Revealing the Most Common Kitchen Remodeling Mistakes

If you’re looking to remodel your kitchen, make sure you’re aware of these common kitchen remodeling mistakes. Even if you’re planning to enlist the help of a general contractor, knowing these mistakes beforehand will help you communicate better with your contractor so you can achieve your ideal kitchen as quickly and easily as possible. Let’s dive in and learn how to avoid them before they become problems.

1. Underestimating Cost

2. Underestimating Time

3. Making Changes After the Work Begins

4. Choosing Appliances After Cabinetry

5. Choosing The Wrong Flooring

6. Failing to Include Enough Storage and Counter Space

7. Overloading and Oversizing Islands

8. Forgetting About Your Surroundings

9. Improperly Wiring Kitchen Outlets

10. Ignoring the Aesthetics

11. Conclusion

Mistake 1: Underestimating Cost

Before you hire a contractor, talk to them about how much your kitchen remodel will cost. You may have already had an idea in mind, but seeing their estimate will provide clarity and give you a good idea of what work is actually involved.

Note that remodels vary wildly depending on geographic location and size, but a professional will be able to give you an accurate estimate based on their past experience.

Mistake 2: Underestimating Time

Renovating your kitchen is no small task. There are a lot of logistics to consider when planning out your project. The biggest mistake most homeowners make is underestimating how much time it will take to complete their kitchen remodel.

Taking shortcuts, such as skipping over steps in order to save money, can backfire and cost you more time and money than you saved by making such shortcuts in the first place.

Mistake 3: Making Changes After the Work Begins

Making changes after work begins is typically more expensive than before the work begins. The contractor will have to go back and redo things that have already been done, and you’ll also be paying for their time and productivity while they do it. Any reputable contractor will tell you: Make sure you know exactly what you want beforehand.

The best way to make sure that a project goes smoothly from start to finish is by doing your homework ahead of time.

Mistake 4: Choosing Appliances After Cabinetry

Appliances make up 40 percent of your kitchen remodel costs. So, you’ll want to choose them carefully. Think about how you plan to use each appliance, how long it will take to pay off, and if you’re willing to wait for it—and get rid of your existing appliances.

Mistake 5: Choosing The Wrong Flooring

Choosing flooring that doesn’t fit with your design can be a nightmare. Here are some things to think about when choosing what style of flooring to use in your kitchen remodel. If you want to ensure your new floors look great, keep these things in mind before making any final decisions.

Material and Durability
Style
Maintenance
Budget

Mistake 6: Failing to Include Enough Storage and Counter Space

The kitchen is where most of us spend time preparing meals, organizing food, and cleaning up after ourselves. As such, it’s probably no surprise that kitchens get a lot of use—which means they need to be able to store large amounts of food in a small space.

They also need countertops and cupboards to keep those items organized while they’re not being used. You should plan for enough storage so you can have plenty of room for pots, pans, dishes, spices, and all your other cooking tools. You should also plan for enough counter space so you have somewhere to work on recipes or organize your ingredients before cooking them.

Mistake 7: Overloading and Oversizing Islands

This is one of our most common kitchen remodeling mistakes. While most people want a spacious island, many don’t plan to use it. If you can’t envision how you’ll use your kitchen island, it’s probably too big.

Another thing to consider: islands must be sturdy and heavy since they typically have both appliances and countertop space. Oversizing islands can throw off your entire kitchen layout.

Mistake 8: Forgetting About Your Surroundings

When you’re completely immersed in a renovation project, it can be easy to forget about your surroundings. One mistake many homeowners make is focusing too much on their kitchen and ignoring other rooms in their homes, such as bathrooms and outdoor areas.

Incorporating these spaces into your renovation plan will help ensure that you don’t miss any details throughout your project.

Mistake 9: Improperly Wiring Kitchen Outlets

Get an electrician in to rewire all of your outlets. You don’t want half of your new appliances coming on when they should be turned off or vice versa. Improper wiring can also lead to problems in other parts of your home that are wired through those same outlets.

Before you start throwing around money on cabinets and countertops, have a professional electrician come in and wire up everything properly.

Mistake 10: Ignoring the Aesthetics

It’s easy to get caught up in functionality when you’re planning your kitchen renovation. But don’t forget about aesthetics. A space that is functional but ugly isn’t going to add much value to your home—or happiness, for that matter.

Before you begin your project, take time to consider what design elements will appeal to both your taste and prospective buyers.

Get more than one opinion if necessary. Remodeling mistakes can cost more money down the road.

Conclusion

There are a number of things to keep in mind when remodeling your kitchen. The process may seem overwhelming at first, but by keeping these tips in mind you can ensure that your kitchen renovation will be as successful as possible

Revealing the Most Common Kitchen Remodeling Mistakes

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