchen renovation costs, and certainly choosing cheaper materials for flooring, cabinetry, and countertops is an option. However, it also pays to invest in quality products and materials! Remember that materials like vinyl floor tiles and laminate countertops are often far less durable than ceramic floors and solid stone counters, so you end up replacing those cheap materials more often over the life of home ownership.
Some cheaper materials also show damage and wear sooner than quality materials, making a kitchen space look old and drab not long after your renovation! Rather than having to replace those materials repeatedly, invest in quality products and surfaces during a kitchen renovation in Kansas City.
If you’re designing an entirely new space as part of your kitchen remodeling in Kansas City, or had not considered reworking the room’s footprint, think for a moment of how your needs might change in the near future. For instance, are you planning on starting a family? If so, ensure to include an eat-in space in the kitchen so the kids are close at hand while meals are being prepped.
On the other hand, are the kids older and getting ready to “leave the nest”? Are you looking forward to doing some formal entertaining once they do? In that case, you might want to remove the breakfast counter along the center island for something more elegant, and include room for a coffee bar, wine storage, and the like. By ensuring you consider your future needs when planning a Kansas City kitchen remodeling, you’ll be happy with the end result for years to come.
Planning a kitchen remodel in Kansas City gives you a chance to bring in all those features and details you’ve always wanted in a kitchen, including an elegant light fixture, roomy center island, wine cooler, oversized chef-inspired appliances, and much more. However, you also don’t want to overdo it and wind up with a cramped, crowded space either!
When considering all those features and details, note how easy it will be to walk around the space when cooking or during food prep. Will that oversized center island cut off the flow of foot traffic? Will your appliances jut out into the walkway or overpower the cabinets? While it might be nice to have a built-in wine rack or space for coffee making, will all those designated features create a cluttered look or wind up as wasted space?
Remember that your kitchen remodeling contractor in Kansas City, MO, is an excellent source of advice when it comes to everything needed to ensure a successful, beautiful renovation. He or she has probably seen dozens of finished projects and knows what homeowners end up loving the most, and what they also regret including in their new kitchen design! Be sure to consult with them when considering kitchen remodeling in Kansas City so you know you’ll love your new space for as long as you own your home.