Before you can cook up a storm in your brand new kitchen or earn from your investment, the reality is remodeling can get really, really stressful.
Follow these steps by Trulia to prevent a kitchen remodel disaster:
Don't overspend
Find out what kind of upgrade would make most sense in the market you belong to and from there decide whether you're better off doing a low, medium, or high-end kitchen remodel. Match your kitchen remodel spending on your type of home and neighborhood.
Avoid an identity crisis
Is your remodeling going to still fit the overall architectural design of the house?
Make sure that the kitchen won't look out of place once finished. Is your house of contemporary design? Then work with it, not against it.
Don't move the plumbing
If you do not want to go over budget, then keep the plumbing in place especially in older houses. Moving water and gas lines to reconfigure sinks, ovens, stoves, or dishwashers would take a lot of work and could cause a string of repairs.
Refurbish existing cabinets
If made of quality wood, save money by giving your old cabinets a face-lift instead of putting them all down. You can either add new doors and drawer fronts, relaminate fronts and sides, or give them a new paint.
Don't scrimp on new hardware
Knobs and pulls are like jewelries to your kitchen - they are small and inexpensive but they make a lot of difference aesthetically. Home remodeling stores should have a wide variety of them for you to choose from so you can match them with your house's architectural style.
Match appliances
Give your kitchen a designer look for less by going for a brand that offers good-looking, low-priced lines with matching sets: fridge, ranges, and dishwashers. Do your research and shop wisely as high-end looking appliances for less are already available these days.
Don't forget to budget for sinks and fixtures
When choosing a faucet, the best option is one with a pullout spray attachment or a gooseneck with detachable head. If you find that expensive, just think that you will get a lot more for a $50 - $75 difference.
