Plumbers Jacksonville FL – Taking the Stress Out of Remodeling Your Kitchen

By Billy Aldridge

With the economy still depressed and with it the real estate market, many people are choosing to improve their existing homes instead of jumping ship.  With that in mind, one of the best ways to enhance the enjoyment of your existing home is to remodel your kitchen.  When it comes to designing a new kitchen, the project can either be a pleasure, or it can be a headache, depending on how well the makeover is planned beforehand.  So before you start pulling down cabinets and replacing appliances and flooring, you will want to lay out a plan that both improves the functionality of your kitchen, as well as working within your budget.

Let Your Fingers Do the Walking

Inevitably you will want to meet with a designer and installer, as well as a plumber and an electrician.  Before you do that however, you need to make some decisions on how much you have to spend on the project, as well as where your priorities lie.  Deciding on such things as appliances, fixtures, cabinets, tiles and paint used to mean multiple trips to Home Depot or Lowes, along with other big box stores. With the advent of tablet PCs and smartphones, there are now apps that not only let your fingers do the walking when it comes to selecting hardware, décor and color schemes, but there are even apps that let you move these elements around your virtual kitchen to see what the final product will look like.

Architectural Digest has a free app called Amazing Kitchens that feature a selection of stunning kitchens that is available for iPhone, iPod and iPad.  The app is also packed with useful and intuitive tools that help make kitchen design a snap.

If Android is your ios of choice, no worry, since there are plenty of apps available.  One of the best resources is Google Play, where you will find Kitchen Cabinets and Designs, a free app that provides such things as kitchen design ideas, ideas for kitchen cabinets and videos of selected kitchens.  

If you haven’t made the switch to mobile computingyet, there are plenty of software packages available for PCs and laptops. Check out  http://kitchen-design-software-review.toptenreviews.com/  which is a site that is not only dedicated to rating the best kitchen design software, but they also break down each package’s features to help you choose the package that’s right for you.

Once you have determined the layout then it’s time to start comparison shopping for major appliances and fixtures.  The Internet is a great way to accomplish this task as well.  Everything from big box stores to Amazon and Even EBay are right at your fingertips.  Consumer reports and other review sites are a great way to compare name brands and get a bead on such things as energy efficiency and reliability. 

If you are remodeling on a budget, the Internet can be your best friend.  Comparison shopping aside, there are also thousands of blogs and videos out there that show you how to save money without scrimping on quality.  Speaking of blogs, you might like to check out one of my previous blogs, http://aldridgesonsplumbing.blogspot.com/2012/07/kitchen-remodeling-jacksonville-4-tips.html which contains 4 tips that can save you money when remodeling a kitchen.

Time to Bring in the Professionals

Once you have done your homework, now it is time to bring in the pros.  Depending upon the complexity of the project, you may need to work with several, including a designer, a cabinet installer, a flooring company, a plumber, an electrician and a carpenter.  If you already have an idea of what you have in mind, this not only makes everyone’s job that much easier, but it can save you real money.  If you have no clue, this leaves it up to the designer to “suggest” a plan of action that may or may not fit your budget.  So planning is essential to staying on budget.

Speaking of planning, you will also need to plan for the fact that your kitchen could be out of commission for up to a month while the teardown and redo is accomplished. This usually entails a lot of take-out food and restaurant meals that you need to budget for as well while the work is underway.  The upside is that once the job is done, you will not only get years of enjoyment from your new kitchen, but it will also add value to your home. 

So if you’re looking to upgrade your kitchen any time in the near future, remember that the key to staying on budget and eliminating much of the stress that any renovation causes is to “Plan the work and work the plan.”

Billy Aldridge is one of the Doctors of Plumbology at Aldridge & Sons Plumbing, a family owned and operated commercial and residential plumbing company based in Jacksonville, FL.  See Billy’s helpful how-to videos at http://plumbers-jacksonvile-fl.com