THE BASICS OF KITCHEN RENOVATION
4
THE NINE BASIC STEPS
TO A SUCCESSFUL
KITCHEN RENOVATION.
1. BUDGET.
One rule of thumb for kitchen renovation is
to set the budget between 5 and 15% of the
home’s value—cabinets should be about 30% of
the budget, installation 17%, countertops 10%,
appliances 14%, and considerations like lighting,
flooring or plumbing making up the remainder.
Ultimately, of course, rules of thumb are just a
place to start: the budget is simply whatever
amount you’re comfortable spending.
2. BRAINSTORM.
Start an Idea Book full of clippings, sketches,
ideas and visuals that appeal to you. Imagine
the “kitchen pains” in your life, and the best
ways to alleviate them. If you need a little
inspiration, you can find it at KraftMaidONE.com,
Houzz.com, and Pinterest, and check out our
advice on “How to See the Future”
on page 5.
3. PRIORITIZE.
Once you have ideas, the next step is to
prioritize the importance of each element—
basically, identify the needs vs. the wants. On
page 36 we have a little questionnaire to help
you think through everything. And of course, your
KraftMaidONE
®
designer is ready to help.
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4. ESTABLISH A BASIC DESIGN.
Figure your rough measurements, and add those
to your Idea Book—check out the design tools on
pages 11, 17, and 47. Adding the measurements
will help you consider your ideas in the context of
your space.
5. FIND YOUR STYLE.
Visit the showroom, bring your Idea Book, and
share what you’ve done with your designer.
You should even try presenting it.
6. FINE-TUNE YOUR DESIGN.
Your designer can take actual measurements,
and fit your ideas to the reality of your space.
Then your designer will take that reality and fit
it to the budget—which is when the prioritizing
you did in Step 3 will come in handy if you
need to adjust to the space, the budget, or
even the time frame you’re working with.
7. SET THE PLAN IN MOTION.
Once the adjustments have everyone nodding
on both sides of the table, your designer will
coordinate schedules and place the orders
while you prepare for demolition.
8. PREPARE FOR DEMOLITION.
Review the installation plan, check out our
planning and realistic expectations guides on
pages 29 and 30, then start telling yourself,
“I am expecting the unexpected, and I am
ready for whatever it is.” (For example, ask
your designer for suggestions about putting a
temporary kitchen together.)
9. INSTALLATION.
By going through the useful checkboxes on
this list, you’ll have put in the work to feel
prepared—which will let you focus on the vision
of what your kitchen will look like soon. Start
drawing up a guest list for that first dinner party.
Who’s coming over?
Here it is—spelled out,
with useful check boxes.
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