Kitchen renovations have remained a popular venture with many homeowners throughout 2014. Most of them have invested heavily in these makeovers to create comfortable, stylish and warm multipurpose rooms in their homes. Apart from improving organization and aesthetics, these improvements make a home more energy efficient, while adding value to it. While all these renovation aspects are all important, the driving renovating force is functionality.

Remodeling costs

According to remodeling experts, kitchen remodels – the purchase of new appliances, hardware, flooring material, countertops, lighting fixtures and cabinet fronts, can be quite expensive. Mid-range improvement cost average $50 000, with high-end renovations easily rising to $100 000 and up. The return on investment however is on the upper limit, meaning that it is truly worth the trouble.

Here is how to go about improving functionality in a crowded kitchen space.

Start by researching and touring a number of houses and kitchen show rooms to get a feel of what you want done in your kitchen. This way, you will see kitchen remodeling products up close and be able to make a more knowledgeable decision on what you want. Next, familiarize yourself with basic elements of design and set a workable budget that reflects your priorities for the new space.

Planning  

The average square feet for 2014 kitchen space is around 200 – 300, with an open-floor plan.  The trend however is increasingly moving towards uncluttered looks, natural materials, energy efficiency and simplicity. To get the best kitchen remodeling ideas for your space, it is recommended that you look to design websites, books and magazines.

Here are some points to get you started in kitchen remodeling.

•    Stop the clutter:  Take inventory of everything you need to have or store in your kitchen and then plan accordingly. As cabinet makers have realized that storage and organization are the key areas in de-cluttering the kitchen, you are apt to get something that suits your needs in the market. These two features are what drive sales thus they have responded accordingly.

•    How are you planning to use the kitchen? Start by determining how you will use your kitchen. How do you like to entertain and cook in your kitchen? Do you cook alone or with others in your home? Is your kitchen space multi-purpose, where you and your friends love to gather or kids do their homework? Keep track of what works well today and what doesn’t. If for example you are forever crawling in the back of your lower cabinets to retrieve things, then write down that issue.

•    Efficiency: If your kitchen space feels more like an obstacle than an organized work space, then consider having it redrawn and then reworked.  For example, consider a two tried-and true layout to reorganize the kitchen space. For example, consider the work triangle option for your space. This imaginary triangular floor option features the sink, refrigerator and stove at the points. It’s an old kitchen floor rule that dictates that the perimeter of the triangle not to exceed 26 feet and that each side be between four and nine feet long. For this layout to workout, the triangle should not intersect a peninsula or island for more than a foot.

If this layout is not applicable in your case, then consider the work station option. This layout dictates that you create separate work stations for food cleaning, preparation, cooking and baking. Each station is centered on a major appliance and requires at least 15 inches of the center space.

Budget

If you want to make the most out of your renovation undertakings, then stick to the set budget. In simple terms, make a choice on where to splurge and to save by keeping your priorities right.  Note that hardware and cabinetry can run up to 29-percent of your investment, meaning that you have to make a sizable allowance for them. Appliances and ventilation come to about 14-percent, countertops 10-percent, while installation adds up to 17-percent of the total project cost. 10- to 20-percent of the budget should be set aside for the contingencies.  Make sure however to work a contingency amount into your budget to sort out the unexpected. This is because you and your contractor can’t see behind walls to know what might be going on. Unless there are clear signs of an issue, the structure is assumed sound, but problems do arise that need immediate solving.

Local building and fire codes

Because renovating a kitchen poses challenges in electrical wiring, plumbing and the likes, consult your local building and fire codes to see what is recommended and what is not. This also helps in determining which permits you will need so as to remodel your kitchen safely and up to code. Make sure to hire a  good, qualified and experienced kitchen remodeling contractor  where home renovation  is concerned.