From our site: Let’s Look at the Scope of a Kitchen Renovation Project

Now that we’ve discussed the kitchen remodeling process and the role you play in it, we can set our sights on planning that new kitchen you’ve been pining (or pinning) after. Before we start picking out cabinets and appliances, it’s important to take a close look at your kitchen today. In this post, we’re going to take a hard look at your current kitchen, and evaluate its strengths and weaknesses. You can then record those characteristics, and feed them to your designer and GC. The last thing you want to do with a kitchen remodel is make something worse than it already is, or let an issue with your current kitchen drive you nuts in your next kitchen.

We’ll also take a hard look at the electrical, plumbing, lighting, and other areas of your existing kitchen to try and get an idea of how much work is needed to bring your new kitchen up to date. By completing this process, you’ll be better aware of the task ahead of you, and you’ll be better prepared to deal with a GC.

What Needs to Go In the Remodel?

When I was planning the kitchen remodel in my first home, there was a lot that I hated about that space. The paneling was awful. The vinyl floor was torn, stained, and peeling. The windows were single pane, broken, and had about ten layers of paint on them. In case you’re wondering, yes, ten layers of paint is enough to prevent them from opening. On a cold morning, which in Philly is 9 months out of the year, dew would form on the inside of the windows.

The kitchen had a drop ceiling. A DROP CEILING! The upper cabinets were sheet metal painted white. The bottom cabinets were wooden, but not well made. The lighting was inadequate. There were only a few small windows, and the light fixtures were fluorescent and would of looked more in-place at a 1970s factory. There wasn’t enough storage. Not even close. The countertop was a laminated particleboard that was starting to de-laminate after a good 40 years of use. All in all, it was fairly typical for a 40-year-old kitchen designed in the 1960s.

As much as I enjoyed venting about the condition of my first kitchen, it actually serves a purpose. It helped me list all of the features of the kitchen that were worn, dated, non-functional, ugly, and broken. All of those horrible characteristics had to go in order for me to consider my kitchen remodel to be successful.

Now don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t hard to walk into that kitchen, and identify everything wrong with it. Your kitchen may not be in as bad condition as mine was, and it may be harder to pick out the things that bug you, but there is value in performing this exercise yourself.

Let’s get started. Take a stroll through your kitchen, and give the room a real hard visual examination. We’ll start with the ceiling, and work our way down. I’ve listed a series of questions you can read through, and you should write down your answers. Remember, the intent of this exercise it to identify the areas you can’t stand. For example, I’m going to ask you if you have a popcorn ceiling. I’m not a fan of popcorn ceilings. If I were to remodel a home with a popcorn ceiling, I’d have it smoothed out. If it were me, I’d list “popcorn ceiling” as a major negative, but you are free to let your own taste be your guide. If you like popcorn ceilings and don’t mind keeping it, then you wouldn’t list popcorn ceiling as a negative feature.

The point of this exercise is to define the scope of the renovation up front, so you can give your designer and your GC a complete list of everything that needs work. Nothing will eat into your remodeling budget more than expanding the scope after you’ve already started. The tendency for the budget to grow due to the scope growing is often referred to as “scope creep.”

You may know you want your paneled walls replaced, but unless you tell your designer and your GC up front, they may assume you don’t want them fixed. They might think they look fine. If they find out after the demo that you wanted those panel walls ripped out, then prepare to pay additional costs for new demo, debris disposal, and any nasty surprises behind those walls.

That’s not to say that this exercise will eliminate unexpected costs, because it won’t. It will, however, put you and your team on the same page in terms of workload expectation. You have to keep in mind that you’ve likely been living in your home for some significant amount of time. You are aware of all the minutia that you want corrected.

Your GC probably spent 30 minutes there during a walk through. The things that stand out to you won’t necessarily be the things that stand out to the GC. Don’t assume they’re going to fix something unless you point it out, and the repair gets reflected in the quote. Got it? Good.

Let’s get started. We’ll work from high to low. Be sure to take notes.

Assessing Your Kitchen’s Problem Areas

What Condition is the Kitchen Ceiling In?

Is your ceiling in good shape? Are there any cracks, watermarks, nail pops, or obvious seams? Is there a drop ceiling? Will it need to be painted? Is it level? Is it a popcorn ceiling? Is the ceiling sagging?

How Does the Current Overhead Lighting Fit In to Your Plan?

Is your overhead lighting in need of replacement? Do you have those long industrial fluorescent tubes? Would you like the light(s) relocated? Do you need more lighting? Are the work areas properly lit? Is it difficult to prepare meals in the kitchen due to insufficient lighting? Is the lighting too much or too harsh?

Do the Non-Cabinet Kitchen Walls Needs a Fresh Coat of Paint or Wallpapering?

On the walls where you have no cabinets installed: Are they smooth? Are they scratched, dented, dirty, or full of holes? Is there wallpaper? Is there paneling? Do you have pictures or other frames? Are those frames hanging on screws or nails? Are you replacing or rearranging those items? Is there any visible water damage? Are there nail pops?

Will a Window Replacement Be Necessary?

Are the windows in good shape? Are they broken, cloudy, discolored, or full of rain or mildew? Are the window frames vinyl or wooden? If vinyl, have they yellowed or darkened from sun exposure? Is there any mold or any dark spots on the window ledge or sill? Does the window have a sill? If not, would you like it to? Do the windows leak when it rains?

Exterior Doors – Interior Doors: Will They Fit the New design?

Are there any doors to the exterior or interior that need replacing? Are the existing doors wide enough for your needs, or should they be wider? Is a double door, sliding door, or French door required? Do the doors leak when it rains? Do they close properly? Are they in need of any hardware change, including the addition of a deadbolt?

Is the Flooring Intact or Does it Need Replacing?

Does the flooring need to be replaced? Does it need to be power cleaned? Does it need to be repaired? Are there major dips or uneven spots? Is the floor level? Does it squeak or make any creaking noises when you walk on it? Does the floor have a lot of movement when you step in certain spots?

Are the Cabinets to Be Replaced or Refaced?

Do the cabinets need to be replaced completely, or can they be salvaged with a painting or a refinishing? Are they dirty or broken? Do all the drawers still work? Is there a soffit above the cabinets that you would like removed? Are they in good enough shape that they can be donated, or do they need to be trashed?

Are You Going to Need New Appliances?

Do the appliances need to be replaced? Are they old? Do they require a lot of electricity to operate? Is there any discoloration from age visible? Are any of them broken? Is the microwave or range hood connected to an outside vent?

Is the Kitchen Plumbing Up to Snuff?

Looking underneath the sink, are there any leaks? Does the refrigerator have a water supply line installed for an ice or water dispenser? Is your oven gas or electrical? If you’d like a gas oven, is there a gas supply line available behind the oven? Does the faucet need to be replaced? Do you have a soap dispenser? Would you like one?

How Does Your Kitchen Electrical System Measure Up?

Are all of your appliances currently on their own separate circuits? You can determine that by turning off a kitchen circuit breaker, and see which appliances lose power. Are any appliances sharing circuits? Are your kitchen lights on their own circuit? The countertop outlets, how many do have? Could you use more? Are the countertop outlets Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCI)? How many open spots are there in your circuit breaker box? Do any of your circuit breakers trip often?

Could There Be Hazardous Material in the Kitchen?

Up until now we haven’t discussed any hazardous material that could be lurking in your kitchen, but it’s important we address them. Some home products might contain lead or asbestos, and it’s vital to identify those items well before you hire a GC and start the project.

If during the course of the renovation you disturb those elements, then you may be putting you and your family’s health in danger along with the health of anyone that enters your home. Lead is a toxic chemical that can cause major health issues to both adults and children, but is especially hazardous to pregnant women. Asbestos can also lead to long-term health problems, like mesothelioma, if inhaled.

Are There Asbestos Concerns?

The first thing you need to do is identify the possible areas in your home that could contain asbestos. In most residential settings, asbestos can be found in plumbing, attic or furnace insulation, and in floor or ceiling tiles. Additionally, it can be found in some drywall joint compounds.

If you suspect something in your home may contain asbestos, you need to leave it alone. Don’t touch it. If you were planning on ripping out your 40 year old kitchen tiles without checking to see if they contain asbestos first, you need to re-think that. Typically, asbestos is only a concern if it is disturbed and becomes airborne. Don’t ever try to remove asbestos yourself. Asbestos abatement needs to be handled by a trained professional.

How do you know what items in your home have asbestos? If your home was built before 1980, you need to be concerned about the presence of asbestos. Next, you should contact an asbestos abatement professional to have them survey and sample those suspected items in your home. A Professional in this industry will be able to properly assess your home to make sure they’ve identified everything of concern. You should tell them upfront that you are going to be renovating your kitchen. They will collect samples from anything they suspect of being hazardous, and have them tested at a laboratory. Once the results from the test are known, you’ll know what items in your home contain asbestos.

You can then proceed with your renovation and/or the asbestos remediation. You should not hire the asbestos professional that did the survey to perform the remediation. Make sure you tell the survey company that fact. That arrangement will help keep the survey folks honest.

Can you still renovate your kitchen if there’s asbestos in certain kitchen products? The answer to that question is yes. Yes, you can. However, your GC will need to either encapsulate the asbestos, or a professional remediation team will need to remove it first. For example, if your old vinyl kitchen floor contains asbestos, you have the option of tiling or installing hardwood floor over it, or you can have a professional remove it. Unfortunately, you can’t simply rip it out with abandon, it needs to be protected and removed properly.

Are There Lead Paint Concerns?

Lead paint can be most commonly found in homes built before 1970. It poses a problem similar to asbestos in that it is when it is disturbed it can become airborne, and be inhaled. Children can also ingest it if they chew on items covered with lead paint like windowsills, for example. If you suspect any areas in your home were painted with paint containing lead, you need to be very careful how you handle those items. There are commercially available lead paint test kits that you can purchase. The kits are fairly simple to use. In the case of a kitchen renovation, you’d want to test any painted areas that are going to be disturbed as in removed or sanded. If anything tests positive, you and your GC will need a lead abatement plan for dealing with those items. At a minimum, you should hang plastic tarps around the kitchen entryways to prevent any lead dust from leaving the kitchen during the renovation.

Let’s kitchen remodel cost implications next.

Back to Kitchen Remodeling

 

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From our site: How Can You Budget a Kitchen Redesign Effectively?

Controlling Your Kitchen Remodel Cost

The scariest part of your kitchen remodel is going to be the cost. Sure, opening up walls and finding a cockroach, or seeing a dead mouse under the fridge may be frightening too, but shelling out tens of thousands of dollars for a kitchen remodel can be nerve wracking. Part of the reason it’s so scary is that you have to pay for it before you ever get a chance to look at it. It’s not like buying a car where you can take a test drive or rent it for a couple days to see if you like it. It can be more worrisome than buying a house. At least you can tour the house a few times before you make an offer.

If you feel a bit overwhelmed at the financial investment you are about to make, you should know that it’s a normal reaction. Now, you know why I stressed at the beginning of the book the importance of determining whether or not you actually need to remodel your kitchen in the first place. It’s a big investment.

Let’s take a look at what you can expect to pay for your remodel and some strategies you can use to keep your renovation costs from growing. We’ll also discuss the different material options you have for your project. If you have a solid understanding of what your material and labor costs will be before you meet with a general contractor, then you’ll be able to better scrutinize their estimates. You’ll also be in a much better position to identify areas for savings.

Typical Kitchen Renovation Costs

According to PopularMechanics.com, a minor kitchen renovation will average around $18,500 while a high-end remodel averages closer to $54,000. Now that doesn’t mean you can’t get a high-end look for less than $20,000. Of course, you can also pay well over $60,000 and still have a basic looking kitchen.

What’s the difference between a $20,000 kitchen renovation and one that costs $100,000? It’s going to come down to the amount and quality of the material, and then the scope of the labor involved to install that material. If you select lower cost materials or reduce the scope of the project, you’re going to save money. If you pick expensive items for your new kitchen and the amount of labor involved overall is significant, then you’re going to pay more. It’s that simple. How much will your new kitchen cost? Let’s figure that out next.

Remodeling Material Costs

Your material costs will likely be the biggest price driver in your renovation. A collection of kitchen remodels and their respective budgets on Fixr.com2 reveals that the material costs will end up being roughly 70% to 80% of your overall budget! This trend is pretty consistent across all kitchen remodel budgets.

Let’s dig a little deeper. Roughly one third of the material budget will be for new cabinets. The fact that the majority of your budget will be materials should be welcome news to you. Guess who controls the material selection for your project. That’s right, you do. Granted, your designer will make suggestions for material, but ultimately, it’s your call. If your budget starts to get too high, you can always pick less expensive items.

Believe it or not, we already have enough information to start making some rough estimates for the cost of a kitchen remodel. Here’s a helpful example. Let’s pretend you have a renovation budget of $25,000 (after you pay your kitchen designer, of course). As we discussed, you can assume around 75% of that will be for materials, which is $18,750. Subtract that amount from $25,000, and that leaves $6,250 left over for labor. Of the $18,750, around one third will go toward cabinet costs, which in this case is another $6,250.

Knowing these rough numbers, up front, can help you while your shopping for cabinets. If you see a set of cabinets for $10,000, you’ll know that it’s more than your budget can afford, or you’ll need to identify savings elsewhere in your plan if you absolutely have to have them. Conversely, if you see a cabinet set for $5,000, you’ll know that you can afford them, and you’re likely to save some money in the long run.

Your Kitchen Redesign Budget

Ultimately, your kitchen renovation will fall under one of two categories: it will either be budget driven or goal driven. That is to say, you’ll either have a total amount for the remodel that you’ll have to stay under, or you’ll simply buy what you want and it costs what it costs. I suspect that most kitchen remodels are budget driven. For example, if you take out a home equity line of credit for $30,000 to renovate your kitchen, you’ll want to keep the renovation at $30,000 or less. If however, you have a large enough budget that you can pick out whatever appliances or cabinets you’d like, you are goal driven.

The decision on how much money to spend on your kitchen remodel is a personal decision you need to make, and I’m not going to suggest any type of bare minimum value. I will, however, urge you to make sure that you’ve planned properly by considering all of the expected costs.

Let’s move on to cover kitchen cabinets & countertops.

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From our site: 4 Simple Ways to Care for Your Granite Countertops

Are granite countertops hard to care for? We get this question a lot as people are considering a kitchen redesign. While it may seem daunting to take care of it properly, caring for your granite is somewhat easy. All you need to do is follow some simple steps to ensure your countertop looks new for several years to come. The steps include:

• Daily maintenance
• Heavy duty cleaning
• Stain removal
• Sealing the granite

Daily Maintenance

Although granite is extremely hard, it is slightly porous. As such, anything acidic can etch the glossy surface and oil can soak into the unsealed top. With this in mind, spills such as oil, wine, chemicals, mustard, or citrus should be cleaned as quickly as possible. While cleaning, you need to use the following:

• A soft cloth, warm water and a few drops of antibacterial detergent or dishwashing detergent to clean the countertop.
• Clean water to rinse the surface thoroughly, and then a soft cloth to dry it

In the event that you spill something on your granite countertop, you need to consider the following steps:

• Bloat the spill with a soft cloth or a white paper immediately. Do not wipe the area because this can spread the spill
• Before rinsing thoroughly, flush the spill with warm water and detergent
• Use a soft cloth to dry the area

Heavy duty cleaning

The easiest way to clean granite is to use warm water and mild, phosphate-free, biodegradable liquid dish soap, preferably light-colored and has no aromatics. Avoid using plain soap and water, as this can lead to soap build up and over time, will dull the glossy finish of the polished granite. You can also use heavy-duty stone and degreaser to remove grime, dirt and grease effectively. After cleaning, you should rinse the granite countertops thoroughly and use a cotton cloth to dry it up. Avoid using the following for cleaning the countertops:

• Powdered cleanser; they contain pumice, which is an abrasive
• Acidic cleansers, especially the ones with ammonia

Stain Removal

Sometimes, your granite countertop can have a stain that you cannot remove. When this happens, consider the following ideas:

• Use a Poultice: Stone poultice is a fine, non-acid, absorptive clay cleaning powder that removes grease, light cement grout haze and deep-set oil stains from both polished and unpolished natural stone. Considering its characteristics, stone poultice can be used to pull the stain from the granite countertops. The only drawback of a poultice is that it can dull the shine of a polished stone. Nevertheless, if this happens, you will need to use a marble polish to restore the natural shine.
• Consider Acetone or Lacquer Thinner: Acetone or lacquer thinner is mostly used to remove marker stains. Ideally, it works best on dark granite colors. If you have a light color granite, then hydrogen peroxide would be the best bet.

Sealing the Granite

According to the advice of most home remodeling experts, sealing a granite countertop is the best care you can provide to your granite. However, knowing when to use a sealer is highly important because not all granite countertops need a sealer, according to Marble Institute of America. More than a few manufacturers place a resin treatment on granite at factory; hence, it may be needless to use a sealer.

While good sealers last for 10-15 years, it is imperative to check the state of your sealer regularly. One effective way to do this is to sprinkle some water on your granite countertop. If the water fails to bead up but soaks into the stone, you need to re-seal it. Re-sealing can be done once a year or as necessary. Applying the granite sealer is as easy as using a soft cotton cloth to wipe it on. The sealer is normally absorbed into the granite’s microscopic pores and it is safe for food handling.

Bottom Line

Many homeowners prefer using granite to remodel their kitchen because of its aesthetic countertop style. The fact that it is durable and enhances the looks of a kitchen also makes it popular among many. However, most people do not know how to care for their granite countertops because they think it is hard to take care of them. This is untrue, as granite requires less maintenance, implying it is easy and simple to care for.

Next we’ll talk about appliance selection.

Granite countertop care and maintenance comes down to just a few simple steps that will keep your granite countertops looking like new for years.

Well here is the official granite insiders guide to stone countertop care. Here’s how to keep that polished luster and care for your own countertops.

Like anything, maintenance is a lot easier when you have the right tools, and proper cleaning products make taking care of your new countertops a snap.

Between sealings, you should also clean with care. Our #1 piece of advice for granite countertop care is to seal using a natural stone sealer.

Here are some basic stone counter care tips and instructions to help you make the most of your own. We understand the science of stone countertops care and have experience with thousands of granite installations. Taking care of them also entails keeping them sealed with a quality sealer.

Always use sealing and cleaning products and more on how to seal granite. Here are some basic care instructions and marble counter care tips to help you make the most of these surfaces. We recommend that you only use the cleaning products recommended in this care guide.

Fortunately, granite countertop care and maintenance is easy with a little know-how and the right tools. It can be simple and not time consuming.

 

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From our site: No Kitchen Renovation is Complete Without Quality Flooring

Another major material decision for kitchen remodels is the flooring. Do you go with tile or hardwood? How about vinyl or linoleum? All of these choices are great options. The only flooring product you shouldn’t use in a kitchen is wall-to-wall carpet. Of course you can use a runner carpet or a kitchen mat, but skip the shag.

Hardwood Flooring

Hardwood is an ideal selection if the rest of your home already has hardwood throughout. Bringing it into the kitchen can give your home a more continuous flow. If installed properly, hardwood will hold up well over time.

If you are concerned about the hardwood warping or getting damaged from frequent water exposure, you shouldn’t worry too much. Yes, it can happen. However, it’s probably only going to be an issue if the floor is exposed to a good amount of water over a long period of time.

For example, if your dishwasher or sink develops a slow leak that you don’t discover for a few months, you will probably be required to remove a section of your hardwood and dry out the subfloor. If you spill a glass or bowl of water every now and then, it shouldn’t be a problem. In recent years, hardwood flooring in kitchens has had a resurgence, and it’s more common in higher end kitchens.

You have two primary options when it comes to hardwood floors. You either get a pre-finished product like a Bruce or Bellawood brand flooring, or you purchase it unfinished. Both options are available from suppliers, and they’ll both have a tongue and groove machined into them for installation. You don’t want to install a plain piece of hardwood that you buy from a hardware store. It MUST have the tongue and groove in it, or you will get terrible seams, horrific bucking, and stubbed toes galore. Buy the right stuff.

Pre-finished hardwood is available in a variety of stain colors, and comes in several coats of a polyurethane or enamel coating. The pre-finished boards will also have a small angle cut on the top most edge called a chamfer, so when you install it, there will be a slight groove between each board.

Unfinished hardwood floors won’t have that chamfer. They won’t have a stain, and they won’t have any polyurethane. They get installed the same way as the pre-finished stuff, but after installation they get sanded down, stained, and several coats of polyurethane are applied.

What’s the real difference between these two options? The pre-finished flooring is more expensive, but it’s available in a wide variety of widths, stains, and features. Once it’s installed, it can usually be sanded down, and refinished a couple times if need be.

Alternatively, the unfinished flooring is considerably cheaper, but it requires much more labor to complete. The fresh stain and polyurethane coatings will smell for several days or weeks. To add insult to injury, the polyurethane coating will probably wear out before the factory coating on the pre-finished floor. However, the unfinished floor will have a smoother finish since it won’t have the chamfers; some people prefer that look. The pre-finished flooring also gets criticized for it’s plastic appearance. Either option is acceptable; ultimately, it’s a matter of personal preference.

Tile

Tile is also a common pick for kitchen floors. Whether a natural product like slate or a man-made ceramic, tile is maintenance friendly and extremely durable. One of the few drawbacks is it can be cold to bare feet, and the grout lines can stain or discolor over time. You can avoid grout staining with common sense measures like not wearing shoes in the house, and cleaning it immediately after spills with a grout safe cleaning product.

Tile is waterproof, but grout is not, which is why you need to seal the grout after installation. Sealing it will prevent it from absorbing any liquids and will also help prevent staining. While tile is becoming less common in high-end kitchens, it’s still a great all-around choice.

Vinyl and Linoleum

Vinyl or linoleum are also fine options for kitchen floors. Although people commonly interchange the terminology, they are, in fact, different products. Vinyl flooring is made from vinyl. Linoleum is made from linseed oil and other natural products. If you are at all environmentally conscious, you may prefer to purchase linoleum, since it’s made from renewable ingredients, whereas vinyl requires petroleum in its manufacturing process.

Both are referred to as resilient flooring. They are both inexpensive, and can be purchased in a large sheet or in tiles. They are glued down to the plywood subfloor or to a thin piece of plywood called luan. These floors are designed to take a lot of traffic and abuse. They take spills well and can clean up fairly easily. You almost never see them in high-end kitchens, but if you are on a tight budget there are a plethora of attractive resilient flooring options that mimic the look of stone or ceramic tile.

Flooring Costs

As far as prices go, resilient flooring will be the lowest cost option at only a few bucks per square foot. Hardwood will vary depending upon the species, the width, and the customization. You can expect to pay anywhere from a couple bucks a square foot all the way up to ten dollars or more per square foot for very high-end or exotic options.

Tile price also varies, but you can expect the ceramic products to be significantly more affordable than their natural stone counterparts. The best thing to do is to get a measurement of the amount of flooring you’ll need in units of square-feet. Once you know how many square feet you need, you can simply multiple that number by the cost per square foot, which is how the pricing for all flooring products is typically displayed.

Keep in mind that you should add 10%-15% extra square footage to your total to account for waste or installation error. It’s also a good idea to keep a couple extra boards or tiles around as spare parts just in case some get damaged down the road.

We hope you’ve enjoyed our kitchen remodeling series and please feel free to contact us if you have anymore questions.

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