Thinking about remodeling your kitchen? You’ll want a functional and attractive kitchen offering room for preparing meals and suitable for entertaining. Your real estate agent will tell you, your budget guideline should be no more than 15 percent of a home’s total value for remodeling a kitchen. You risk losing money at resale, if you spend more than that. Your first step in the process is formulating a plan.

The three basic kitchen functions are storage, preparation and clean-up. You might look at a design incorporating multiple work stations within the kitchen. This allows more cooks in the kitchen, each working efficiently without stumbling over each other.

Design these work centers with a good amount of counter space, each next to the sink or a major appliance. One of these work centers may be an island with a butcher block counter top. Add a second sink to this island and you have kicked your productive work space up a notch.

Basic kitchen cabinet styles are European-style (frameless) and face-framed cabinets. These have a variety of door, wood and finish options.

Kitchen counter top choices will include solid surface, marble and granite tops, or tile and laminate surfaces, among others. Visit a local home center to view the many options.

Kitchen sinks are made of solid surface, cast iron, stainless steel
and plastic materials. These are mounted either top-mount or undermount with a combination of sizes and features: single-bowl, double-bowl, deep or shallow. Various faucets offer different finishes: polished brass or nickel, brushed nickel, chrome, and stainless steel. Options and price ranges include pull-out sprayers, single-levers, double-handled.

To find help with designing your new kitchen, contact a local home design center, or qualified kitchen remodeling contractor.

Related posts:

1. Replacing Your Old Kitchen Sink
2. Why You Should Use Stainless Steel In A Kitchen Remodel
3. Choosing a Kitchen Island – Fixed or Mobile?
4. Practical Kitchen Concepts – The Backsplash
5. Single Vs. Double Basin Kitchen Sinks

This entry was posted on Friday, December 26th, 2008 at 11:47 am and is filed under Kitchens. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.