Close to 8 million homeowners will choose to remodel their kitchens this year. Most homeowners are remodeling because they are looking to not only update their kitchen, but because they are looking for a kitchen that helps their household function better. We felt it was important to point out a few key things that will help you in getting the kitchen you want.

We all know the effect and value remodeling a kitchen can have on not only the look, but value of a home.  When updating or building a new home people don’t always consider all the different places in the home that cabinets can be used in addition to the bathroom and the kitchen.  Now more than ever cabinets have been made to look more like furniture and can be used in pretty much any room of the house.  We wanted to share with you a few ideas to help you make the most of your home renovations.

If you are looking for cabinets for your home, you’ve probably heard people talk about these terms, “Stock”, “Semi-Custom” and “Custom” cabinetry.  Although they are common terms in the cabinet industry, many do not understand the difference between them.  Many think they understand the difference, but are confused by what the different manufacturers try to say the definition is.

We’ll explain them for you clearly here so you can go into your new home or remodel with a true understanding and ability to get what you really want.

It doesn’t really matter the size of your bathroom, we all struggle with storage space.  It seems like sometimes our counters in the bathroom become some of the most cluttered places in the house.  There are hair dryers, shavers, hair brushes, and a variety of bathroom products that seem to take up our limited counter space.  How many times have you walked into the bathroom and caught a dangling cord? Not only does the hairdryer come crashing down, but everything in its path. 

There are a variety of unique storage ideas and accessories that can be added to the interior of your bathroom cabinets.  Many of us have heard of the utensil caddy, but there is something similar for the bathroom.  There is a slotted pull-out cabinet that you can put different bathroom appliances in the different slots.  Some even have an extra shelf for makeup and bathroom products you may use.

A lot has changed in the cabinet industry over the past several years.  One of the big changes is the way we design our kitchens for our customers.  It used to be that you would look at a hand drawn design and try and envision what your kitchen would look like when it was finished.  

If you were lucky you had a kitchen designer who was actually an artist and could draw a pretty accurate sketch.  Most were just quick hand drawn sketches and didn’t even come close to really resembling the finished product.  Customers had to use their imagination more times than not.   Too many times people ended up disappointed because the drawing might have been similar but the kitchen didn’t turn out quite like they envisioned.

          Sketch Drawing                           CAD Design                             Actual Kitchen

A lot of time goes into the planning and design of a kitchen.  Typically homeowners spend most of their time choosing the layout, style of cabinets, and looking into their flooring options.  When it comes to countertops many people go with the current trend and don’t look at other alternatives.  They don’t spend the time researching like they do for their cabinet and flooring choices.  In fact many typically end up putting in granite because that seems to be the thing to do these days or laminate because it fits into their budget.   

Unfortunately, they are doing themselves a huge disservice when they don’t take the time to research the different countertop options.  Homeowners would be surprised to find out there is and array of choices when it comes to choosing the right countertop material.  It might surprise homeowners to discover that there are other engineered stones such as quartz that for about the same price as granite, are less maintenance and have more color choices.  Knowing the pros and cons of the different countertop choices can help you make a more educated decision and not have surprises in the end.  You will be more confident in knowing that you got the right countertop for your home.

Deciding where to put and store things has always been a dilemma.  Especially those extra bulky items that seem to clutter up your counters.  Today we have gadgets for everything in the kitchen.  While they are great and convenient, sometimes finding a place for them, and making them accessible, is an even bigger concern. 

Who doesn’t wish for an organized kitchen pantry? There is nothing worse than being in the middle of your favorite recipe and you can’t find that one ingredient.  So you stop what you are doing to run to the store to get what you need, only to find three cans of the same item a few days later.

We can all relate to this story.  Utilizing tools to have an organized pantry will not only save money, but time and frustration as well.

Here at Brakur we understand the demands and challenges that go with raising a family.  Many of our employees are parents as well.  So when it comes to designing a kitchen for a family we have some pretty good ideas of what you might be looking for.  We probably have even thought of things that you haven’t. We can help bring some sanity to your sometimes crazy lives.  With kids nothing is ever the same and things are constantly changing.  One thing we have found is making sure everything has a place can alleviate a lot of those hectic crazy days.

We have some tips that we think you will find helpful in planning your kitchen.