Whether you’re doing a major kitchen renovation or a moderate update, planning a kitchen remodel can create an extremely stressful and challenging environment for everyone in the home. So before you hire the contractor or choose a hammer, consider these valuable expert tips to help you make the best decisions when tackling your kitchen redesign and avoid costly mistakes.

Do your research.

• Do your due diligence and educate yourself on what’s out there in the world and the design market. There is an endless variety of cabinets, countertops, backsplashes, appliances, and flooring materials on the market, so find out what works best for you.
• Pick up some kitchen design magazines and focus on the kitchen and interior styles that appeal to you. It doesn’t matter if it’s a window style, a cabinet detail, or a paint color you love. Just tear out the pages and make notes indicating what you specifically like about it. Is it the 6-burner stainless steel stove, those beautiful French doors, or the overall design of the kitchen?
• Create an inspiration file and use it as a starting point. Once you know what you like, you’ll be more decisive at the planning stage, saving you time and money.

Resist the latest fashions.

• Fashions in products and interior design do not have the longevity of an established style, or even a new trend, that could have a long-term influence.
• For example: the brilliant photo of the turquoise French oven that you fell madly in love with should remain on the pages of the magazine. Ask yourself: Will you still love that range 10 years from now? A color like that will give your kitchen an instant date, so opt for more timeless neutral colors and finishes.
• Keep all the expensive items like cabinets, appliances, and countertops sleeker and more timeless, but dress up the backsplash for added flair. If it’s that apple-tini green color you’re craving, paint a wall or two and install some decorative pendant lights over the island to give your kitchen the infusion of color it needs.

Efficiency is key.

• Design your kitchen for the way you really live and don’t sacrifice function for design.
• Of course, your new kitchen needs to look spectacular, but not at the expense of overall efficiency. Make it a working kitchen.
• Your kitchen design should be at the top of your priority list and should be designed with precise planning and great attention to detail, making every inch count.

Don’t do it yourself.

• I know that I know. You always hear that if you do DIY you will save a lot of MONEY.
• The reality is that DIY projects typically take 3-4 times longer than a highly-skilled contractor to get the job done, and eventually 20% of ambitious home remodelers will need professional back-up, not just to complete the contractor’s job. , but also to repair the damage that the owners themselves have caused.

Hire the right contractor.

• I recommend you seriously consider hiring a general contractor (GC) when your kitchen projects are more complicated than just refinishing or painting.
• If your job involves tearing down walls, building new ones, or relocating and supplementing plumbing and electrical systems, you should definitely consider hiring a general contractor. While most general contractors do a fabulous job and come highly recommended, I’ve found that there are still a lot of unscrupulous characters out there! So be careful – get referrals and see their work! The last thing you want is to be ripped off by the very person you entrusted with delivering your dream kitchen.
• Do your best to find the right contractor for you so that all the time and money you spend planning, budgeting, and designing your kitchen is in the right hands.