Planning your kitchen renovation can be a daunting task. Decision-making starts with determining when it’s time to renovate your kitchen and continues with seemingly endless choices about your kitchen style, renovation budget, how to survive while your kitchen renovation is in progress, and everything in between.
How to Plan a Kitchen Renovation
To simplify the process of planning your kitchen renovation, you can break down the process into five simple steps.
- Dream: Identify styles and features you like
- Decide: Choose your professionals, priorities, and budget
- Design: Select design components and layout
- Finalize: Review and approve final drawings, plans, and timeline
- Prepare: Get your home ready for the renovation
Let’s look at each step in more detail.
Your Kitchen Renovation Planning Guide
Bookmark this post to use as the ultimate guide to planning your kitchen renovation. We’ll walk you through each of the five steps in the process.
Step 1: Dream
For many homeowners, this step is fun. You get to dream, explore, and find inspiration. Don’t rush this part of the process. The more you know about your preferences, the clearer you can communicate with your kitchen designer and contractors.
Consider what you like and dislike about your existing kitchen. Do you have ample cupboard and countertop space? Do you need more storage? What features would you like to add? Is the layout efficient for the way you work in your kitchen?
Browse books, magazines, and sites like Pinterest and Houzz for inspiration. Pay attention to details you like in the kitchens you see. Talk to friends about what they love and hate about their own kitchens.
We recommend you create a kitchen concept board for design inspiration and to help you plan with your designer.
Step 2: Decide
Before deciding on style details, you need to determine if your kitchen renovation is a DIY project, or if it’s best to hire a professional. This depends on several factors, including:
- The amount and type of work involved
- The time it will take
- The tools required to get the job done
- The skills necessary to do the work
- The quality of workmanship
- The cost of it all
Read Kitchen Renovations: DIY vs. Hire a Professional for more help in determining what’s best for you.
How to Determine Your Kitchen Renovation Budget
You must also decide on a budget for your kitchen renovation. The value of your kitchen significantly affects the value of your home, so your kitchen renovation is an investment. To determine a realistic budget, you’ll need to do some research. Get quotes from various sources, and find prices for appliances, fixtures, and other materials.
Find out about how to determine your kitchen renovation budget at How to Keep Your Renovation Under Budget and How to Renovate Your Kitchen Cost Effectively.
Step 3: Design
Now it’s time to collaborate with your kitchen designer to plan your new kitchen design. Together, you can brainstorm, discuss priorities and features, and develop a clearer understanding of your needs and your budget. Your designer will create some preliminary drawings to help you visualize it all.
Kitchen Layout
Talk to your kitchen designer about the layout of your new kitchen. It’s important to discuss any significant changes you want to make to your current kitchen layout—such as moving the sink or oven, which require changes to the plumbing and electrical.
See also How to Use the Work Triangle & Zones for the Perfect Kitchen Layout.
Kitchen Style
This is when the time and energy you spend in the dream stage will pay off. Together with your kitchen designer, decide on the style for your new kitchen. Also, read How to Choose the Perfect Kitchen Design Style for You.
Your Kitchen Renovation Design Checklist
The design step involves making selections for every component of your kitchen renovation. There are a lot of decisions to make, so we’ve created a comprehensive kitchen planning guide you can download to lead you through the whole process.
Download Your FREE Kitchen Planning Guide
This guide includes tips to help you select the following:
- Cabinets
- Storage
- Handles/Door Pulls
- Sink & Faucet
- Countertops
- Backsplash
- Lighting
- Flooring
- Appliances
- Electrical/Plumbing
See also:
Knobs & Pulls: How to Choose the Right Kitchen Cabinet Hardware
How to Choose the Best Countertop for Your Kitchen
How to Choose the Best Lighting for Your Kitchen
How to Choose the Best Flooring for Your Kitchen Renovation
Step 4: Finalize
The hard work of decision-making is over at this point. Now it’s time to review your kitchen designer’s final drawings. Once you approve the design, it’s time to finalize payment arrangements. Then your designer will submit your product order and review the tentative project schedule with you. (Always add a buffer into your timeline to accommodate unexpected delays like back-ordered products or contractor hiccups.)
Step 5: Prepare
Before the renovation begins, some preparations are necessary to help you avoid renovation stress and survive your kitchen remodel while living in the house. For example:
- Remove area rugs and other belongings in the area, and cover furnishings to protect them from dust
- Set up a temporary kitchen and make plans to simplify food prep and eat well during your kitchen renovation
- Have an experienced contractor inspect your home prior to the renovation to identify potential issues
- Find out if you need a permit from the city for your renovation
- Set up easy access to your home for contractors who need to work when you’re not there (i.e. install a lockbox)
Taking time to prepare for your kitchen renovation in advance will help to avoid renovation delays.
After preparing for your kitchen renovation, the work can begin and you can anticipate your new kitchen!
Plan Your Kitchen Renovation in 5 Steps
Partnering with the right professionals makes all the difference when taking on a kitchen renovation project. Contact Riverstone Kitchens & Renovations for a free consultation in Okotoks, High River, Calgary, and surrounding areas.
