How to Plan the Perfect Kitchen Remodel

Your kitchen is one of the most important rooms in your home. It’s where you prepare and eat meals with your family. It’s where guests often congregate during gatherings. It’s where priceless memories are built year after year. Based on its heavy usage and the important role the kitchen plays in the enjoyment of your home, it should come as no surprise that kitchen remodels typically top the list of home improvement projects.

While a kitchen model can be exciting, it’s also often stressful and overwhelming. Planning the perfect kitchen remodel requires a clear vision, a detailed plan and a well structured process that includes budgeting, design, materials and execution. Breaking the project down into a series of phases will help make it easier to ensure the process is handled properly. The following tips will help you plan a project that delivers the beautiful, functional kitchen you deserve.

Assess Your Current Kitchen

The first step in planning your kitchen remodel is to assess your current kitchen to determine what works well and what needs improvement. This will help you understand the key items that need to be addressed as part of your remodel. When putting together your list of necessary improvements, consider items such as kitchen layout, workspace efficiency, storage capacity, lighting, and appliances.

Define Your Goals for the Project

Once you understand the strengths and weaknesses of your existing kitchen, it’ll be easier to identify your primary goals for the remodel. Outlining your goals will help you develop a plan that addresses the most important items you need to improve. Start by making a list of your desired upgrades and features. Prioritize your goals into two lists – one for essential items and another for things that will be nice to have if you’re able to fit them into your budget.

When defining your goals, think about the ways you use your kitchen on a daily basis and which features will help improve the functionality you require. Your goals should include a combination of functional upgrades and aesthetic preferences. Some of the potential items to consider include:

• The layout and workflow that will best meet your needs
• The amount of storage space you need
• The amount and type of lighting you’ll need
• Your desired color scheme and kitchen style

Set a Realistic Budget

Before you can plan your kitchen remodel, it’s important to set a realistic budget based on what you can afford to spend. Setting a budget will help you determine the scope of what you can include in your project, as well as whether you need to choose economy, mid-grade or high-end products.

There are a variety of factors that can impact the total cost of your kitchen remodel, and it’s easy for your budget to spiral out of control if you don’t establish clear spending limits at the beginning of the planning process. It’s helpful to break your budget down into categories such as cabinets, appliances, countertops, fixtures, construction costs, labor, hardware, and other expenses that will be required.

Make sure to build a buffer into your budget. Very few kitchen remodels go exactly as planned, and unexpected challenges often arise once the work begins. If you don’t plan for these unexpected challenges and expenses in your budget, you risk spending more money than you can afford on your remodel. A good rule of thumb is to devote 10-20% of your total budget for unexpected expenses.

Look for Inspiration and Determine Your Preferred Kitchen Style

It can be helpful to search for inspiration when figuring out your preferred kitchen style. This will not only help you crystalize your desired look and functionality, but also make it easier to convey these preferences to your kitchen designer. Browse online kitchen image galleries and collect images or samples that reflect your personal taste. When looking at potential ideas, consider how your preferred style fits within your kitchen’s available space and aligns with your home’s décor.

Hire a Kitchen Designer

Your kitchen designer will be your dedicated partner throughout your remodel project, and they will play a critical role in helping to bring your vision to life. Your kitchen designer will help you optimize your kitchen layout, solve design challenges, select the right cabinetry and countertops for your needs, and prevent costly errors that can blow up your budget.

Always do your research when looking for a kitchen design professional and ensure you find someone that is a good fit for your needs. When talking to kitchen designers:

• Ask about their experience with kitchen remodels
• Discuss their typical timeline
• Ask how they address unexpected issues that arise during the project
• Discuss their communication style and project management approach
• Establish clear expectations for your project goals upfront

Potential red flags to watch for are contractors who lack proper licensing or insurance, ask for large upfront payments or refuse to provide a detailed contract. If a contractor isn’t transparent about costs, this is also a cause for concern.

Once you’ve hired a kitchen designer, they will work closely with you throughout the remainder of the planning process to help bring your vision to life. This includes:

• Taking measurements of your kitchen to determine the best layout and storage options to optimize the space
• Deciding on the kitchen layout and how to configure appliances throughout the room
• Choosing materials for cabinets and countertops
• Arranging for you to meet with contractors to perform the renovation work

Common Kitchen Remodel Mistakes to Avoid

Even with extremely careful and detailed planning, it’s still possible to end up with a new kitchen design that doesn’t provide the lasting enjoyment of the space you desire. Avoiding the following kitchen remodel pitfalls will help ensure you’re happy with the final outcome:

• Prioritizing style over function
• Neglecting to adequately address your storage needs
• Choosing trendy designs that may look dated in a few years
• Underestimating costs
• Failing to plan for unexpected expenses in your budget
• Poorly allocating your budget (i.e., spending on high-end finishes while sacrificing the quality of critical items such as appliances, cabinetry or countertops)

Sander & Sons Can Bring Your Vision to Life

Having the right kitchen design partner to help plan your remodel is critical to achieving a final outcome that looks beautiful, meets your functionality needs and optimizes the space. At Sander & Sons, we have over 25 years of experience with kitchen design and remodel projects, and we’ve helped many homeowners in the Denver area create an amazing kitchen that elevates their enjoyment of their home. Our team will work closely with you throughout the entire process to help bring your vision to life.

As a family-owned business, we understand the difference that exceptional service and a personalized touch make when remodeling your kitchen. Our team will always go the extra mile to address all your needs and ensure every aspect of the project – from initial planning through all finishing touches – is handled with the utmost care and attention to detail.

We start the process by working closely with you to understand your goals for the remodel and your vision for how your new kitchen should look and function. These discussions will help us develop a kitchen remodel plan that is tailored to your specific needs and vision. Our team offers comprehensive services and can coordinate every phase of the project. We work with an extensive network of contractors, designers and builders, providing a hassle free experience from start to finish.

In addition, we carry a wide range of premium products at affordable prices, allowing us to deliver high-quality results that provide tremendous value regardless of your budget. When you work with Sander & Sons, you’ll benefit from an experienced kitchen design partner who is truly dedicated to delivering the exceptional results you deserve.

Contact us today to schedule a consultation. Sander & Sons serves customers in Denver and the surrounding areas.