Avoid Kitchen Remodeling Regrets 

You don’t want kitchen remodeling regrets plaguing you after you finally finish your renovation project. You can take steps to avoid these by learning from the mistakes of others.

Below are the five top complaints we hear from homeowners who come to Swirl Woodcraft for help fixing a kitchen remodel gone wrong.

Rushing Through the Process

So many homeowners rush through the renovation. It’s understandable — you see the “before” picture every day and you’re in a hurry to get to the “after” picture. That’s normal. But don’t push forward so quickly that you don’t take the time to review all decisions carefully.

Certain decisions should be given extra time, such as the type of counter stone you want and the right floors for your kitchen. But you should also enjoy the process! It’s not every day you get to experience a transformation in your home.

Bad Appliance Placement

There are many construction mistakes you can overcome, but bad appliance placement is not one of them. If your refrigerator is 12 steps away from your stove, you will never be able to reconcile this imbalance in your cooking flow.

You want a work triangle composed of your refrigerator, stove and sink — it’s just good design. Get help from a professional if you need assistance making it work in your space.

Trying to Decide on Everything at Once

Whatever you do, don’t sit down and try to make all your decisions at once. Not only does this relate to the first pitfall — rushing through the process — it can also lead to you making decisions out of order. You might fall in love with one cabinet color, but should this dictate the rest of your design choices? Maybe not.

Follow a sequence when you’re making kitchen remodeling decisions. It starts with determining budget and overall goals. Then you should worry about layout. Next, choose cabinets and flooring at the same time. After that, choose sinks, faucets, lighting, then counters. It might not be the sequence you would have followed, but that’s the best route to take.

Overspending on Items That Don’t Matter

Any remodeling project can quickly be overtaken by high costs. Don’t let this happen to you. It’s easy to fall into the mindset of “must-have,” but you should only spend on upgrades that are important. In our minds, custom cabinetry is one of those upgrades. There’s no substitute for the beauty of handcrafted wood.

Cutting Costs Too Much

Given the prevalence of kitchen remodeling budget nightmares, many homeowners try to go the cheap route, and this can result in dissatisfaction with the final results. Be prepared to invest enough to achieve your goals — don’t go halfway.

Swirl Woodcraft has lots more tips on renovations and additional kitchen remodeling regrets we can help you avoid. For insider expertise and quotes on custom cabinetry for your new kitchen, just give us a call.