Getting a new kitchen is an exciting new chapter in anyone’s home improvement journey. Perhaps your needs have significantly changed over the past few years, or you’re just ready to embrace a new style for your home. No matter the reason for your kitchen remodeling project, you deserve the best results the first time—and it starts with understanding the possible pitfalls you may find yourself facing if you’re not careful.
Top 10 Kitchen Remodeling Mistakes You Should Avoid
1. Not Being Realistic With Your Budget
When planning your next kitchen remodeling project, it’s important to have logical expectations when it comes to the functional and aesthetic upgrades you want to do. You may want to research or look into the materials you want to use, their availability, how much they cost, and the specific installation or renovation services you’ll need. Knowing these important things beforehand will help you identify what’s achievable and allow you to come into your kitchen remodeling project feeling more confident in your budget.
2. Neglecting Your Home’s Structural Integrity
Starting a kitchen remodeling project without inspecting your home’s structure first will likely have you running into surprise problems down the road. Before installing things like new cabinets, appliances, and fixtures, it’s important to confirm that your kitchen’s bones can handle it and won’t compromise your new upgrades.
3. Overlooking Electrical Components
As you’re mapping out the layout and design of your new kitchen, you should always keep your appliances (existing and new additions) in mind, as well as any potential areas for gathering or idling. The outlets you place in your kitchen must be able to support the power requirements of your appliances and be in convenient locations that you or your family can easily or conveniently access. Consider adding extra electrical outlets, for example, if you’d like the option to charge your phone while you’re brewing your morning coffee. Furthermore, you should ensure that your home’s electrical system is solid before installing new components.
4. Oversizing Within a Small Space
Being realistic with your budget also includes being realistic about the space you’ve got. For particularly smaller kitchens, there’s only so much you get to do without tearing down walls and building a new structure. Be mindful of the kinds of kitchen remodeling upgrades you can do, but don’t opt for things like kitchen islands that can block pathways, as well as clearance for your appliance doors to operate properly.
5. Not Considering Storage Needs
Remodeling your kitchen shouldn’t be just about aesthetics; it should also be about functionality. Consider your current kitchen storage situation and how it can be improved. Do you currently have enough storage, or could you make use of space better to accommodate all your needs more fully? Are there some items in your kitchen that you can do without to make room for more important priorities? What spaces in your kitchen are currently not being used, and how can you convert those spaces into additional storage? These are all basic questions to start thinking about before setting your kitchen remodeling plans in place.
6. Underestimating Your Lighting
Lighting in any space plays a huge role in the overall feel of the room. More than that, it also ensures convenience and safety when in the kitchen. Installing new overhead as well as recessed lighting for certain areas (such as your countertops, stove, etc.) can be an excellent way to help your kitchen feel more functional and comfortable, but consider natural lighting options as well. Depending on your home, you may want to look into adding a skylight to your kitchen or even an additional window.
7. Forgetting to Be Mindful of Measurements
In a kitchen remodeling project, every component has to be precise in order to achieve the best results. More than just taking your cabinet and appliance dimensions into consideration, even things such as your sink faucet height and countertop-to-cabinet clearance should be factored into all of your kitchen remodeling decisions. Pro tip: keep a notepad or digital memo of your kitchen measurements for convenient access anytime and anywhere you need them.
8. Installing Appliances After Cabinets
As mentioned previously, precise measurements are critical to your new kitchen’s success. Your cabinets and appliances depend on each other in this aspect. It’s highly recommended that you don’t wait until your cabinets are set in place before you start purchasing your appliances; cabinets can be modified, while appliances pretty much come as they are. The best scenario would be to select your appliances alongside planning and designing your cabinets to ensure all pieces fit perfectly.
9. Disregarding High-Quality Materials
High-quality kitchen remodeling materials are made for a reason. While it may be tempting to go the cost-saving route on elements such as your kitchen cabinets or floors for better appliances and pretty fixtures, consider the long-term effects. Appliances and fixtures can be replaced. However, reworking your kitchen’s foundation requires going back to square one. Investing in high-quality cabinets, flooring, tiles, and kitchen remodeling services ensures that your new kitchen will last you many years to come.
10. Not Planning Strategically Before the Work Begins
Finally, it’s important to understand that not everything you visualize may work very well in execution. For this reason, you should always make sure to secure samples of any materials like paint, finishes, tiles, hardware, and more before you begin any work on your kitchen. Additionally, putting samples together may not always be enough to give you a full picture of what to expect. Work with an experienced kitchen remodeling contractor and designer to draw up the exact plans and specifications that you want so you can skip the stress of trying to put the pieces together yourself. At the end of the planning process, you deserve to feel happy about and confident in your kitchen remodeling project.
Expert Kitchen Remodeling in Ashburn, VA
At Fresh New Build, we want to make the process of kitchen remodeling in Ashburn, VA, as easy and stress-free as possible, which is why we give you clear plans and full guidance from the very beginning. Our skilled renovation team can manage every phase of your project, from planning to building to finishing touches. Whatever your renovation requirements may be, you can trust that we have the best possible solutions for you. Contact us today at (703) 755-5798 to learn more about our services.
