How to Remodel Your Kitchen: The 7 Step Guide

Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas cookies, late night snacks… the best parts of life take place in a kitchen. So why not make yours unforgettable?

Remodeling can be an intimidating process. Are you currently struggling with some of these thoughts?

• How can I make this more fun?
• What do I really want my kitchen to look like?
• What steps can I skip, and what is really necessary?
• What color scheme should I go with?
• What cabinets should I buy?
• Do I need new appliances?
• Should I hire someone to help?

Hopefully, in these seven easy steps, you can start planning your stress-free kitchen remodel.

1. Make a vision board.

   Do you have a Pinterest? If not, open a new tab and make an account right away. Pinterest is a social media platform that helps creative juices flow. On this website you are guaranteed to leave inspired and excited. Type in kitchen remodel and make a board filled with all of the styles and designs that catch your eye. Our Pinterest link is here: https://www.pinterest.com/JGKitchenBath/. Feel free to draw some inspiration from that! This board will be something you can reference throughout your remodeling process. The website Houzz is also a great resource. Clients often come in using this as well. If you want to take it to the next level, print out pictures of atmospheres that inspire you. Tape those to a cheap cardboard poster and hang it up somewhere you will see it.

   This step is important because it helps get you excited about all of the possibilities with your kitchen remodel. Looking at photos and determining what your dream kitchen would look like gives you hope and adds a little fun to what can seem to be a daunting process. Also, putting your ideas somewhere outside of your brain is the first step in order to accomplish something great. It also is a great resource to help your future designer, so your style is more easily conveyed.

2. Determine your wants and needs.

   That beautiful kitchen on your Pinterest board, or Houzz account, might make you giddy, but recreating the whole thing may not be in your price range. Don’t worry though, you can still create a kitchen you love. Now that you have some information, take a look at your budget. What do you really need? Is your refrigerator almost shot? If so, we might need to skip the marble countertops and invest in a reliable refrigerator. Are your appliances all relatively nice? Awesome, let’s find a way to spruce up your kitchen with some new details. Purge your brain of all of your hopes and wants for this new kitchen of yours on a sheet of paper. Then, make a new list putting your first priorities at the top. Go down the list, and price how much each thing will cost until you reach your budget. Some of the prices will shock you, especially cabinets.Then, you have a list of where to get started. For inspiration on top-quality appliance and cabinetry brands, see our products page right here: https://gilmerkitchens.com/products/.

3. Make a plan.

   Now that you know what you want to get done, it’s time to figure out when you want it to be done. Do this by creating a timeline of when you want to achieve certain goals. Is there money that still needs to be saved? If so, how will you save it and when does it need to be saved by? Are there other projects around the house that will interfere with the kitchen remodel? Set a date to finish them. A typical remodel from the time of starting the design process to the completion is 4-6 months. The actual work in the house is 6-8 weeks within that time frame. Make sure these dates are lining up with your schedule. Also, make sure you set deadlines for yourself. Making yourself stick to a schedule will help deny human nature’s instinct to put things off. The sooner you start hitting these deadlines, the sooner you will be drinking coffee in your brand-new kitchen.

4. Hire a professional.

   Now that you know what you want and when you need it done, it’s time to find out how realistic your expectations are. Your best bet is to find a kitchen designer that you are comfortable with. A kitchen designer is going to be the individual who has experience making visions become reality. The contractor that your kitchen designer recommends will be the person who puts the sweat into making your dream kitchen. In order to find the best designer, look at their reviews and check with friends who may have worked with individuals in the past. You want to make sure you find someone who is pleasant to work with and is committed to giving you the best experience. You also want to make sure that the professionals you hire do not take too much of a chunk of your remodeling budget, so be wary of cost when it comes to hiring extra help like an architect or interior designer. Kitchen designers’ do not charge an additional hour fee, their compensation is built into the cost of the cabinets. Once you have all of that in mind, feel free to reach out to us! We are one of the nations top-rated kitchen remodeling companies, with locations in MD and VA. We serve nationwide and have done thousands of unique projects in the last 22 years. See 180 OF them in our portfolio here: https://gilmerkitchens.com/portfolio/. Set up a consultation with us by following this link: https://gilmerkitchens.com/book-a-consultation/

5. Meeting with the professionals.

   When meeting with your design professional, make sure you bring in all the tools mentioned in previous steps to help you communicate your vision for your kitchen. You are the one who will be cooking meals in this space, so it is important that all your needs are being met and that you are able to clearly communicate what it is that you want. Do not be afraid to say no to ideas and offer up alternatives of your own. Also, however, be flexible. The people you hire have experience in the area, and a talented designer will be able to meld with you, creating ideas that blend form and function which seek to your desires. Call us now at (301) 657-2500 to see how we can help you do that!

6. Installing your kitchen.

   Chances are, this will be the most exciting yet stressful part. It’s a good idea to be prepared for surprises and or problems. Working with a well-established design firm who has developed an excellent system of operations helps to minimize these issues. If problems do arise, a skillful design firm acknowledges them and will correct them in an expeditious manner. Working with a firm like this, you can expect to still be happy and fully satisfied in the end. Sit back, and let your professionals take good care of you and your home.

7. Pour yourself a drink and bake some cookies.

   Yes, it will eventually be over. You will eventually have the kitchen of your dreams. Snap a picture and post it to Instagram or Pinterest. Someone out there could benefit from and be inspired by your dream kitchen. Letting them know who helped you to make this dream come true will help your friends know when to go when they are ready.

   We are a top-ranked kitchen and bathroom design & remodeling company that has served thousands of clients nationwide. Since 1997, we have prided ourselves in performing high-quality work for just about any budget. We have showrooms in Maryland and Virginia. Give us a call at (301) 657-2500 or contact us here: https://gilmerkitchens.com/book-a-consultation/

   Thanks for reading and good luck with your remodel!