Common Mistakes Homeowners Make When Remodeling a Kitchen

Your family probably uses the kitchen more than any other room in your home. If it isn’t well designed, it may feel cramped. If you want to remodel your kitchen to make it more suited to your needs, avoid making these common blunders.

Not Giving Yourself Enough Storage and Work Space
If you’ve been living in your home for a while, you may wish that you had more cabinet space or that your cabinets were configured differently to better store items you use frequently. When you design your new kitchen, think about how your current cabinets come up short and how to address that problem.

You may have also found that your current amount of counter space is inadequate. You can change the kitchen’s layout to give you more counter space or install an island.

If you want to add an island or buy new appliances, make sure you don’t sell yourself short when it comes to storage space. Top-of-the line appliances and more workspace are all well and good, but you’ll be frustrated if you don’t have enough room to store food, dishes and small appliances.

Not Making Enough Room to Get around Easily
You use your refrigerator, stove and sink more than any other features in the kitchen, so they should be close together. In most kitchens, these three elements are arranged in a triangle so people can move effortlessly from one to another.

Measure the refrigerator, stove, and cabinet doors and drawers to make sure there is plenty of room to open them without them bumping into something else. If you want to install an island, don’t choose one so large that it will be hard for people to move around in the kitchen and to open and close cabinets and drawers. Make sure aisles around an island are wide enough for two cooks to work at the same time or for family members to walk around while someone is cooking without people bumping into each other.

Not Having Sufficient Lighting
Poor lighting can make it hard to find items when you need them and can lead to accidents in the kitchen. Make sure your new kitchen will have plenty of overhead lighting, as well as lights in the pantry and over the sink and food preparation areas.

Buying Cheap Cabinets
If your cabinets are worn out from years of daily use, they will probably need to be replaced. New cabinets can be costly, but they will last, whereas old, damaged cabinets can detract from the appearance of the entire kitchen. Spend the extra money to buy quality cabinets.

Get Professional Design Help
A remodeled kitchen can make it easier to prepare meals and enjoy time with family and friends. Since this is likely to be an expensive project, think it through carefully. Consult a kitchen design expert and a contractor to choose a layout and features that will make the best use of your available space and help you avoid common mistakes.