The kitchen is the heart of the home, and it is often the room where the family tends to congregate. A well-designed kitchen is a thing of beauty and in Santa Monica, remodeling a kitchen requires time, money, and careful planning.
A kitchen remodeling is definitely worth the effort to bring value to your home and enhance this all-important space for the family. Let’s face it, the more you like your kitchen, the more likely you are to want to prepare family meals in it.
We’ve put together some go-to tips and other considerations to ensure a smooth kitchen remodeling in your Santa Monica home.
Planning and Permits
Remodeling the kitchen is often the largest project for home renovations, so the first thing you need to do is find out what permits are required to do this. In some cases, if you are only replacing old cabinetry, you may not need a permit. However, you should always check before commencing any remodeling work. Plans will also need to be drawn up, so you will need these to be drafted by a professional. Depending on the work involved, you may need a Single Trade Permit if you only need one aspect altered or a Combination Permits for more complex remodeling projects. Complex plans that require changes to the structure of the home should be prepared by a qualified architect or engineer while changes that are considered to be more of a cosmetic alteration can be drawn up by interior designers or anyone else in the construction industry.
Drawings and Designs
It’s hard to visualize your kitchen when you are staring at the empty space where your old kitchen used to be. Fortunately, most kitchen contractors have in-house designers who will measure your kitchen to ensure everything you want to be included in the remodeling fits perfectly. Best of all, kitchen designers now have software programs that not only give you exact measurements but will also be able to show you a rendering of what your finished kitchen will look like.
How Long Does A Kitchen Remodel Take?
Be prepared to do a lot of barbecuing and ordering take-out when doing a kitchen remodel in Santa Monica. Depending on the size of your kitchen, the amount of demolition involved, and the availability of new materials, you could expect to be living rough for 3 to 5 months. If you have any custom work being done, it could take longer.
Cabinetry, Countertops and Appliances
The most significant and most visible aspects of your kitchen are the cabinets, the countertops, and the appliances, so you want to make sure to choose the right ones. Modern kitchens tend to have a seamless look with flat panels and hidden dishwashers and fridges thanks to panel-ready appliances. There are many materials, textures and colors you will need to choose. Take a look at kitchen styles in showrooms to see what you like.
Consider Hidden Costs
Almost every remodeling and renovation project comes with one or more hidden costs so whatever you’ve estimated for, plan an extra 10-20% for unexpected expenses. You may demolish the old kitchen to find the plumbing and electricals are outdated and no longer up to code. These will add to the cost of the project and must be done properly. There may also be a few structural problems once you gut the old kitchen, and these too will need to be addressed before the new kitchen can be installed.
Avoid any hair-pulling episodes by knowing what to expect with your kitchen remodel in Santa Monica and ensure you are ready to tackle this extensive project so you can see it completed sooner rather than later.
