Avoid These Mistakes When Remodelling Your Home's Kitchen

A kitchen remodel can help to make it more functional for food prep, and can open up the space for eating and entertaining. A kitchen remodel can also add value to your home, so it's a project to consider if you know you might put your home on the real estate market one day. If you're thinking of remodelling your kitchen for any reason, note a few common mistakes homeowners often make during this job, so you can avoid them yourself and end up with a kitchen you'll love for years to come.

Budget

It's always good to leave some extra room in your budget for unforeseen expenses, even if you think you've priced your materials down to the last dollar. One reason for this is that your kitchen might need more work than you expect; for example, if you pull up floorboards or tear down a wall and find water damage to the home's framework, you might need to replace some studs or beams.

You might also waste some material during the work by cutting it wrong, using too much or not enough adhesive, and so on. Replacing that wasted material can then start to get costly. Always leave extra room in your budget for these issues, or your remodelling work may get stalled until you can afford those fixes and needed materials.

Working without a plan

If your kitchen remodel involves very minor changes, such as swapping out your appliances for new brands and repainting the cabinets, then you may not need a plan to proceed. However, if you're going to change the footprint of the kitchen in any way, you want to draw up a plan beforehand. A plan will help you to note if cabinet and appliance doors will have adequate clearance to open, and if there will be room for foot traffic around your new island. Don't simply "eyeball" your design, but draw up a plan so that you don't overlook any of these details.

Know what's beyond your expertise

One common mistake made by homeowners is thinking that they can handle a kitchen remodel on their own, especially if they're just putting down new tile or cutting out a wall for a pass-through area. However, even the simplest of remodelling tasks can get complicated; you might find electrical wires behind that section of the wall you cut, and tiles that aren't installed properly will look uneven and crooked. Don't be too proud, or too cheap, to hire help for your remodel, so you know it gets done right.

Share