Kitchen Design Tips - How To Design A Kitchen
Kitchen Design Tips To Help You Design Your
Own Kitchen!
Welcome to your new home for kitchen design tips and ideas!My ultimate goal and reason for giving you all these great kitchen design ideas is to guide you so that you are able to make intelligent, informed decisions based on the knowledge I provide you with...and, of course, try to save you time and money in the long run! Happy reading!
If at any point you have a question that has not been answered here, just click on either the "Ask A Question" link to the left or any of the "Ask Justin" buttons. I'll be happy to help!
Here you will find kitchen design tips and everything else you need to successfully and seamlessly come up with a blueprint for your kitchen from inception to completion.
I have designed this site to help answer all of your questions regarding kitchen design. YES, all of them!
I'll start by saying that designing a kitchen is no easy feat. There are so many factors to take into account from styles and colors, countertop selection, cabinetry selection, kitchen floor design, backsplash ideas, and the list goes on!
My first piece of advice...DON'T GET OVERWHELMED OR DISCOURAGED! That is why I am here...these kitchen design tips will help you take the guesswork out of the process, and focus on the end result...your dream kitchen! If at any time you feel that you are unable to find an answer you are looking for, no problem. Just click on the "Ask Justin" link on any of the pages and I will do my best to answer your question.
Where do I start? Great question! My suggestion is to use the list below as a guideline for what to do and when to do it. I've spoken with many of my past and current clients and have devised the below list based on their experiences.
I want to renovate my kitchen...where do I start? Follow these great kitchen design tips and you'll be well on your way to creating your dream kitchen!
Budget - Here is a great tip...the first thing you need to decide is how much you have to spend on your kitchen renovation. So many clients come to me and tell me what they want without thinking about the cost. 
Then they receive the estimates and it's a rude awakening. A good rule of thumb is to assume that everything will come in higher than expected.
What should I budget for?
Well, it all depends on how large or small you plan your kitchen renovation to be. Let's assume you are planning a full kitchen renovation. Use these kitchen remodel cost percentages as a guideline:
| Appliances | 10% |
|---|---|
| Cabinetry | 30% |
| Countertops | 10% |
| Electrical and Plumbing | 10% |
| Flooring | 10% |
| Backsplash and Painting | 10% |
| General Contractor - Labor | 20% |
Always add 30% to the bottom line to compensate for any product and labor increases.
I know this seems like a lot but, you'll be happy you did!
Time Frame - When would you like your kitchen renovation to be complete? Maybe you have relatives coming to visit from far away in a couple of months? Maybe the summer is over and you want to make sure your new kitchen is done in time for the holidays?
Here are some great kitchen design tips...whatever the reason, make sure you place a tentative end date on your project.
Having a completion date will help you to make decisions on what materials and products to use for your kitchen design.
For example, if you need your kitchen to be completed in one month, you would have to narrow down which kitchen cabinet company to use, since some have kitchen cabinets in stock, where as other companies may take 8-10 weeks to deliver.
Hire An Architect/Kitchen Designer - This is an extremely important step and a one of the most important kitchen design tips...you need to have kitchen floor plans drawn up in order to move ahead. Not only will they help you to decide what products, materials, and sizes to use, but they will also act as a precise blueprint for your contractor, electrician, plumber, tile installer, and countertop fabricator to follow once your renovation is underway.
Important - Only hire an architect if you are going to be adding an addition on to your kitchen or moving any load bearing walls!
If you are not doing any of these things, an interior designer will do just fine...and will cost you less!
This is one of the best kitchen design tips I can give to help you keep down your kitchen renovation costs!
Hire A Contractor And Sub-Contractors - Ok, so you hired a design professional to draw up the plans for your dream kitchen design. Now what?
Here is a very important kitchen design tip...After, and ONLY after you receive the drawings and have reviewed them, should you go ahead and start interviewing contractors and sub-contractors to implement your kitchen design.
Why do I have to wait? I need an estimate to see if the labor to be performed is within my budget?
Of course you do but, review the plans first! If the plans have first been reviewed, changed, scrapped, or whatever the case may be, then there is less likelihood of your contractor having to increase his estimates. His estimates are being based off of actual plans, not ideas. Try to be patient, it will save you a lot of money in the long run!
Kitchen Cabinet Selection - This is a very important step because based on the time frame (and of course, BUDGET!) you've put on your renovation, you may have to narrow down your kitchen cabinet choice. As I stated above, kitchen cabinets can take anywhere from next day deliver to up to 3 months out.
The majority of your kitchen renovation will be based around when your cabinets arrive!
Once you have obtained a lead time for when the cabinets will arrive, you may then start to pick out and prepare orders for the other products and materials you will be using.
If something is out of stock or there is a longer lead time on it, now that you've picked out your cabinets and have a delivery date, you'll be able to make a more informed decision on whether or not to order those kitchen cabinets. Now you don't have to worry about whether or not they will arrive on time!
Have A Great Kitchen Design Tip?
Do you have a great kitchen design tip or idea that you would like to share? Great!
It's really easy! Simply fill in the form below.
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Now let's get started...
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By following the above kitchen design tips and road map, you should be well on your way to your dream kitchen! If you have any questions, just ask me!