Home is where your family is: be it immediate, extended, or just that big group of friends that comes over once a month for game night. For most Orange County homeowners, home is in the kitchen. Preparing breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks each day adds up to time in front of the oven and over the countertops. It goes without saying then, that the center of your home might need a bit more upkeep than the rest of the house. A busy family might need a countertop expansion or new flooring- an island or a double range.
Be it farmhouse chic or transitional modern, the most heavily trafficked room in the home is an excellent place to start with remedy decor, and invite people in. When you decide to begin, there are a number of questions you’ll need to ask, from deciding on plumbing to electrical, countertops to cabinets. What are some of the limitations you might face as a homeowner, and could you use direction from a professional contractor?
Some of the most important questions homeowners should ask themselves are:
How much does a kitchen renovation cost?
There is a wide variation in the cost for a kitchen renovation – it depends on the extent of the work you intend to do on the project and the type of materials used. Smaller kitchens with tighter budgets can expect renovations to cost around $40,000, and larger jobs where no expense is spared on cabinetry and appliances can easily balloon to $120,000 or more – the key is understanding your budget and working with a contractor who can work within your budgetary parameters.
How long does a kitchen remodel take?
The short answer is generally somewhere between four to eight weeks. As the homeowner, it helps if you have some clear ideas about what appliances you want and where you want them. The time to plan your remodel begins to take longer as you make alterations to the original walls and utilities, but sometimes these things are necessary to achieve the desired look, so plan on the timeframe for major changes to be closer to eight weeks.
Is it possible to incorporate gas appliances?
Replacing an electric stove top with a gas range is absolutely an option with the understanding that gas lines will need to made for the appliance. These additions can be a little pricey, but are not prohibitively expensive. In some circumstances where the home is already using gas, it is easy to tap into the line for your range or other appliance.
Can I keep my kitchen cabinets?
It is certainly possible to keep your old kitchen cabinets. However, since we are a full scale remodeling company, we install new cabinets to match the overall look and feel of your new kitchen. Our cabinets are manufactured by the most reputable companies in the industry and our designers will work with you to choose the ideal cabinets for your new kitchen.
What are the best kitchen countertops?
This really depends on your personal style and functionality preference. Quartz countertops or other stone surfaces are extremely popular, but they can come with a pretty sizable price tag. Laminates and Formica are a bit less expensive and come in a wide variety of styles and colors, but they will not hold up as well over time as a stone surface. Granite or quartz will improve the return on your kitchen investment better than any other surface.
Do I need to re-do my floors if I replace my cabinets?
No. In fact, for many of our kitchen remodeling projects, we design the new space around existing flooring – the only caveat being that if the original material is no longer available or we can’t find an exact match, we’ll need to keep the same footprint.
The aforementioned questions represent a strong foundation for giving you the knowledge to begin your floorplan. Once you have your floorplan, budget and appliances picked out, you can begin the work and discuss additional furnishings, fixtures and lighting with your design firm/contractor. Any professional with a reputable business and strong portfolio of work like Preferred Kitchen and Bath should be able to provide you with a solid estimate for your kitchen renovation and ballpark timeline for when it can be completed.
Why choose Preferred Kitchen and Bath?
There is no one better to handle a specific job than a specialist. We are Orange County’s leading design-focused kitchen and bath remodeler. An unmatched level of attention, outstanding customer service and products that are of the highest quality are just the beginning of what we bring to the table. We treat you like family and your project as though it were our own. Which means the designer you work with at the onset of the job will be the same person who serves as your personal project manager throughout the entire process, ensuring an end result designed to bring your family joy for years to come.
