How to be organized with your kitchen renovation

When you have decided on a budget for your kitchen renovation  you need to lay it all out. You need to organize the various data and information into a workable scheme. This includes keeping exact and orderly records. In preparing this preplan plan, you will have to pay heed to specific design factors. You will need to explore the possibilities, take note of the details of certain aspects of kitchen design before you should incorporate them into your overall master plan.

Many of them will echo what you discovered at the beginning of the remodeling concept. This section will look at both what youwant and what you need. It will specifically consider essential design factors. Among them are such basic design elements as layout and traffic patterns, the kitchen triangle, appliances, storage and lighting. This survey will also include the necessary but mundane kitchen systems of waste disposal, heating, cooling and ventilation.

INITIAL DESIGN FACTORS

You know what you want. You also know how your kitchen is laid out. Now you need to consider what will work best. Once again, you need to turn to your computer or put pen to paper. You need to compile a check list. Begin with the initial design factors. This will include the layout.

LAYOUT

The layout should be designed with the cook in mind. It needs to adopt a pattern of traffic flow that does not impede this activity.

If you are a single cook and a single usage kitchen, a corridor kitchen design is simple and effective. This pattern may not work, however, if the kitchen is the beehive of activity. Traffic flow can and will interfere with the essential work or preparation and cooking.

If the kitchen is more than a food or work center, you need to look at another layout. Some kitchen experts argue in favor of the L-shaped or U-Shaped or even the G-shaped layout. The L-shaped model provides you with lots of counter space. It works best if you put the various work centers together in a functional pattern. The U-shaped kitchen layout is often considered the most efficient. It places groups into their work centers. It has plenty of counter tops and storage space. Traffic flows freely and does not interfere with the kitchen triangle of food from preparation to delivery. The G-shaped layout is a derivative of the L-shaped model. It adds an extra wall of cabinets. This is ideal for those who require more space for storage.

There are other ways of looking at the kitchen layout. The work-triangle focuses on the various triangles you can draw within the kitchen. It provides each station of work easy access to their materials. It also permits fluid traffic flow.

How people move within your kitchen is important. In fact, it is one of the most significant factors you need to look at in creating your design. You have to seriously take into consideration the circulation or traffic patterns before you can put together the ideal layout. You need to understand how traffic flows through your kitchen. You must know how you want it to flow. You can then work into your plan the layout that works best for you and your family.

Once you think you have a plan for the layout, you need to look at the different physical aspects of this specific layout capable of affecting your plan. These should take into account windows and doors.

 What types do you have? Are they decorative or functional? What do you want them to be? Do you need to replace them or can you simply enhance them?

A complex and more expensive task would be to replace them. You could change the regular door entry way for a patio door. You could replace the inner doorway, if you have one, with folding or French doors. Each would demand a different level of skill. Each would be priced differently. You could also simply add new trim and update the locks and door knobs.

As for windows - you could replace them with new energy-efficient models. You could also simply play with creating a new look.

Insulation and double panes or new shades or blinds? Remove the windows or paint the trim and replace the glass? If you opt for new windows and doors, be prepared to add any installation fees to the budget.

STORAGE

Storage is a complex but very flexible arsenal in remodeling your kitchen. It is based on what you use, your lifestyle, your definition of style and how you perceive "storage." If you like gadgets, for example, you need to look at how you display or conceal them. Do you prefer them to hang from hooks or place them concealed in drawers?

If you are a baker, do you want a baking center storage unit or units? Do you want the dry goods on a shelf or tucked away in closed cupboards? What about knick knacks? Do you want to display any? There is also the issue of small kitchen appliances. Do you have a few, many or a surplus? They require space and, of course, outlets.

To counteract the perceived or actual demand for storage, you have many different options. Depending upon your needs, you can opt for pull out units, tilt-out bins, pull-out bins and/or Lazy Susans and other circular devices. There are all types of drawer organizers and cabinets. It depends upon your special restrictions and preferences.

If you are on a tight budget, you can rearrange cabinets and maximize space. Try turning previously unused space into usable space. A Kitchen Designer or neat freak may offer a few suggestions. There are different ways of creating new space. You just have to know your kitchen and discover them. This comes in handy particularly if you need the room for storage but cannot afford to expand.

It is important is to know your storage needs. The type of storage you require is almost as important as the amount you must have to meet those needs.

CABINETS

Cabinets are a key component of every kitchen. They help define your own personal style. They can make or break the entire environment of a kitchen. Lest you forget, they are also storage units.

Cabinets need to be of quality construction. This is more important than their actual type or style. They should also be functional and not merely decorative. A sturdy functional cabinet is the best way to go for kitchen remodeling. After all, it defeats the purpose if your elegant and artistic cabinets are incapable of performing their basic function.

Remember. There are several different choices when you come to cabinets. You should be able to locate one that fits your budget, lifestyle, sense of style and use. You can buy stock cabinets. These are quick and easily available. The drawback is that the selection of sizes and colors is quite limited. You might, instead, try to obtain semi-custom cabinets. The price is reasonable. The date of delivery is comparable. Moreover, while availability is similar to that of stock cabinets, semi-custom cabinets are less restricted in terms of style, sizes, finishes and options.

 APPLIANCES

You must look at your need and use of both major and minor appliances. If you have several small appliances, you need to look at storage issues. You also need to ensure the electrical system in your layout will be appropriate. Will you have enough outlets to service your hunger for small shiny objects? Can your electrical system do so without overloading the circuitry?

Larger appliances have specific needs. They also need to serve the needs of your family. Does your family need a large freezer?

Should the freezer be on the top or at the bottom? Would a side-by-side unit be functional? Do not let yourself be carried away by the design. Consider the function. Never include appliances for the sake of having the latest and the most stylish. If you do not or cannot use them, these appliances are simply expensive space-hoggers.

Always consider the practicality of the various refrigerators, ranges, cook tops, freestanding cook tops and microwaves before you decide to place them in your kitchen. Do your research. Read consumer reports. Go online and look in various periodicals for information. Shop wisely. Look for energy-efficient appliances. You may be able to upgrade your range and receive a rebate in the process.

Do not forget the need for proper air circulation and lighting in the kitchen. You can update and improve your kitchen by varying

the lighting. It is simple to go from one overhead light fixture to several strategically - and usefully, placed lighting elements. This can, if you pardon the pun, light up your kitchen in more ways than one. Also, look at such things as the amount of natural lighting.

How much natural light do you get in your kitchen?

You may want to use accent lighting and task lighting to fulfill specific requirements in your kitchen. Generally, you can select from a wide range of lighting options. There are recessed lights, pendant lights and some artistic sculptural lighting. The variety and availability should provide something to suit everybody's taste and needs.

As for ventilation - a range hood will help you in this aspect. There are many different types available. Like larger appliances and lighting fixtures, they range in price and style. If you truly need one (or a new one), you should be able to find something in your price range. If your current stove is in excellent condition, if it still serves its purpose admirably, you can add a new range hood to dress-it-up.

Another complexity in the kitchen is the use of gas. Some people prefer a gas range. If you plan to switch from gas to electricity or vice versa, be sure to look at the pros and cons of each system. There are also the extra costs of running a gas line and/or ripping one out. Installing gas is best left to the experts. This could be another large item in your remodeling budget.

KITCHEN SYSTEMS

What is often forgotten in the remodeling process is consideration of the basic systems. You cannot forget to include them in your plans. They affect so many aspects of your kitchen remodeling. The plumbing, waste and electrical systems are not exciting. They are rather mundane. No one waxes poetically about installing or changing the sewage system. Yet, without them, you do not have a functional kitchen. It is the plumbing, waste and electrical systems that make or break the kitchen. The need to address some, if not all of these, makes remodeling this room a complex task.

When you are remodeling a kitchen, even replacing the refrigerators and ranges, you have to look at the various systems in a clear and comprehensive manner. It is best to keep the major appliances and water systems in the same location. This means less expensive rewiring or rerouting of major systems. When deciding what you are going to do, pay heed to these specific kitchen systems:

This means such common things as receptacles. It is easy to forget these small items. When remodeling your kitchen, look at these common kitchen necessities. This should then lead you to consider wiring. You need the correct type of wiring for your appliances, receptacles,switches and circuits and lighting to function. If you move the appliances, you will have to change, move or extend the delivery system. If you want to add more appliances, you will require more receptacles and switches.

You may also have to update or increase the carrying capacity of the electrical system. This will increase your budget costs.

» Plumbing

It is a tie between the plumbing and electrical systems to see which can cause the most headaches in a remodeling job. If you change the sink, you need to look at the plumbing. If you add small or large appliances to help with garbage disposal or washing up, you must look at the plumbing system. Is it adequate for the new demands?

When you update or renovate your kitchen, you may end up spending more money on the plumbing. You need to consider the cost of such things as supply lines, drain lines, sewage disposal and ventilation. Be careful not to ignore these aspects. It could affect the remodeling budget in an adverse way.

» Heating and Cooling

If you have a kitchen, chances are you want it to be warm during the winter and cool during the summer. When remodeling, do not forget the heating and cooling systems. You can choose between air conditioners and fans. The heating system should be pre-existing. If it is electric or gas, you may have to pay for an upgrade. If you decide to switch from one to another system, be sure you do your homework. No matter what you decide to do, be sure to get estimates and quotes.

Depending upon where you live and the extent of your remodeling job, you may have to get a building permit. There are national building codes as well as local ones. These can vary from place to place. Make sure you know and understand them before you start the remodeling of your kitchen.

Read up on such things as building codes, electrical codes and plumbing codes. Know how they work. Be sure you know when, where and how they apply to your particular kitchen remodeling project. Also know what bodies are responsible for which legislation.

If you have a contractor, this person may be in charge of these aspects. Nevertheless, you need to be aware of the entire legal pro- cess. Furthermore, you will need to know what type of inspections your kitchen will require, who does it and who is responsible for arranging them. Know the contact numbers - e-mail and phone, of all the parties involved and keep them on hand.