Kitchens are the most expensive room to remodel simply because they are the most complex room in the house and include appliances, plumbing, heating, electrical, gas. Today’s kitchens serve multiple purposes – cooking, entertaining, eating, sometimes even crafting. Finally, a homeowner has multiple choices for every item in the kitchen, which can seem overwhelming.
Because each kitchen design has so many variables, looking at national or even regional averages doesn’t really help the individual homeowner. Many homeowners have sticker shock when they realize how much they will need to spend to get the kitchen of their dreams.
In addition to giving you tools to help, HomeSavvi provides you with detailed information on how to create a budget accurate for your personal needs. It’s not hard if you follow these steps, but it might take a few weeks, so be patient. We suggest that you do this long before hiring a contractor or starting your actual remodel.
1. Start by listing your current appliances. Make a note of which ones you think you want to replace. Then, make a list of all the appliances you could ever want but don’t have. (Examples of the new appliances that are becoming commonplace are wine fridges, trash compactors, built in espresso makers, and warming drawers.)
2. Now, take a research trip to a specialty appliances store as well as a big box store to check out prices. Don’t worry about appliance features yet. Use this trip to learn about price ranges for different appliances. This form helps you establish ranges for each appliance type. You can save it to your Savvi Binder.
3. Follow the same process with your sink and fixtures; to get prices you may need to visit a plumbing store and a big box store. Again, don’t start to figure out which sink or faucet you will choose – it’s too early for that. Just get price information.
You’ve got the foundation of your kitchen budget. Now you are on to the next big, costly item in your kitchen – the cabinets and countertops. It is not nearly as easy to estimate the cost for these because there are so many choices for re-faced, stock, custom ordered, and custom made.
Come back to HomeSavvi over the next weeks to find additional information about choosing cabinets, countertops and flooring – there is a lot to learn, and we will teach you here!
Because each kitchen design has so many variables, looking at national or even regional averages doesn’t really help the individual homeowner. Many homeowners have sticker shock when they realize how much they will need to spend to get the kitchen of their dreams.
In addition to giving you tools to help, HomeSavvi provides you with detailed information on how to create a budget accurate for your personal needs. It’s not hard if you follow these steps, but it might take a few weeks, so be patient. We suggest that you do this long before hiring a contractor or starting your actual remodel.
1. Start by listing your current appliances. Make a note of which ones you think you want to replace. Then, make a list of all the appliances you could ever want but don’t have. (Examples of the new appliances that are becoming commonplace are wine fridges, trash compactors, built in espresso makers, and warming drawers.)
2. Now, take a research trip to a specialty appliances store as well as a big box store to check out prices. Don’t worry about appliance features yet. Use this trip to learn about price ranges for different appliances. This form helps you establish ranges for each appliance type. You can save it to your Savvi Binder.
3. Follow the same process with your sink and fixtures; to get prices you may need to visit a plumbing store and a big box store. Again, don’t start to figure out which sink or faucet you will choose – it’s too early for that. Just get price information.
You’ve got the foundation of your kitchen budget. Now you are on to the next big, costly item in your kitchen – the cabinets and countertops. It is not nearly as easy to estimate the cost for these because there are so many choices for re-faced, stock, custom ordered, and custom made.
Come back to HomeSavvi over the next weeks to find additional information about choosing cabinets, countertops and flooring – there is a lot to learn, and we will teach you here!
Posted July 28th, 2008 by HomeSavvi Team
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