Renovating a Kitchen

Kitchen renovation is one of the smartest investments any homeowner can make.  Why?  Ask any real estate professional anywhere in the world and they will tell you that kitchens and baths sell homes.  People renovate kitchens for one of two reasons.  First, they want to improve the functionality and the style of the kitchen for their own pleasure and use.  Second, they are planning to sell the home in the near future.

For either reason, the first steps in renovating a kitchen are establishing a flexible budget and then a project plan outlining the improvements to be made.   While no one wants to spend more than they have to in renovating a kitchen, rigidly fixed budgets can “lock one into a box” leading to rejection of renovation ideas that might well merit spending a few additional dollars.  It is far better to start with a flexible budget, with a lower and upper limit that includes the option of secondary financing to complete a project meant for homeowner use as opposed to resale.

Budgets for renovation for resale projects can be especially challenging as many consumers seek dollar for dollar equivalency between the cost of the project and the value it adds to the sale price of the home.  Local realtors can give you rough estimates but there are no guarantees that a $5,000 kitchen renovation will allow you to add $7,500 or $10,000 to the selling price of the home.  But there is one thing of which you can be certain:  a renovated kitchen will increase the available pool of potential buyers.  Few new home buyers want to deal with fixing up a kitchen right after they move in.  If your kitchen needs renovation and you elect to reflect the cost of a renovation in a lower asking price, you’ll limit potential buyers to those willing to undertake a kitchen renovation on their own.  Be aware, however, of the major pitfall of renovation for resale projects:  cheap materials.  Discriminating buyers will notice if the faucet you’ve installed is the cheapest available.  It’s like putting a big sign in your kitchen:  BEWARE:  CHEAP MATERIALS.  While you don’t need to buy the most expensive fixtures and cabinets, reasonable quality materials will add more value than cheap ones.

Even if you can afford to hire professional kitchen renovators who can quite literally do it all for you, it’s just common sense to do your homework before you sit down with anybody.  An informed consumer is in a better position to evaluate suggestions made by professional designers.  In the modern world, the Internet has opened floodgates of information about home improvements projects of all kinds.  However, nothing beats the old fashioned “touch and feel” evaluation that comes with visits to Kitchen Design showrooms in “brick and mortar” retail locations.  Kitchen magazines and illustrated design books you can look through at no cost are available at local public libraries everywhere.

Using these idea sources you can create a basic plan of action.  Details will depend on the level of your project.  Obviously, if you’re going to “gut” your existing kitchen and start over, you’ll need more detail than if you are simply planning to replace your existing cabinets and appliances in their existing position.  With this plan you can begin to cost out each step and tailor the plan to your budget.  At this point, outside help is appropriate but remember one of the biggest cost saving techniques of any renovation is “sweat equity.”  A simple definition of sweat equity is performing a task by yourself instead of hiring someone else to do it.  Creating a preliminary design plan by yourself is an example of sweat equity.  You could have paid a professional kitchen renovator to develop ideas and submit them to you.  Many homeowners who lack construction skills fail to see such sweat equity opportunities in their renovation projects, but they are there.  Removal of old cabinetry and appliances requires minimal skills and specialized tools.  Many designers offer professional shopping services, where they come to you with cabinet and appliance styles and prices.  Doing your own shopping is another “sweat equity” tip that will allow you to put your budget dollars to better use.  Good luck with your kitchen renovation!