Remodeling Your Kitchen by Mark Donovan

Remodeling Your Kitchen by Mark Donovan

Remodeling a kitchen is one of the best investments a homeowner can make. For most homeowners it is the most important room in the house. It is used for cooking, eating, and gathering, and is typically a focal point in the home. Consequently, though a great investment, a kitchen-remodeling project can be very disruptive to the family. And the length of the disruption can take as long as two or three weeks.

The Planning Stage

Planning is absolutely essential in remodeling a kitchen. The homeowner should first identify the main objectives of their future kitchen. They should next research the latest products on the market including: cabinets, countertops, appliances, and flooring. If the kitchen is more than 5 years old, there are a lot of new products to choose from. For example, Silestone is quickly surpassing Granite and Corian, as the premier countertop surface as it is extremely hard, elegant in appearance, and comes in many colors. For cabinets, the trend appears to be towards lighter colors as they help the appearance of lightening and enlarging a room. In regards to appliances, the Stainless Steel look appears to be in. And for flooring, vinyl or wood is the trend. Tile looks nice, however, it can be unforgiving in a room where things tend to get dropped. In addition, if there is no radiant heating planned for the floor, tile has the tendency to feel cold on the feet.

Sketch out some plans

After the main objectives of the future kitchen have been identified and the homeowner has an idea on the products for it, they should next sketch some plans. I would suggest developing two or three sketches, keeping in mind three important points. First, professional kitchen designers like to think of a triangle when starting a new design. The three points of the triangle include the Sink, Refrigerator, and Stove. Make sure your sketches consider this as it will ensure a good functional kitchen. Second, consider adequate walking areas and space for an eating area, such as a table or center island, with applicable space included for chairs. I would suggest that the walking areas be wide enough for two people to walk through at the same time. The sketches should also include dimensions, as these will be needed when meeting with the Kitchen Designer. Finally, consider where the existing outlets and power for the stove are, and assess if additional outlets will be needed or old outlets relocated.

Visiting the Kitchen Design Center

Once sketches have been created, bring them to a Kitchen Design Center or Home Improvement store. A certified Kitchen Designer will then take the sketches and goals and incorporate them into a formal set of plans. Once the Kitchen Designer has formally generated the plans, typically someone from the Kitchen center will visit your home and take very precise measurements so that the plans can be finalized. In fact, make sure that they do visit your home; otherwise unexpected costs and delays could occur when the wrong size cabinets arrive on your doorstep.

When the cabinets do arrive at your doorstep, ensure that they match the list of materials generated by the Kitchen Designer. Again, this will help ensure that no delays or unexpected costs arise during the actual remodeling process.

Cabinets: Out with the Old and In with the New

Once the cabinets arrive, the cabinet installers will remove the existing cabinets and countertops, unless the homeowners decide to do this themselves, and install the new cabinets. If new flooring is planned, I would suggest installing the flooring between removing the old cabinets and installing the new ones, as this will save time and money. In addition, particularly with Linoleum, you will get a better end product, as the Linoleum will be unable to lift-up over time, if the material goes under the cabinets. If new flooring does get installed prior to the cabinet and countertop installation, additional care will be needed to ensure the floors are not damage during this process.

Installing the Countertops

After the new cabinets have been installed, measuring and templating for the new countertops will be required if Silestone, Granite or Corian are to be used. This task should be planned in advance so that it can be performed the same day the cabinets are installed. This will help to reduce the disruption time. Once the templating has been completed, expect several days to a week for the countertops to actually be cut and installed. During this interval the Kitchen Design Center should install a temporary countertop and faucet so that your kitchen remains operational.

Though remodeling a kitchen can be a huge disruption to the homeowner, the finished product will quickly erase the brief inconvenience. Between its new and contemporary look and features, and the knowledge of making a sound investment, the homeowner will swiftly forget about the disruption as they fully enjoy their new kitchen.
About the Author
Me_Donovan@comcast.net
www.homeadditionplus.com


Over the past 20+ years Mr. Donovan has been involved with building homes and home additions. Mr. Donovan's formal education & profession have been as an Electrical Engineer & Marketing Manager.

The 10 Most Important Rules of Choosing and Dealing With a Contractor by Razmik "Raz" Vartanian

The 10 Most Important Rules of Choosing and Dealing With a Contractor by Razmik "Raz" Vartanian

Building your dream home can quickly turn into a nightmare of unmet schedules, cost over runs, shabby workmanship and endless arguments.

I have been originating and closing construction loans for a good number of years now and I have experienced clients dumping contractors and even contractors dumping clients. By that time in most cases the job is running behind schedule and over budget. Choosing a new contractor at this stage is difficult and further delays are inevitable.

Spending a little more time and paying a little more attention to the process of choosing your contractor can avoid all this.

In most cases the writing is on the wall from the very first day, but wishful thinking gets in the way of logic, which leads to disaster down the road.

A good number of articles have been written on the subject, and you should try reading at least one or two well before making your choice of a contractor.

This article is based on my experience and personal observations. You may whish to write the main points down and add others that I have not covered and indeed add to the list from your own experience of dealing with people. This way you will internalize the subject and become a naturally better judge of those you do business with.

During the processing of your construction loan, some information is collected from the contractor but that should not stop you from your due diligence. Here is a list of items to check and to look out for:

1- If your state requires a state license, ask for the number. Dont stop at that. Call the relevant state board and check on the licenses status. You dont know who regulates contractors in your state? Ask Him/Her. And pay attention to the reaction.

There is no need to be shy. A legitimate and honest businessman will have no problem providing the information. We are involved in a highly regulated business and we proudly provide the relevant information along with phone numbers and links to the state bodies on our About Us page.

2- Ask for references. Pay attention to the reaction. Too quick a reaction and fast talk is probably a lie and a bluff. Too cautious a reaction is a sign of uncertainty. In any event write the names and numbers down and do call them. Go see them. Most people will actually welcome you simply to show off their achievement.
3- Are you building a home from the ground up? Make sure the contractor has built a complete project in the past. Experience counts; a ground up construction or a major remodel is a very different animal from room and bathroom additions.

4- Visit his/her place of business. Not all contractors have an office, but you need to make sure you are not dealing with fly-by-night operation.

5- Your construction loan package will include paper work for the contractor to complete. How does he handle that? The following is a list of warning signs.

a- Doesnt have the time to complete the lenders line item cost breakdown and insists on using his own.

b- Doesnt understand why the lender should be asking for credit references.

c- Doesnt see why the construction loan lender should need to see the construction contract?

d- Insists that in his experience non of the above are necessary and that this lender dont know anything about construction loans.

6- Be wary of the contractor who prefers to give a complete package price. No construction lender will accept that and neither should you. The line item cost breakdown does not have to be completed on every single line, but the more the merrier. Read it carefully, it will dictate the quality of the home you end up with.

7- Demand a materials list. You dont need the contractor who doesnt have the time for this. Some lenders dont require this and when they do little attention is paid to it.

Insist on a complete list of all materials and fixtures. Go to the showrooms, choose them and list your choices by make, model and /or quality. This list should be signed by the contractor and you and be made a part of the contract.

Saying A good kitchen will cost so many dollars per foot doesnt mean much when you go to the showroom at the end of the project only to find out that you hate what the construction loan budget has allowed for.

8- As a part of the construction loan process the contractor will be asked to provide evidence of Liability Insurance as well as evidence of Workmans compensation.

He/She may very well not have Workmans Compensation Insurance if he/she does not directly employ anyone. However, complaints about Liability Insurance are a sure sign of trouble.

9- As material costs are rising, payment of deposits on some deliveries may be required by suppliers and some construction loans will allow that. But be aware of the contractor who asks for up front money.

10- Construction loan disbursements are made in stages. Never ever pay a contractor before your local county or city inspector has signed off on that stage. The lenders inspector only verifies percentage of completion not compliance, so his approval does not mean that your local authorities will also sign off.

Razmik "Raz" Vartanian
Construction Loans For Residential Properties.
Expert Advice and prompt Service
www.constructionloancenter.com

About the Author
Razmik Raz Vartanian is a mortgage broker with some 20-years experience in the industry. Raz specializes in residential construction loans and as such is quoted in MSNs Money Central (http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/Banking/Homefinancing/P43586.aspis) and The Los Angeles Times.
Raz currently manages a mortgage company and is the Webmaster of www.constructionloancenter.com