Remodeling your kitchen is hands down, the best improvement you can make to your home, it’s resale value, connection with your family and most importantly, your overall health and wellness. But as with anything that adds tremendous value, remodeling can also be a nightmare if you don’t have a plan. Here are the top five, most costly mistakes to avoid when remodeling your kitchen.

 

 

Emma Courtney, above.

 

The Top Five, Most Costly Mistakes to Avoid When Remodeling Your Kitchen

Choosing the Wrong Kitchen Appliances

Appliances take a big bite out of the budget. For choosing appliances, I like to use a simple valuation method to start with before I create my actual budgets. My favorite method is the Good, Better, Best Method which you can find out more about in the download below.

As an example, Thermador or Viking would be in the Best category, Frigidaire, Bosch or luxury appliances bundled in package deals would be in the Better category, and Whirlpool, Maytag, open box appliances, appliances on sale and appliances with scratch and dent discounts would fall in the Good category.

Choosing the Wrong Contractor for Your Kitchen Remodel

When choosing contractors and builders, ‘more’ is definitely better. Always hire the most experienced people you can find. It can be hard scheduling them which is one of many reasons you want to start planning early in your kitchen remodeling process.

Hiring better, more experienced people will help you avoid costly mistakes, construction delays, overspending and general frustration in general. Choose licensed contractors with at least 15 years’ experience. 

Changing the Kitchen Plumbing

Keeping appliances and supply and drainpipes, etc. in the same place generally saves a lot of labor costs. Sometimes it’s worth it, as when you’re expanding the actual size of the kitchen, but only when the budget allows it.

When expanding the size of the kitchen, it’s best to hire an experienced kitchen designer to help you with the floor plans.

Not Having a Plan

This one is huge. There are so many moving parts to planning your kitchen and remodel: so many decisions to make. Remember, if you fail to plan, plan to fail.

Some of the decisions you will make:

Appliances

Cabinetry

Flooring

Lighting

Floor Plans

Budget

Project Management

Securing or Allocating Funds

Scheduling

Hiring Help

Not Knowing Your Kitchen Remodeling Budget

It’s surprising how many people delve into a kitchen remodel with what they think is a budget, only to find out they don’t have a clear idea of costs. Generally speaking, kitchen remodels cost around $25,000 to $35,000 for a basic remodel; $50,000 to $75,000 for a mid-range remodel; and $80,000 to over $100,000 for luxury, high end kitchen remodels.