Ask today’s homeowners if they’d like an open concept kitchen design and you’re likely to hear “yes” about 77% of the time; or at least that’s what a recent survey of over 7,800 people revealed. While open kitchens seem to be the norm these days, it wasn’t always that way. Thinking back through the homes of your parents, grandparents, or even great-grandparents will likely uncover memories of closed-off spaces (or at least mostly closed-off). In decades past, homes were more “compartmentalized,” so to speak. The kitchen was usually quite hidden, and a place with just enough room for the essentials and one cook. Keeping the kitchen hidden from the adjoining rooms allowed for the culinary masterminds of the home to prepare food, undisturbed.

Saving up for a remodel can be challenging, but if you really want changes in your home, it pays to make a few tweaks to the way you live.

Often, it is the seemingly small repeated purchases and activities that make a big impact on our bank accounts over time - like that morning cup of coffee you buy at Starbucks instead of making it at home. Or, there’s that new shirt you just have to own (even though you have plenty of clothes to wear already).

Making changes

Some days, it can be a challenge to remember an important date or even to put two matching socks on – so, we understand completely why homeowners often feel overwhelmed when it comes to planning their remodels. Luckily, there are plenty of people who have taken the leap before you, and most of them are willing to talk about their mistakes in an effort to help others.

Make no mistake

To remodel, or not to remodel – that is the question when it comes to putting your home up for sale. Your first instinct may be to fix up the kitchen, since that is one of the biggest selling features of a home, but it is important not to rush into anything without asking yourself a few important questions and doing some research first.

A major remodel isn’t always necessary

What do you think of when you hear the word “laminate” when associated with kitchen countertops? Are you picturing your grandmother’s countertop post WWII, or a tacky green countertop that seems to have stepped out of the 1970s? Maybe you’re thinking of Alice preparing dinner on the Brady’s burnt orange countertops.

To all of those thoughts, we say this: First of all, the fact that your memories of laminate countertops stem back to many different decades just goes to show that the material has been trusted by families and businesses for many years. And, on top of that, forget your previous memories of what laminate looked like – it has come a long way while homeowners have been taking a hiatus to drool over granite and quartz. Technological advancements have done beautiful things for laminate countertops.

Consider laminate

As you begin your remodeling plans, you’re not expected to know all of your cabinet options (unless of course, you happen to be a kitchen and bath expert) – which is why we encourage you to do some fun research. Soak it all in.

Visit kitchen and bath remodeling websites, or if you spend too much time on the computer as it is, dig through some magazines, take photos in neighbors’ homes (please don’t do this by peeking through the windows, though), snap pictures at stores or even of examples on the remodeling show you just DVR’d.  

Find something similar

It’s a terrible feeling to notice a scratch on your beautiful kitchen or bathroom cabinets – especially when you know you did everything in your power to keep them looking nice. Even if the scratch isn’t your fault, you’re likely to go through a series of emotions, much similar to the five stages of grief:

Grief of a damaged cabinet

• Denial: You may first try to tell yourself it is just a smudge or that you’re seeing it wrong.
• Anger: When you notice that it’s actually there, you’ll likely become irritated, blaming loved ones, and maybe even yourself (although it couldn’t possibly have been you).

When you hear someone mention solid surface countertops for the first time, you may think the term is odd…because, well, isn’t every countertop surface supposed to be pretty solid?  Good point - but if you hear someone referring to solid surface countertops, they aren’t referring to granite, quartz, or any other natural countertop material (unless they’re mistaken).  Solid surface is a breed of its own. 

So what is it?  Solid surface is a man-made material that is usually comprised of a mixture of acrylic or polyester resins, marble dust, bauxite and pigments. Some of these popular manufacturer names may sound familiar to you: Corian, Staron and Hi-macs. 

What’s the upside?

What’s your favorite home remodeling show?  Everyone has one these days (Seriously, who doesn’t love a good makeover story?).  The homeowners are always so happy when the final products are revealed in all their radiating glory.  But, many kitchen and bath remodeling professionals are not always enthusiastic when their clients mention a home renovation show.  Why?  Because, while they are inspirational and educational, they can often set some false perceptions regarding areas like overall costs and time involved in a remodel.

That being said, we love that there are so many opportunities for homeowners to learn more about remodeling right from the comfort of their own homes.  In fact, as many of you already know, our team at Brakur Custom Cabinetry, Inc. has had amazing opportunities these past couple years to have our cabinets featured on the DIY Network’s hit show Kitchen Crashers.   We encourage you to keep watching these educational programs, but keep in mind a few things as you do so…

We’ve mentioned in previous articles how important it is to think through every detail of your remodel before you make any final decisions – but we can’t stress it enough.  Some people go into a remodel thinking that the transformation will be primarily visual.  While aesthetics are important, there is much more you can do if budget allows. 

Have it all

Your kitchen can be designed to do facilitate what’s important to you: make multiple cooks comfortable by playing with the walking area width and placement of work areas, keep kids safe by focusing on appliance placement and corners, make life easier by getting storage where you need it and things at the proper height.  All of this can be done – it just takes proper planning.