New Kitchen Time
You’re getting a new kitchen. What are the steps to making
it a success?
Design, style, and function.
These are three of the most critical choices you will make
for your new kitchen. Done correctly these three elements will go far in giving
you long term satisfaction of your new kitchen. Done improperly and you will
regret it for years to come. A properly designed kitchen layout will add food
preparation ease as well as resale value if you decide to sell.
The kitchen has evolved into the heart of the home, becoming
a favorite gathering place for family and friends. It is less likely to be a separate area whose
sole purpose is to prepare food. Making it a hospitable and functional area
requires planning
You will need to decide what your comfort zone is as far as
design and style. Do you want to stay with the motif of the home or do you want
to make the kitchen a special oasis that fits your personality, allowing you to
use materials other than what is found in the rest of the home.
What do you like about your current kitchen? What do you
dislike? Are you staying within the current wall structure or are you removing
walls? Is the kitchen going to be a one
cook kitchen or does it need to be able to handle multiple people at one time?
Are there any special storage requirements such as for large cooking utensils?
.An experienced kitchen designer can guide you through the
decisions that need to be made. The
knowledge that they have accumulated from doing many different layouts allows
them to suggest ways that you have not been involved with. A good designer will
ask lots of questions and offer suggestions to bring your dream to fruition.
Stock versus custom
There are basically 3 ways to get your new cabinets. Build
them yourself, stock cabinets from a cabinet manufacturer, or customized
cabinets from a cabinetmaker. When you compare apples to apples they are all about
the same price.
You may ask how this can be. Let’s compare.
Build them yourself and you save the labor if you don’t
value you time. You will pay retail for materials and hardware to go into the
cabinets. This is normally about twice what a cabinet shop would pay. Any
leftover material will become dunnage which you will probably need to pay to
dispose of. If you don’t have the equipment already you will need to purchase
for a one time project. Finishing will need to be done manually unless you have
a spray booth or are willing to risk overspray on items in the area you are
finishing. The big benefit of building them yourself will be the satisfaction
of saying “I did it my self”
Stock cabinets are manufactured in larger plants and sold
through home improvement stores. The manufacturer needs to make a profit and
then the reseller needs a substantial markup to cover their business costs.
Purchase stock cabinets and you will need to live with the 3” increment
limitations and use multiple fillers or pay a premium for customizing. Some of the truly custom looks can’t be
produced at all. Stock cabinetry tends to go with the one size fits all
approach. If your home is truly built on 3” increments this might be cheaper.
Custom built cabinets from a cabinet makers shop are built
to fit your homes requirement. You may want to go to the ceiling with your
cabinets but your ceilings may only be 94 ½ high compared to 96” standard. With
stock you would then need to reduce the space between upper cabinets and
countertops or go to next shorter increment which may be 6” shorter. A
cabinetmaker will just make the cabinets 1 ½ “shorter.
A cabinet shop competes by purchasing materials at wholesale
to produce your kitchen and doesn’t incur the expense of a middleman. They
already have equipment which is amortized across years of production on many
jobs. You are only paying for a small percentage of their cost.
Cabinetmakers are knowledgeable in constructing cabinets and
are able to maximize function and storage in your new kitchen. You receive a
more balanced look in your cabinetry because they can build to fit the space. I
like to use the example of a 45” wide opening. If you used stock cabinets you
would either put in three 15” cabinets or one 24” and one 21” cabinet. A
cabinet maker will make two 22 ½”cabinets instead. A more balanced look is
achieved.
Accessories
Today’s kitchen can achieve maximum function through the
wide array of accessories available. They allow for increased organization and
access. Ranging from 2 tier cutlery drawers, pull down spice organizers, to
rollout trays in lower cabinets, and pullout waste and recycle bins. Replacing
the old fashioned lazy susan is a snap with the KornerKing corner cabinet
solution. This system combines the access of a drawer with the side storage of
a lazy susan.
Diy or Contracted out?
It is tempting to do your project your self. Consider these
issues before you take that plunge. Do you have the time to coordinate all the
facets of the job? From doing the design properly to coordinating the trades
that will be needed it becomes a labor intensive undertaking. If you are doing
some of the work yourself, your production or lack of it will affect when the
trades people can come in.
You will be using plumbers, electricians, flooring
contractors, cabinet installers, painters, and maybe drywallers to get your
project completed. For each of these trades you are probably a one time project
in a steady stream of work they do. They will schedule your work for a certain
time, and other work around your project. The problem arises when you or one of
the trades gets off schedule it puts the rest off schedule. If the electrician
is unable to get the correct parts for your job his next opening may be several
days off. This means the other trades need to re adjust their schedules and it
can start to snowball. Be prepared to make this a full time commitment or to be
very patient.
A general contractor will work as your advocate in the
process. They will coordinate any permitting that needs to be done. They have a
stable of subcontractors who rely on them for work and will adjust their
schedules to fit your project. As a cabinetmaker and installer I use several
Contractors who work with my schedule to make the job flow smoothly. They come
in the amount of time they need early so the homeowners downtime is minimized.
I provide them with a substantial volume of work so they keep me and my
customers taken care of.
A general contractor also offers you protection if accidents
happen. They carry insurance to protect you and them if damage occurs. This
will give you excellent peace of mind.
Budget Busters
If money was no object the sky would be the limit.
Unfortunately that is not always the case and you need to make choices. This
can range from wood selections to appliance selections to countertops. Here are
a few tips on how to get back on budget.
The first place I have homeowners look to is countertop
selection. In recent years solid surface countertops have been very popular.
The new Laminate countertops are available at a fraction of the cost generally
resulting in several thousand’s of dollars savings. Because of the laminates
many customers are choosing them with the idea of replacing with solid surface
in a few years. They feel it is better to do this than to go with a downgrade
of the cabinetry.
Can the scope of the project be reduced without losing
function? This might entail not putting in quite as many cabinets. I have a
number of clients who make it a two part project. Do the important things first
and if the budget allows add the rest at the end.
Regarding appliances, this is another way to reduce the
project cost. Do you really need all of the features that are available?
Final Thoughts
“What are the latest trends?” or “Should I be doing this
(whatever this is) in case we decide to sell in a few years?”
I get questions like this all the time. My response is don’t
worry about the latest trends or doing it for the next homeowner. Do it for
yourself. You are the one who will be living with your decisions after the
project is complete. Do it your way.
Doing a new kitchen can be a gratifying or discouraging
process depending on the people you choose. Choose wisely. Select 2 or 3
contractors to look at your project. Be prepared to pay for design work they
will do for you. It’s a small price to pay to know you are getting someone who
understands your needs and is able to put it on paper.
Now, take a deep breath and start making lists. |