Once you find the right time to remodel your kitchen, fear may strike. What if something goes wrong? What if you hate it? How long does a kitchen renovation take? The good news is that you can put a lot of these concerns to rest, simply by planning ahead and taking your time to ensure that you know what you want. With these tips, you’ll know what to avoid for your Charlotte kitchen remodel.
What Happens If You Have a Poorly Planned Kitchen?
A kitchen with a bad design or poor flow is absolutely excruciating to use. You run out of space for your kitchen gadgets, small appliances, and food. Nothing is where you need it to be. You’re spending more energy zooming around the kitchen to finish simple tasks, and cooking just isn’t fun anymore. The situation starts to break down by the end of the first week. If you follow the right steps to remodel a kitchen and hire a professional with kitchen planning experience, you can keep this future from becoming yours.
Wondering how much a kitchen remodel costs? Here are some figures to help you get started.
What to Avoid When Doing a Kitchen Remodel?
There are several common things you should try to avoid during your kitchen remodel. We’ve made a list to help you figure out what not to do, as well as some alternatives to consider.
1. Not Planning Ahead
A custom kitchen is supposed to solve problems. The minute you start focusing on how your parents or your neighbors remodeled their kitchen, you may get stuck on the expectations of others. Some homeowners use the kitchen as the hub of the household, while others rely on it primarily for snacks and food storage. Determine your needs as you plan, and you’ll end up with a functional, organized kitchen.
Want a kitchen tailored to you? Check out our custom kitchens and bathroom services.
2. Failing to Plan for Proper Clearances
When you look at a crowded kitchen design, do you feel a little cramped? Extra storage and counter space are nice, and everyone has to make the best of small kitchens at times. But if you have no room to move, you’re going to find preparing, cooking, and cleaning to be a complete nightmare. Make sure to provide adequate space, even if that means expanding the floorplan.
3. Designing for Aesthetics, Not Function
Everyone wants a breathtaking kitchen, but the function is ultimately going to be more important than aesthetics. Start with the kitchen triangle, which is three straight lines of flow that allow the best spacing between the sink, range, and fridge. Make sure that the kitchen is designed to make prep & cooking easier, and you’ll be better off.
4. Skimping on Storage
A lack of storage is one of the worst kitchen design mistakes because you will outgrow the kitchen within a few months. Storage is important - you don’t want to have to set aside another room for your pantry. Without storage, your small appliances clutter up the workspace on the countertops. Instead, consider built-in pantries and appliance nooks or drawers.
5. Putting Ventilation on the Back Burner
Ventilation is a major part of your kitchen’s function, even if you can’t see it. A good ventilation hood above the range dissipates cooking odors more quickly and helps you to manage the increased humidity while you cook. If you don’t have enough of it, you’ll be more likely to have family members and friends asking about last night’s dinner because they can still smell it.
6. Choosing the Backsplash Last-Minute
The backsplash serves as a functional part of your kitchen, most functional when it runs from countertop to the underside of your upper cabinets. There are some kitchen backsplash trends to avoid, such as hand-painted or high maintenance tile. Instead, choose a nice tile or stone and let it protect your walls the way it should.
7. Forgetting About Appliances
If it seems like all appliances are the same, and you can just check what’s on sale near the end of your project, you might be headed toward disaster. Appliances come in a lot of common sizes, but that does not mean that the one you want is going to fit perfectly into an existing kitchen design. If you want appliances that look like they were built in with the project instead of an afterthought, it’s wise to choose them at the beginning and design the cabinets around them.
What Are Some Common Mistakes in Home Renovations?
There are a few common mistakes in home renovations. As a homeowner, you’ll want to try to avoid them:
- Failing to discuss your budget early on
- Choosing trends over your own preferences
- Hiring a contractor who doesn’t have experience in your project
- Skimping on quality because you want to save money
Asking about their experience is one of the top questions to ask a contractor. By planning in advance, you can reduce the chances that any of these will happen to you.
What Are the Worst Mistakes You Can Make as an Interior Designer?
The worst mistakes you can make as a designer include:
- Failing to ask clients how they use their kitchen currently and what they want to change/add
- Making overly-trendy selections
- Forgetting about flow
- Not talking about costs from the beginning
Regular communication with clients is the best way to keep these problems from happening.
At Hopedale Builders, we work hard to provide you with all the information you need to make the right decision and avoid common remodeling mistakes. For more information, download our kitchen and bath remodeling cost guide. And when you’re ready, contact us to talk to an expert contractor.
