A Homeowner's Guide to Kitchen Renovations

An 8 Step Guide on how to manage your kitchen remodel project, from design to construction

The kitchen is the heart of the home but you're not very happy with yours. So you've decided to renovate. Now what? Many homeowners don't really know where to start. There are so many decisions. What design style? How do we want the kitchen to flow? What can we spend? How much will it cost? It may take you some time to go through the pondering stage but eventually you are ready and want to move forward - to make your kitchen worthy of a social gathering.

Here are 8 steps that will help you go from kitchen design to completed construction.

Step 1: Write down what you need in your kitchen renovation

This is the information gathering stage. Ask yourself how do you use your kitchen? What kinds of appliances do you need, how many ovens, stoves, fridges, sinks? What design styles do you like? Think about your flow, your priorities. How many people will be gathering in the kitchen? Do you need to expand your space or is the original kitchen blueprint something you can work with?

Start collecting images of kitchens you like - things like tiles, countertops, appliances, islands, fixtures, layouts. This will all be very useful when it comes time to do the actual design.

Step 2: Planning

Once you have some good ideas about what you are looking for in your kitchen remodeling, you need to start working on a preliminary budget and Scope of Work. You are by no means stuck with this but it is a great starting point. Figure out what things cost and how much you feel comfortable spending. Do you need the high-end granite countertop or would a laminate suit your budget and style. You won't know until you start researching the cost of individual things and planning it out. And don't forget to find out about permitting as well - the city can help you with this unless you've chosen to hire a contractor in which case, most times, they will handle it for you.

Step 3: DIY or Professionals?

Even if you plan on doing most of the renovating yourself, you will still need professionals in one capacity or another. Where are you going to go to purchase your custom cabinetry, to find the perfect countertop, to find the right appliances. Start by visiting big box stores. You can also ask friends for referrals and recommendations. Decide who is going to do the work of gutting, plumbing, electrical, installing etc.

Step 4: Preliminary Designs

You will need sketches of space planning, preliminary floor plans and elevations that show the dimensions and cabinet sizes / layout. This is a space planning phase where drawings are created so that you can start to focus on how many cabinets you need, what materials are required and how much it will actually cost. This is not the design phase so don't get too caught up in the actual look and feel.

Step 5: Now we are onto design specifications

You've been saving pictures of kitchens you love and now you get to decide on the direction you want your kitchen to take. Is it going to be modern, country classic, traditional? Now that you have a good idea of the style you are looking for, here is where you make your selection of finishes, colours, textures and types of fixtures. Everything from:

• Cabinetry, door styles, finishes, colours, woods

• Type of countertop

• Appliance choices

• Kitchen sinks and faucets

• Flooring, tile, fixtures, decorative hardware

Step 6: Finalize design and construction documents

Here you will finalize your designs and floor plans, elevations, details and all mechanical / electrical drawings. They will be required to submit to the city or town in order for permits to be issued to start construction.

You may have hired a contractor in which case you will want to finalize estimates. If you are doing most of the work yourself, you will want to finalize your own budget to make sure that you are still on track for your remodeling project.

Step 7: Your kitchen demo is about to begin

Preparation and Organization here can save your sanity. A lot of people stay in their home during this phase so it's important you have a clear plan for how you will continue to cook and do regular kitchen activities. You will need to clean out all your cabinets, put what you don't need in storage, and plan on how to minimize chaos during this construction phase.

If you've hired a contractor, make sure you have a clear understanding of when it's best to be out of the house, what the working hours are going to be, how will the debris be discarded, how often will you meet for updates.

If you have pets, you may want to temporarily find them a new home. If someone in your house has allergies, you will want to plan for that.

Step 8: Figuring out your deficiencies list

So you've survived the demo / construction phase and now are tying up loose ends. There will always be things that aren't exactly the way you planned. An outlet has a problem, small gaps you may not like, caulking issues, paint issues, grout issues, scratches etc. Whatever it may be, make a list of things that need to be fixed or rectified and then bring them to the attention of the involved party to be fixed.

It's inevitable that there will a few things on this list. Best to be okay with it, deal with it, and get your project completely finished.

So now you have the kitchen of your dreams and your next list will be who's coming for dinner!