How to Plan a Kitchen Remodel

Mark Donovan of HomeAdditionPlus.com discusses how to plan a kitchen remodel in this video. He provides a high level overview on the key steps required for kicking off and ensuring a successful kitchen remodeling project.

A kitchen remodeling project is an expensive and complicated project. You can expect to spend anywhere from $20K to $100K on a kitchen remodel. Consequently it is important to plan your kitchen remodel carefully.

I usually start off with pencil and quad-ruled paper, and sketch out and list the key features I want to see in my kitchen remodeling project. Besides a scaled drawing of my kitchen remodeling plans, I also generate a separate list of key features that I want to incorporate into my kitchen remodel, including flooring materials, kitchen and countertop styles and materials, lighting, appliances, etc. I then visit a kitchen supplier or home improvement center and meet with a kitchen designer. The kitchen designer can take my sketches and list of key features, along with an accurate set of measurements of the kitchen space, to generate a formal set of kitchen design plans.

In the process I can work with the kitchen designer to select specific kitchen cabinet and countertop materials and styles. Often these stores also offer kitchen appliances. By the time the kitchen designer is complete I have a complete set of kitchen design plans.

Kitchen flooring is another major element in a kitchen remodel. I highly recommend installing the new kitchen flooring first, after removing all of the old kitchen cabinets, appliances, and flooring. This way the kitchen flooring can be installed with fewer cuts and seams. Cover the new kitchen flooring with drop cloths or paper while the kitchen cabinets, countertops and appliances are being installed to protect it.

A cement backer board strip is then attached around the perimeter of the plywood substrate. The granite tiles that are placed around the outer-edge of the top surface of the countertop are positioned such that they overhang the edge of the countertop to a width equal to the width of the small tile edge pieces. The small tile edge pieces are then placed into the thinset adhesive and held in place with tape.

So if you’re determined to have granite countertops in your kitchen, and you’re on a tight kitchen remodeling budget, granite tile for countertops is a great solution. By keeping grout seams at a minimum and applying a high quality grout sealer to the seams on a periodic basis, you can have the look and durability of solid granite countertops at a fraction of the cost.