Category: Home Improvement

Kitchen renovation mistakes to avoid at all costs

Kitchen remodel.

What do those two words make you think of? Though we all like the idea of a new kitchen, you might also associate those words with lots of stress, lots of worry, and lots of indecision.

Failing to consider appliances

Appliances are something you should think about first. They are the workhorses of your kitchen, and should not be an afterthought. In addition to performance, you will want to take into consideration the color, style, and size of the appliances you need. When you have decided on appliances, decisions on your kitchen design and other details fall into place much more easily.

Not getting a kitchen expert

Remodeling often comes down to budgeting. No matter how good at DIY you are, it is always a smart idea to bring in a kitchen design expert to help you plan your project. “One of the things I hear most when people are beginning a kitchen renovation is that they are overwhelmed by all of the choices and information. A critical part of my job is helping my clients sort through and simplify all of that information so that we can help prioritize their wants and needs.”

Failing to plan for storage

One of the most overlooked aspects of a kitchen remodel is the importance of storage. Features like pantry pullouts, lazy susans, drawer organizers, and pull-out spice drawers add efficiency, convenience, and sometimes even new storage to a kitchen. “Clients get very excited about storage and organization”

Sacrificing your countertop space

Do not think you can skimp on your countertop because you want to create room elsewhere. If you have to choose between your countertop landing space and another element, choose countertop space. More counter space room gets you more room for preparation, entertaining, and eating. As long as you keep your walkways clear and moveable, you are always going to appreciate more counter space.

Factors Impacting Kitchen Remodel Costs

These are areas in which you will need to make decisions and that impact the cost of your kitchen remodeling project. Knowing them and their relative impact will help you understand how your decisions affect your remodeled kitchen’s cost.

The Type of Kitchen You Desire

Impact on cost: large

You can select any kitchen from an economy to high-end luxury kitchen. You may want a kitchen with good quality appliances or top-of-the-line gourmet or commercial grade appliances. If cooking is not your thing, you may want to keep your kitchen small. If you entertain, you may want a large kitchen with room enough for people to mingle without getting in your way. Each of these types of decisions will impact the cost of your kitchen remodel.

The Level of Reconfiguration and Size

Impact on cost: large

Not changing your kitchen’s size or configuration (floor plan), keeping appliances, plumbing, lighting, and counters where they are now, requires the least amount of work and is the least costly. In the industry, we refer to this as a “pull and set.”

Changing the configuration, but not the size or structural elements, like the location of walls, windows, doors, and so on, still requires opening walls for adding new electrical, water, wastewater, and gas lines. We then must repair the walls we opened by installing new drywall before placing appliances and fixtures. So, changing your kitchen’s configuration adds more cost.

Changing the configuration and structural elements, like walls, doors, windows, or size adds the most cost to a kitchen remodel, short of building an addition for your kitchen.

IMPORTANT: Configuration and structural changes may have a significant impact on your kitchen’s cost, but if your current kitchen is configured poorly, is not the right shape or size for your needs and the look you desire, these changes are well worth the investment both for your needs and when you sell your home.

Type of Flooring

Impact on cost: small to moderate

The flooring material you select will not only influence the functionality and aesthetic appeal of the kitchen, but it will influence the price as well. Natural stone, hardwood and designer tile floors typically cost more than engineered wood, laminate, basic tile, or faux stone floors. Flooring can have an impact on your kitchen remodel’s cost, but unless you go for very cheap or very expensive flooring material, it usually doesn’t greatly impact the kitchen’s remodeling cost.

Kitchen Cabinets

Impact on cost: large

The new kitchen cabinets you select, their quality and quantity can greatly impact your new kitchen’s cost. There are many types and grades of cabinets. Kitchen cabinets come in three main categories, regardless of their quality. These categories are Stock, Semi-Custom, and Custom.

Must-Have Accessories for Kitchen Cabinets

Maximizing your available kitchen cabinets storage space with add-on parts and accessories should be a primary goal for your kitchen remodel. Maintaining peak function in your cooking space is all about accessibility within your work zones, ease of use, and limiting how much you need to move around so that you can focus on what matters most: delicious meals and good company.

Roll-Out Pantries & Beyond

Pantries are out in full force in today’s kitchen remodel landscape. Having one designated region of your storage for cans, jars, and dry goods is a huge boost to storage efficiency.

There are a variety of different pantry styles available:

Chef’s Pantry: A typical chef’s pantry consists of numerous layered shelving units which swing out and permit you to arrange their contents with great efficiency.

Wall Cabinet Pantry: Wall cabinet pantries combine a door shelf with interior shelving.

Roll-Out Pantry: Ultra convenient to your perishable food storage in a fridge, roll-out pantries give you heightened versatility in the kitchen.

Pull Out Pantry: Full height pull out pantries can be positioned close to appliances to maximize storage of cookware and food combined.

“If you’re putting together a new pantry, remember this: You’re worth the good stuff.” From spices to tools of the trade, the chef’s pantry is stocked with quintessential elements of your cooking.

Wall cabinet pantries represent the most widespread standard in kitchens throughout the U.S. Convenient storage for your non-perishables allows you to jump right into cooking without needing to run back and forth to storage space in a different room. Beyond that, it also allows you to be more dynamic in your food preparation, grabbing new ingredients or specialty tools on the fly as inspiration takes you.

Important Things to Consider for Your Kitchen Renovation

Renovating a kitchen can be an exciting endeavor but even for the experienced design there is a lot to consider. Here are some things to consider as you go so that you don’t overlook anything that could compromise the quality of your finished product

Decide “Why” You are Renovating

Are you renovating the space to add features? Get an updated, more modern aesthetic? Or to better use the space? Make sure to decide on achievable goals before you get started so that you don’t get sidetracked. It’s important to have a clearly defined path.

Use Visual Planning Tools

It’s important to know how everything will look and work together before you start installing new elements. Collect samples of different woods or tiles; collect paint swatches; cut-out images from magazines or computer print-out of appliances or furniture that you want to include. Not only will this help you envision the finished product but you can pin to all together on a board to keep your purchasing focuses on the agreed upon theme

Consider “Timeless” Design Trends

Design trends come and go so quickly – what’s fashionable this year will be out-of-style next year. As easy as it may be to get caught up in the latest trends, sticking to timeless design schemes will ensure that your renovations don’t become immediately outdated. Look back at the trends of the last decades and make note of elements that stood the test of time

Pay Attention to Small Details

It’s easy to dedicate all your time and energy to the big, important elements of your kitchen, but it’s the small touches that really pull any space together and make it your own. Things like choosing the right backsplash or faucet style will make all of the difference for the finished product. It’s the smallest touches that really bring life to any room.

THINGS YOU DON’T WANT TO HEAR ABOUT KITCHEN REMODELING

It’s exciting to remodel your kitchen, but don’t go into the project with your eyes closed. Kitchen remodeling is an investment, and you want to make sure you do it right. You may not want to hear these truths about kitchen remodeling while you’re in the starry-eyed, dreamy phase, but they’ll save you a lot of hassle in the long run if you take them seriously.

Talking to a Designer Too Early Will Ruin You

It may be tempting to find a designer right away and start making plans. But don’t rush! You need to know, deep down, what you want before you begin talking to designers. Designers have good ideas, but they aren’t YOU. They won’t be living in your home, and cooking in your your kitchen. Only you will. Figure out a general idea of your style before you talk to someone else.

If You Don’t Plan Carefully, You’ll Be Unhappy

The traditional kitchen triangle is normally an adequate layout. But don’t accept it, or any other layout, without some thought. If you choose a layout that doesn’t fit your habits and lifestyle, you’ll end up working harder in your kitchen than you need to. And that will make you less likely to spend time in the room, which will cut down on your enjoyment.

If the Kitchen Is Too Customized, It Will Be Harder to Sell Your Home

It’s always a good idea to keep resale in mind when you remodel your kitchen — even if you aren’t planning on selling your home. You never know when life plans will change. A completely customized gourmet kitchen will not pay off in a resale. However, it may be more important to you to have that gourmet kitchen now than to avoid losing money in a resale. Only you can know what’s most important.

If You Get Too Caught up in the Look, You’ll Miss Important Things

Ultimately, we all want a beautiful kitchen. Plus, that can often be the best part of planning — picking out colors and countertops. But don’t get too caught up in the look that you forget important things like storage

How do I choose a renovation contractor?

So why would you choose one over the other? And how do you decipher what you want and need in a general contractor?  We’re here to help! Keep reading for a narrowed down a list of criteria to keep in mind when you’re picking your renovation company.

Plan what you want from your renovation 

You’ve spent the time thinking about what you want and scrolling through Pinterest to find inspiration – now it’s time to make your plan for your must-have items. Take a look at what you want and what you need from your renovation.

As you make a clear plan of what you need from your renovation it will help you narrow down your choices and make your conversations more informed with your potential contractor. They’ll be able to provide you with a more accurate estimate when you have outlined some of the details already, saving you from surprises down the line .

Making a short list of contractors

There can be a lot of options when it comes to hiring a contractor for your remodel. Now that you have your list of wants and needs, it’s time to look at companies that match with your values. Certain companies specialize in different types of renovations; for instance, here at Melanson, we work mostly with families. We make their newly purchased home feel like it’s their own or update their existing home to match their evolving needs as they move through different life stages.

The main focus in our home renovations is:

• Making your home kid-friendly
• Adapting your home as your family grows
• Making your accessible to multiple generations

Those renovations could include:

• Making new use of a bedroom
• Refreshing your kitchen
• Updating your bathroom
• Giving your exterior a facelift
• Increasing the energy-efficiency of your home

Choosing a local company

Loving local isn’t just about artisanal candles or handmade clothing – it’s about picking businesses within your immediate radius.

Hiring a company that works within the Calgary area means they are within reach at all times. They are on-site to manage the process and are well-acquainted with the trades working on your home.

The added benefits of working through them to access their local subcontractors directly affects your bottom line.

• It saves you on transportation
• Gets you faster delivery
• And, most importantly, means your contractor has long-standing relationships that gives them more bargaining power for lower supply costs

It can also increase your chances for a trusted word-of-mouth referral since they’ll be more likely to have worked with someone within your circle.

Make contact with your list 

The research stage is complete and it’s time to make contact with your short list of contractors. You should be down to your top 4-5 options at this point and are ready to find out more about how their services can benefit you.

Compare at least 3 bids

Comparing 3 bids will give you the best idea of how much your project will cost. Here’s how to pick the best one from there:

• Throw out the lowest bid right away if they are drastically lower than the other two  – they’re likely cutting corners or aren’t using skilled labourers
• Look for any red flags or hidden costs, sometimes the most expensive bid is the most expensive because they’ve fully disclosed all of their costs. They may seem more expensive but once you add up the hidden costs of the competitors you could be way out of budget
• Weigh your needs and wants against the bid – if the best contractor is a little over your budget for what you’ve asked for, there might be some wants you can compromise to ensure you get the best quality work

Make a payment schedule

Your chosen contractor should be willing to work with you on a payment schedule. Beware of contractors that ask for 50-100% up front, this can be a red flag for financial issues or they may fear that you won’t like the work when it’s complete.

• Expect to pay approx. 10-20% up front unless substantial material costs are required right away
• Expect an additional 5-15% for additional interior selection upgrades. For the freestanding tub that you just have to have!

Agree on the contract

The contractor should supply you with a contract – make sure it is clear and comprehensive – and ask for anything you feel is missing or needs clarifying.

• This should outline the payment schedule, start date and expected completion date
• Have an understanding of the hours they’ll be working on the project, for your own peace of mind and to notify your neighbours
• Find out who will be responsible for securing the permits
• Ensure it includes proof of insurance, WCB coverage and that you’re waived from any liens a subcontractor could take out against the company
• Find out what the final approval walk-through looks like and if there’s any warranty on the work
• Clarify who is responsible for cleaning up after the job is complete

The easy steps all home renovators should know

The initial appointment

From your initial contact you should be made to feel your Renovation enquiry is important, even if you are right at the beginning of your Renovation Ideas. A suitable appointment should be made and attended to on time by the contractor. This contractor should display a trade confidence but also demonstrate a willingness to discuss your ideas and concerns with you, after all,

THIS IS YOUR HOME!

Most importantly, this appointment should be offered as an Obligation and Cost Free opportunity for you to discuss your ideas with a trade professional. You may then decide to progress to Quotation stage where a small quotation fee may be charged for an all inclusive  quotation.

Your renovation quote

Your Renovation quote should arrive to you quickly, no longer than 3 weeks. This is the contractors chance to deliver its first promise to you. It should be a comprehensive, all inclusive quote that accurately costs your proposed renovation to you. It should include all the specifications mentioned in the initial appointment and consider all council, trade and certification requirements. On review of this quote, the contractor should welcome any questions or changes you may have.

This renovation quote should leave you confident about a realistic price to achieve a high quality renovation to your home.

Getting to know the contractor

Before making a final decision on which contractor you will engage, take the time to get to know them. It’s very important to do some research on any prospective contractors. Confirm their license validity with QBCC and any records against them. This should always yield a clear result. Does the contractor have an office you can visit? Are you speaking with a trades person or a salesperson? What is the “vibe” you are getting from them? What’s the contractor’s response to your questions and concerns? Can you preview a contract before signing? Do they have testimonials and past clients you can speak with? These answers are a great indication of the company you are thinking of entrusting your family home to!

You have decided on a contractor. What now?

Congratulations… You have decided on a contractor but now is the time when you should be listening hardest to your instincts. If you have chosen the right contractor they will continue giving you the time and attention to details you deserve, even after informing them they are your chosen contractor. The right Contractor puts a great deal of emphasis on client communication and will guide you through the steps following a contract signing.- Drafting Certification and Construction- right through to the end of your completed renovation and then tells you to contact them anytime for any future questions or concerns, that you are a client for life!