KITCHEN BY RE-BUILDERS, INC.
Here are five tips that will help you make the most of your kitchen remodel:
- Give information. Giving your designer information on how you cook and use your kitchen is important to plan a successful kitchen. You may want to tell the designer what you cook for dinner, how often you eat together as a family, or whether you entertain. This will help the designer figure out all aspects from ventilation to where the spices go.
- Create Zones. The old work triangle formed by the refrigerator, stove and sink work well in small kitchens, but today’s larger kitchens need zones. There might be a cooking zone, a prep zone, and an entertainment zone for bar items and guest seating.
- Materials Matter. Your lifestyle and cooking style are important for picking kitchen materials. For example, marble surfaces are not the best use for an active family, because the countertops will look etched after a time. Solid surfaces are best if you do your own cleaning.
- Leave Some Room. 42 inches is the minimum for working space between counters or between an island and a wall. For instance, if a dishwasher door is pulled down, you want to be able to walk by it.
- Value Versus Want. Buy what you will use, not just want you want, especially if budget is an issue. If you do not bake often, double wall ovens are not needed. A dishwasher drawer may not be necessary either.
Summarized from Remodeling: Hanley Wood Special Reports 10/2014.
