How to Plan Your Kitchen Renovation like A Pro

Of all the rooms in the house, your kitchen is the one space that demands the most attention, because you spend a lot of time in it too. Most people are fascinated with their kitchens, and rightly so . After all, it is the one room in the house where you get food! When renovating their homes, they make sure to renovate their kitchen for sure, and even otherwise, they would spend a lot of money to deck up their kitchen in the nicest way possible.

Every kitchen reflects the mood and personality of the homeowner, which is why you find differently styled kitchens in every home. If you are also looking to plan renovations, we will ensure that you can do it like a pro. There are various steps involved in this process, and we will help you navigate through all of them in detail. So, let’s dive in and see how you can go about remodeling your kitchen.

Planning the Best Kitchen Renovation Project for Your Home

As mentioned above, your kitchen is like a studio where you craft exquisite dishes for the entire family. Even if you live alone, you would like to cook nice meals for yourself while listening to music and sipping a drink. For this to be enjoyable, you should have a kitchen that uplifts your mood, and for this, it needs to have the best décor that reflects your thoughts.

Without further ado, let’s have a look at the planning process and the steps you can follow to make your renovations a hit.

Deciding on the Style

When it comes to choosing a style for your kitchen, you will be faced with hundreds of different choices, but you can categorize them between traditional kitchens or contemporary kitchens. Each of them have their advantages and downsides, with some having more natural lighting than the other, some offering more storage space, while others provide more counter space and cooking range.

The style of your kitchen should depend on your taste and sense of design. For instance, if you like country or farmhouse-styled kitchens, then you can go for a rustic look with a warm ambience. On the other hand, if your kitchen is small and you are looking for something modern, there are a hundred different chic designs that you can select from.

Once you have locked down the design for your kitchen, you have officially started your planning and have also completed the first major step in it. Make sure to conduct extensive research for this step and also look at images of styled kitchens, so that you know how your kitchen may look with a particular style. You will also be able to determine whether a certain style is even possible to implement in your kitchen or not.

Finalizing the Kitchen Layout

Once you have completed the crucial first step of choosing a style for your kitchen, the next step involves selecting a layout, i.e. how you want to place your fixtures and counters, as well as the kitchen cabinets. Moreover, you also choose how you want to utilize the space that you have. The best way to go about this is to determine how many people you would normally have in the kitchen and, more importantly, how many people will actually be working in the kitchen at the same time. Often, you see two people managing the cooking, or everyone is cooking their own breakfast. In cases like these, you will need more space to move around, as well as a larger cooking range.

Another thing you should determine is whether the proposed layout will fit into your current space, or you will have to make some adjustments to it. The layout should be practical enough so as to fit perfectly in your lifestyle so that you don’t have to waste any time in getting used to the new setting. Everything should be easily accessible to you and if the kitchen is a common space for multiple people in the house, they shouldn’t be bumping into each other while doing their work.

Your kitchen layout will also feature electrical work, i.e. where you want the power outlets to be. If you are rearranging the entire structure, then you may also have to move the sockets around for maximum utility and convenience. For this purpose, you will need the help of an electrician in Vancouver, who provides you with the best consultation, as well as a rundown of how things are to be done.

Some people also like to set up tables or bar stools on their counters, so that people can also socialize while cooking, or eat their meals inside the kitchen. When you have some informal guests over, you can continue to entertain them while you cook, and they can also admire the décor of your kitchen while sitting on a barstool. Overall, you need a functional space that has everything you need, while also looking like something out of a magazine.

Taking Accurate Measurements

Once you have locked down the style and layout of the kitchen, it is time to grab the measuring tape and take accurate measurements of your kitchen space. These will help you get the material that will be used in the renovation, and it will also help you determine the cost of your project according to the size of each item. Moreover, if you are planning to change your kitchen fixtures and appliances as well, you need to know how much space you can give to each appliance in the new layout so that you can buy stuff accordingly.

Most people get in touch with renovation companies or experts to renovate their kitchens, and there is no harm in doing so. Moreover, you can also involve the experts during the measurement phase, so that they can double-check each measurement carefully, and also give you solid ideas according to the available space you have in your home.

Plus, if you have a contractor or electrician in Vancouver involved in the process, they will be able to tell you if there is any repair or installation work that needs to be done along with the renovation. This way, you can get the work done properly so that you don’t have to face any issues in the future. Consulting an expert during renovations always proves to be beneficial, because they can also validate your ideas or give you new ones.

Choosing the Right Time to Start

Usually, the planning phase can take anywhere between one to three months, and rightly so. Your kitchen won’t be touched for another five to ten years, which is why you should be more meticulous in your planning and do everything perfectly. Therefore, you should also decide when the best time to start renovations would be, because you can’t just uproot your kitchen on a day’s notice.

Most experts say that the best time to get work done on your kitchens is during the spring and summer months, because it will be easier for you to arrange alternate sources for cooking your food, and you can even make do with microwaveable dishes sometimes. Plus, there is also more daylight during these seasons, which means that you can get more work done during the day.

If your kitchen renovation project involves uprooting the entire kitchen and rebuilding it from scratch, then it can easily take two to three months to finish, and maybe even more. Make sure that you have alternate options ready before you start working on your renovation, and that you have backups ready at all times.

Setting a Budget

One of the most important things to do in any renovation project is to determine how much money you can actually spend on it. When it comes to kitchen renovations, you can spend as much as you like, provided that the renovations actually provide value to you. Once you have decided on the style, layout, and have also taken the measurements, you can use this information to get estimates for your project, and if you have hired a renovation company, they will be able to help you with this.

Now that you have an estimate of how much it should cost to renovate your home, the next step is to see if this aligns with your budget or not. You might have to make some adjustments or compromises to make it fit. Moreover, always keep a buffer of at least 15-20% of your project cost, because no project is ever completed in the predefined budget, mainly because there are always price fluctuations, delays, and other issues.

Setting a Timeline

When you have a practical idea of the design and other requirements of your kitchen renovation project, you should know how much time it will take to complete the project, since you will be practical without a kitchen all this time. If the project is going to take one month to finish, you can expect to be kitchen-less for at least 35-40 days.

Also, having a timeline will help you avoid unnecessary costs and expenditures. For instance, if the work is committed to being finished within one month, then you can ask your neighbor or a friend if you can cook meals for the entire day or week at their home, and then freeze it. This way, you just have to reheat your food and eat it, and you won’t have to waste any money in eating out or ordering in.

One thing to keep in mind is that even when you have a timeline, there is always going to be an overflow, which is caused due to unforeseen issues or occurrences that happen during the project. Therefore, just like your budget, prepare yourself for 15-20% more time than what the contractor has promised. Even if they are being too enthusiastic about finishing the project on time, you should prepare for the worst.

Choosing the Design Elements

You have selected the style and layout of your kitchen, but what about the design? Yes, design is separate from style, and we are talking about the type and design of kitchen cabinets, countertops, appliances, lighting, flooring, splashbacks, and also the tiles. For this, you should take as much time as you want, since you won’t get to redo your kitchen if you don’t like it.

Make sure to check out different kitchen décor options online or in magazines, and look at different ideas through photos. You can also have a look at the blogs and channels of famous interior designers and see how they play with different color palettes and designs in their work. This will help you get a perfect idea of how you want your kitchen to look.

When it comes to designing a kitchen that you want, you might have an ideal kitchen design in your mind somewhere, and you just need to bring it out and choose the design elements accordingly. Just make sure you enjoy this step the most, because who doesn’t love looking at designs, colors, and so many different options?

Emptying the Kitchen

Now that you have planned everything and have given the green signal to the contractor, it is time for you to start emptying your kitchen. This would involve packing up all of your crockery and utensils, and also your appliances, and everything else in your kitchen. Basically, your kitchen will be stripped bare, so you can’t leave a single thing inside it.

Plus, if your kitchen has the refrigerator and microwave in it, among other appliances, they must go too. You might need some help to empty out your kitchen, but be very careful while packing your glass items, as you don’t want to lose your precious crockery at all.

If you are just fiddling with the countertops and appliances in your kitchen and getting your kitchen painted, then you might not have to empty out the kitchen cabinets. Otherwise, everything must go. It is preferred to remove everything from your kitchen because even the smallest mishap can cause major damage.

When you are at this stage, you will already have gotten renovations started at your home, or the contractors might just have gotten there and will be inspecting everything. Make sure you put all your kitchen stuff in a safe and secure location, where it doesn’t get damaged by anything.

Monitoring the Work

If you are present in your home while renovations are taking place, then you would be able to monitor the work progress every now and then. However, if you have decided to move somewhere else, or if you go to work during the day when the work is going on, make sure to check in with the contractor and see if everything is going according to plan.

Make sure to check in every few days, so that you know what is being done and how things are going. This will also help you keep an eye on the timeline and gauge whether it is being followed properly or not. Plus, it is not a good idea to leave your home unattended for long hours, especially when you have people coming in and out for renovating the kitchen.

Culminating the Project

Once the renovation experts are done with renovating your kitchen, you should marvel at what has been created. As we mentioned above, the result should be something out of a design magazine, and it should be just what you wanted to do. However, there may be some things that aren’t done as you would have hoped, and it is your right to ask the contractor to fix the small things that you think need redoing.

Of course, the major things can’t be redone, because it would cost a lot of money, but you can always get minor changes done. Make sure to discuss this with your contractor beforehand, so that there are no discrepancies.

When you are satisfied with the work completed, only then can you give the team a thumbs up and pay them for their hard work. It may also be possible that you select different contractors for different tasks. For instance, you get the entire renovation work done from one agency but for the electrical work, you look for a reliable electrician in Vancouver to do it. A simple search for an “electrician near me” will turn up a lot of reliable people for you.

And that is how you pull off a carefully planned and perfectly executed kitchen renovation project that will transform your kitchen into something else entirely. When you are starting to look for kitchen layouts and designs, make sure that you choose something that appeals to you, and it should also be something that you can bear to look at every day. We have seen people getting the brightest colors for their fixtures, and having a headache every time they looked at their kitchen.

Therefore, take all the time you need for planning and deciding on the small details, so that the end result is something that you love.