Kitchen Planning Guide
1. Identify the Top Three Priorities You Have in Accomplishing Your Project
2. Budget
- What is your budget for this project?
- Coming up with a realistic budget is very difficult.
3. Timing
- As with everything else in life timing is everything.
- It is not a good idea to plan a kitchen remodel weeks before a wedding or any major event.
- When would you like to begin your project?
- When would you like your project completed?
- The importance of a written schedule, with a realistic time frame depending on the scope of work.
- If you are building, is the kitchen in your contract?
4. Know Yourself
- Family and kitchen information:
- How many family members are there?
- How long do you plan on living in the home you are remodeling/building?
- Where does your family eat its' meals?
- Where will your family eat after you remodel/build?
- Do you require a kitchen table? Would you be willing to explore other options if a design could be improved?
- What other activities will take place in your new kitchen?
- Entertaining
- Homework
- Do you entertain often?
- After your remodel/build, will you entertain frequently?
- Do you have large or small gatherings?
- Do your guests help you in the kitchen when you entertain?
- If you buy in bulk, do you require storage in the kitchen for all or most of these items?
5. Cooking Style
- Who is the primary cook?
- Is the primary cook left or right handed?
- How tall is the primary cook?
- What is the primary cook's cooking style?
- What does the primary cook prefer?
- No one else in the kitchen?
- Family and friends, the more the merrier?
- Does the primary cook have any physical limitations?
- If there is a secondary cook, are they left or right handed?
- Do the primary and secondary cooks prepare meals together?
- What are the secondary cook's responsibilities?
- Preparing side dishes
- Taste tester
- Does the secondary cook have any physical limitations?
6. Design and Style
- What are your color preferences for your new kitchen?
- Have you created a scrapbook of notes, photos, and ideas that you would like to use in your new kitchen?
- If a design could be greatly improved, would you be willing to make structural changes? (i.e. moving windows, doors, and walls)
- What do you like about your current kitchen?
- What do you dislike about your current kitchen?
- Do you require a recycling center in your kitchen?
- Will you be keeping your existing appliances?
- What is your style preference for your new kitchen?
- Traditional
- Contemporary
- Arts and Crafts/Country
- Cottage
7. Appliances
- Shopping for appliances seems to put many things into perspective, especially the budget.
- While men have their fast cars, boats and misc. other toys, women have their appliances. Appliances have now become luxury items in many respects. There are now more choices and finishes then we could have ever dreamed of. Gone are the days of just white, almond or black.
- What services are available to my property?
- It is important to know whether you need gas or electric appliances (hot water unit, cooking appliances). If you live further out from the city, you may need LPG appliances. If you currently have electric appliances and you want to change to gas, speak with your trade person to determine if this is going to be cost effective and worthwhile in the long run. If you are building a new home, decide on the appliances you want before building begins, as the plumbing will need to be roughed in based on your product selection.
8. Preparation
- Decide in advance where you'd like the installers to store their tools.
- Dust...there's just no way to avoid it! If you have a fish tank or electrical equipment in close proximity to the workspace, make sure they are well covered.
- Use plastic sheeting and tape to seal off doorways leading into other rooms.
- Move all pictures, mirrors, and furniture away from the walls of adjacent rooms-vibrations from the construction could cause damage.
- Don't forget about your pets! If there isn't an area in your home to keep them safely away from construction, especially during certain phases, it may be the perfect time to treat your pet to a vacation at the kennel or a play date at a friend's home.
- As a fond farewell to your old kitchen, spend some time to take some pictures.
- Packing
- Pack up the kitchen (or bathroom) well before the remodeling beings.While it's a great time to "spring clean" your shelves, don't forget to label your boxes well. This will make the unpacking process a lot easier.
- Items that are fragile should be marked accordingly and stored in an area away from the construction.
- If you're remodeling your bathroom, pretend you're going on a trip-keep hairdryers, toothpaste, and face wash accessible.
- Keep Eating
- In the weeks before the work begins, keep a list of all the restaurants you've been meaning to try. When the microwave gets old, your list will come in handy for a quick escape!
- Plan a location outside of the remodeling area to act as your temporary kitchen. Make sure that it includes:
- A refrigerator. Small, dorm-type units often work best and often have freezer spaces for storing frozen dinners.
- The microwave. Don't forget to stock up on microwave-safe dishes and microwaveable meals.
- A "kitchen sink." Consider where your water source will be in relation to your temporary kitchen. Stock up on bottled water. You may need to wash dishes in the bathtub-make sure you keep cleaning supplies, trash bags, and dishtowels handy.
- The coffee maker. Keep filters and coffee close at hand.
- Utility utensils. Don't pack away everyday items like can openers, sharp knives, and bottle openers.
- A dining area. Set up a table for eating and food preparation, preferably near your microwave and fridge.
- The essentials. Tell your kids you're picnicking...use paper plates, napkins, and disposable silverware. Ordinary items like condiments, cereal, and salt and pepper should be easily accessible.
9. Do It Yourself
- Not highly recommended unless you are a designer.
- A designer can pull all the pieces of your kitchen puzzle together. The designer will keep you from getting bogged down in details that can throw your planning off track.You'll be free to dream, while the designer thinks through all the measurements, material coordination, and construction logistics.
- You might want a recycle center, for example, but you can't quite figure out where it would fit so you decide to go without it. If you were working with a designer, he might know exactly how to make the recycle center work based on his experience with similar kitchens and his specialized training. Or you may have always wanted a dramatic beamed ceiling but assumed that your house couldn't support it. A designer could tell you that decorative beams often can be installed below the ceiling line without requiring any structural changes.
- In other words, a good designer will help you do it right the first time, see possibilities where you could not, and make the entire experience go smoothly.
10. Hiring a Designer
- When you work with a kitchen designer, you don't have to give up control of your plans or turn all the remodeling work over to other craftsmen. Think of yourself as the movie producer and of the kitchen designer as the movie director.You can be intimately involved in every detail of the project and even do some of the hands-on work. But when you do need someone to handle logistics, whether it's ordering products or coordinating contractors' schedules, the designer can step in.
- A designer will typically:
- Visit your home to take measurements.
- Create a design and draft perspectives, elevations, and a floor plan.
- Develop a detailed budget and schedule.
- Order materials.
- Coordinate work with construction, painting, and other contractors.
- Oversee the installation and placement of the cabinets and other design elements.
- With all that being said you want to find someone that you feel comfortable with, someone you can trust, you don't want to be kitchen number 150.
11. Don't Forget to Have Fun!