Renovations are a significant and worthwhile investment with extreme benefits for your family’s lifestyle and well-being, as well as adding value to your home. There’s a lot that goes into a renovation, and because of that – it’s easy to overlook something and realize it later, perhaps when it’s too late. Planning ahead and working with a designer are sure ways to minimize any “I wish we would have’s”.
Below is a list of helpful tips to think about as you plan your renovation or remodel:
- Do you have young children and/or pets? You may want to talk to your designer about the durability of various cabinet materials and the ease of keeping cabinets clean.
- How do you want to function in your kitchen? What currently works well that you’d like to keep, and what would you like to change or relocate? For example, do you want your cutlery drawer next to your dishwasher or sink so cutlery is easy to put away when clean? Or does it make more sense to have your cutlery drawer close to your plates and dishes? Think of proper “homes” for kitchen items that work best for you and your family.
- Storage and organization is key in the kitchen. Urban Effects Cabinetry offers a wide selection of storage and organization solutions that are quite frankly – a game-changer! Think about solutions that would make you more efficient when cooking and preparing meals. Do you cook with a lot of spices? Having a dedicated spice rack pull-out might be your new best friend! Do pantry items get pushed to the back of the cabinet and forgotten about? A pantry with slide out trays allows you to see everything at once and find items easily. If getting on your hands and knees in an almost contortionist-type fashion to find that dish in your bottom corner cabinet no longer brings excitement, then one of our Super Susans, Lemans, or Magic Corner Pullout options are most definitely something you’ll want on your list!
- Where will you use your small kitchen appliances, and are there currently electric outlets in those spots? Your new kitchen design may need to incorporate new outlets, and an electrical component will need to be worked into your renovation budget and timeline.
- Will you be relocating your sink and plumbing? If so, this is another area that will need to be incorporated into your design with plumbing allocated in the budget and timeline.
- Does your dream kitchen include white cabinets? White and cream colored cabinets are gorgeous and provide a fresh, clean look. If you’ve never had white cabinets before, something to keep in mind is that they will usually require a little extra cleaning, especially if you are devoted to keeping a clean kitchen. By all means, keep your plans of selecting white cabinets; we certainly don’t want you to settle for anything less than what you’ve dreamed of. Just be mindful that sometimes white doesn’t hide all the cooking and baking splatters in the same way a stained wood cabinet can, so a little extra attention is sometimes needed.