While homeowners may try to plan ahead, hire the right contractor and stay on budget with their kitchen remodel, many don’t have enough remodeling experience to cover all their bases. This lack of know-how can be costly and may derail seemingly solid remodeling plans.
To avoid letting this happen to your remodeling plan, review these common mistakes that many homeowners make during their kitchen remodeling experiences.
Mistake #1: Starting with an Unfocused Remodeling Plan
What feelings are driving your decision to remodel your kitchen? Do you love the countertops, but hate the cabinetry. Does your hardware need updating? Do you need more drawer space? If you start your project before making a list of “needs,” wants,” and “desires,” you run the risk of going well beyond your kitchen remodeling budget. To avoid being one of thousands of homeowners who try to boil the ocean with their remodeling plan and end up over budget and unhappy, learn how to create a meaningful list that will help youstay within your kitchen remodeling budget.
Mistake #2: Not Speaking the Language
Many homeowners try to remodel their kitchens based on pictures and mental images. They focus on the idea of their dream kitchen, but perhaps aren’t able to easily describe their dream in real-terms. It’s helpful to take a crash-course in cabinet terms so that you can spy opportunities, understand the cabinet dealer’s language and sales-speak, and inspect your kitchen plan with fine-tuned detail. You’ll then be able to communicate with dealers and contractors confidently, instead of feeling like they’re speaking in tongues.
To help get you started, we’ve prepared a list of Cabinet Terms You Need to Know: Box Construction, Drawer Guides, Drawer Boxes, Door Hinges, and Door Styles.
Mistake #3: Replacing Instead of Refacing
You may not love your cabinets, but you don’t always need to replace them to improve the look and feel of your kitchen. One mistake homeowners commonly make is assuming they need to start from the beginning, when all they might need is to reface instead of replace their cabinetry.
Refaced cabinets are often an economical choice because, instead of a complete tear-out replacement, the homeowner opts to keep the cabinet box in-tact. Though this option is not feasible for all homeowners, it can be a simpler choice for consumers who need to spruce up a kitchen before selling their house, or a great decision for homeowners who feel that the layout of their cabinets are good, but could use an updated look.
Mistake #4: Choosing the Wrong Dealer
As a homeowner, it’s your right and your choice to size up a dealer and decide if they’re suited to take on your remodeling project. However, homeowners too often are coaxed into picking the wrong dealer and end up unhappy, overcharged and frustrated. To avoid getting yourself into trouble with the wrong dealer, here are ten types of cabinet dealers to avoid.Now that you have reviewed these common kitchen remodeling mistakes, take a look at your current kitchen situation and decide what is best for you.
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