Archive for 'kitchen remodeling ideas'


Kitchen Remodeling Ideas and Tips: Choosing a Kitchen Design Layout

Tuesday, November 9th, 2010 at 10:15 am  
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2 Kitchen Remodeling Ideas and Tips: Choosing a Kitchen Design Layouthttp://bit.ly/hstyler1

► Nadia's kitchen remodeling tips on choosing a design:
A kitchen redesign may seem overwhelming at first but it breaks down to a few basic elements you need to think about:

○ Choose a kitchen design
This is your biggest decision right here, so you should make it your first. Consider the four basic kitchen designs:
- Island
- Galley
- U-shaped
- L-shaped

○ Visualize your choices with 3D design software
It's so important to see it ahead of time, and 3D really helps you get a pretty good idea of what your kitchen will look like. It can help you decide on everything from wall colors to appliances before you lift a paintbrush or spend a dime. With Homestyler, if you're stuck for ideas, you can start with a design from the gallery of pre-made designs.

○ Choosing appliances
Consider your work triangle, the space you cover when you're going from stove to sink to refrigerator. What is the most natural and efficient for you? Homestyler allows you to experiment with different brands and finishes and play around with different combinations to discover what works best for you.

○ Visit a showroom
Once you've decided on a layout and your appliances it's a good time to visit a showroom. Be sure to print out your designs and your itemized product list (this can be done directly from Homestyler) and bring them with you. This is your chance to touch and feel the appliances' surfaces and fixtures and see if they really live up to your expectations. You may feel differently after you've seen the real thing.

○ Planning storage
Above all else, your kitchen should save you time and effort. With that in mind, take inventory of your kitchen's appliances and tools. Hanging pots and pans from above can be a great space saver, but if you're on the short side and you cook a lot, this may not be a good solution.

Think of the things you use most, and make sure they're easy to get to. Make sure you have a place for everything. Like the coffeemaker - are you okay with it out on the counter, or do you want an appliance garage for it?

Kitchen Remodeling Ideas and Tips: Choosing a Kitchen Design Layout

Learn which of the four basic kitchen layouts fits your space and cooking personality before you visit another showroom. With simple steps and tips, professional designer Nadia Geller shows you how easy it is to be prepared and inspired using the gallery of pre-made layouts featured in Autodesk Homestyler, the free online 3D home design software.

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Kitchen Remodeling and Design Tips: Before You Call a Professional

Thursday, September 30th, 2010 at 4:50 am  
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2 Kitchen Remodeling and Design Tips: Before You Call a Professionalhttp://bit.ly/hstyler1

► Nadia's kitchen remodeling tips - what to do before you call a professional

○ Decide how much help you need/want
There are different types of remolding professionals to choose from based on the needs you'll have: kitchen designers, contractors, electricians, plumbers and installers.

A big part of deciding what pros you'll need is based off of how much you're comfortable doing on your own and how much help you can afford.

○ Define your priorities
You have to do your homework to determine what your likes and dislikes are and define your priorities. You want a restaurant grade oven and refrigerator but you also need to hire a plumber and an electrician. Knowing where your priorities are can help you decide where to best spend your budget and where you can comprise when you find out you need to hire a pro.

○ Use kitchen design software to save money and find the right professionals
Using a kitchen design program, such as Homestyler, allows you to virtually build your kitchen before buying a thing. In addition, you'll determine the initial budget planning yourself which will save you money that you can use for appliances or hiring pros.

Save all your designs online, then share them with potential design professionals and contractors, so you can get more than one bid.

○ Find licensed contractors with good references
Choose your contractor wisely. Ask your friends for referrals. Do call references, and always ask to see their license.

Remember to print out and share your kitchen design so you can get the most accurate bids from the professionals you are looking to hire.

○ Learn about permits and your home owners association
Kitchen remodeling tends to take a lot longer than we allow. If you need permits, that will add to your schedule. Also, you will need to be familiar with any construction restrictions your home owners association has. Those restrictions can increase the time (and costs) to complete your kitchen remodel as well.

Kitchen Remodeling and Design Tips: Before You Call a Professional

Doing your homework before you interview and hire a professional can make your kitchen-remodeling project go more smoothly. Try using online design software, like the free* Autodesk Homestyler, to help you think through your likes and dislikes and see them in 3D. Then save and share your thoughts as you meet with potential designers, contractors and other pros. Professional designer Nadia Geller gives you a few essential tips to get you started.

*Autodesk Homestyler is a free online service that provides access to home design software created by Autodesk. Free products and services are subject to the terms of use that accompany them.

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Kitchen Remodeling Ideas

Monday, March 2nd, 2009 at 12:17 pm  
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For some reason the one room that most people seem most eager to remodel is the kitchen.  Perhaps it is because the kitchen is such a creative place.  And generally, it is well lit so you can see any blemish or flaw that is there.  So if the kitchen is next on your remodeling list, you need some guidelines for how to plan your remodeling project so when the job is  done, you achieved your goals.  And whether that means you have the "kitchen of your dreams" or that you just fixed some problems with a kitchen that has gotten run down over time, your remodeling project can address those needs.

Before you buy the paint and start pulling up tiles from the floor, a serious planning session of what you want in your new kitchen is in order.  The list may get quite long but its a healthy exercise to "blue sky" what the perfect kitchen might look like.  After that exercise is done, you can start to come down to earth by detailing each "dream change" into tasks that must be done.  So the dream to "open the kitchen up" might include putting in a skylight, knocking out some walls and painting the kitchen with brighter and happier colors that make the room look bigger.

default Kitchen Remodeling Ideas

If you have 20 ideas or dreams for what the perfect kitchen will look like that could break out into 100 task steps that must happen to make each of those dreams come to life.  The value of all this categorizing is that just that little exercise in organization could surface steps that are counterproductive.  One goal might call for you to take out a wall and another may need that wall to hold shelves.  So right away, reality has stuck its nose into your plans and some adjustments have to be made.  But these are all good planning steps en route to your perfect kitchen.

11786067732K2Gm9 Kitchen Remodeling Ideas

The next confrontation with reality is the time frame and budget that you might have for your kitchen remodeling project.  Do you hope to do all the work yourself?  If so, how much time will it take and can you fit the project in with your work and family responsibilities?  But the most important consideration is what you can afford.  This doesn’t mean that you have to cut all of your dreams from your kitchen remodeling plan.  But because you took some time to sort and arrange both the bigger goals or dreams and the individual tasks it will take to achieve those dreams, you now have some detail to work from.

Now you can lay out a schedule of work you can do in the next big kitchen remodeling effort.  You can decide what you can afford this time to make a good step forward toward the perfect kitchen.  The rest can be saved for the next time you have time and money to take another step.  In this way, step by step you reach toward the goal of the ideal kitchen of your dreams.  You might never get there entirely.  But you sure will have fun trying

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