If you’re remodeling your kitchen, or planning to start a kitchen makeover project before long, you’re probably painfully aware that kitchens are the most expensive rooms in the house to remodel. Full of pricey appliances, cabinet, plumbing, flooring, and countertops, it can be easy to break the budget on your kitchen project. Careful planning will help keep your project spending under control, and leave room for the details that make all the difference.
Because it’s so easy to burn through your kitchen remodeling budget, you should start your remodeling planning by centering on the most important functional aspects of your kitchen: your food preparation area, stove and oven, and kitchen sink.
We’ll start with the simplest element: kitchen faucets. It can be tempting to buy cheap here, but avoid this temptation. For kitchen applications, you should be able to turn your water on and off, as well as adjust the temperature of the water, without using your hands. You’ll have hundreds of episodes during food prep where both of your hands will be covered with food, which you’ll want to avoid getting on the plumbing. Once you’re certain the kitchen faucet functionality is appropriate for your needs, you can start focusing on the right style.
Your food preparation area should have plenty of storage to hold frequently-used items in ready reach. It’s amazing how much time and complexity is added to cooking food when you have to walk back and forth between the counter and pantry multiple times during meal preparation. Plan to place well-organized shelving units around your counter top food preparation space.
That leaves us with the stove and oven. These are often sold in combination units, but you shouldn’t feel you have to select this style for your kitchen, as they’re sold separately as well. While there are plenty of attractive name brands offering gorgeous restaurant-grade cooking appliances, their marginal added utility is rarely worth the price. Aim for the middle of the cost range, and you’ll undoubtedly be satisfied both with functionality and frugality.