Kitchen Remodeling

Brother Adding Cabinets

You’ve probably heard the rule of thumb that remodeling your kitchen (as well as your bathroom) will add value to your home. Every house flipping television show drops that message over and over. There are many articles online touting the value of kitchen remodeling. You’ll see numbers tossed around about the return on your investment – ROI – and testimonials about homes selling faster after a kitchen update.

Is Kitchen Remodeling a Good Idea?

I’m certainly not going to argue about the resale value of a kitchen update. Actually I think that if someone is selling a home and someone is buying that home, it would make more sense for the new owner to make the selections and design their own dream kitchen. We do, however, live in the real world. Most people want a home that looks nice and is all fixed up to live in, so a ready-to-use kitchen makes sense.

My Brother – The House Flipper

Actually my brother is a house flipper. That is not his main job. He just does that on the side. He enjoys picking up old and ugly homes and making them over. His transformations are amazing, and he’s done well with his house flipping hobby.

My brother says that he does focus on the kitchen as well as the bathroom when updating homes. With several years of experience in fixing up and selling houses, he finds that home buyers put a lot of stock in how the kitchen and bath look and feel. The key he says is livability. People want a kitchen where they are comfortable and where the family can hang out.   

Don’t Go Overboard if You’re Just Looking to Sell

The average on investment return for kitchen remodeling jobs is 80-90% according to most sources. With an average, you’re looking at some people investing and making a profit for that investment while others are going overboard and spending money rather than making money.

If you’re just trying to move your home on the market, then knocking out walls probably is not a good idea. Particularly if you’re not a do-it-yourselfer, you’ve going to pay big bucks to have contractors come in and totally restyle your kitchen.

Cosmetic and usability improvements make the most sense in terms of dollars and cents. Even a simple coat of paint can make a big difference, and most people can handle painting a kitchen. New flooring, cabinet refacing, and improved counter tops are also reasonable projects that add value without being terribly expensive.

But, I’m Not Going Anywhere!

It’s really a shame that most families will live with an outdated and not-so-functional kitchen for years and only consider upgrades when it’s time to sell the house. Inertia is familiar and comfortable, so it’s easier to think about redoing the kitchen rather than actually getting on the ball and doing it.

On the other hand, it’s a great feeling to have a kitchen that you love and can use and enjoy while you’re living in your home. You can consider it an investment for down the road or can just consider it an investment in a better life for you and your family.

How Do I Get Started?

Perhaps you have a knack for knowing what to do to make your kitchen a better space – and perhaps not. Either way, it helps to do your research and some planning ahead. You don’t want to jump into the project and then wish you’d done things differently (although you’ll probably find that you’d do some things differently in the end).

Start with some books and magazines on kitchen design and make overs. You’ll get loads of ideas. Keep a notebook and save pages or make copies of things that appeal to you. You won’t use all the ideas, but you’ll have some at least.

Look around online and visit some home improvement stores. Find out what’s out there and what you like. It’s amazing how many options there are now. If you haven’t checked lately, you’ll be really surprised at all the different products available to take your kitchen from dull to delightful.

Consult an expert. You can hire someone to look over your kitchen and make suggestions or check with a friend who has some expertise or one who has recently completed a kitchen make over. There’s no reason to reinvent the wheel. Learn from others. Tuck away those tips.

Come Up with a Game Plan

You may have the money and time to do a total kitchen make over, but you may not. Sit down and decide what you want to do, how much it will cost, how long it will take, and how you’ll break down and handle your kitchen project.

It may work out best to do your kitchen over in stages. You could tackle one major part of the project every few months or even one per year. For example, you might put in new cabinets or reface the old ones this year and do the flooring as stage two.

Also consider some sweat equity. This will cut your costs down a lot. Even if you don’t have the tools and know-how, there are projects you can tackle. You might, for instance, take out the old cabinets or pull up the old flooring prior to installation. Or you could learn a little about tiling and do your own backsplash. It’s a great feeling to look at something and know that you played a hand in outcome. It’s also nice to have the extra bucks which can be invested in something else – like new appliances for the kitchen.