Kitchen Remodeling Process — Getting Started

The kitchen remodeling process starts with collecting the information you need to make a confident decision as to what materials you would like and who would help with installing those materials.

This article will guide you through why you would want a kitchen remodel in the first place (PART 1), learn what cabinet and countertop layouts may work in your space (PART 2), using social media like websites like Houzz, Pinterest and Instagram to aid with the kitchen design process (PART 3), material and services selection, understanding what you should or could spend on materials and services, selecting the best firm to work with and understanding the kitchen remodel order process (PART 4).

There are many kitchen remodel order steps. After reading this article, it will likely simplify the pre-project kitchen remodeling process (up to order placement) by working through a kitchen remodel project plan template so your renovation goes as smooth as possible. If you would like to learn how the kitchen remodeling process works after you place your order then — CLICK HERE.

What to Consider When Remodeling a Kitchen

It is often helpful to keep in mind why you want a new kitchen. Below is a list of the common reasons why people remodel their kitchen and a brief description. Your situation may cover more than one reason to renovate your kitchen.

Reason 1 — Deterioration
Your cabinets, countertop, flooring, plumbing, electrical, etc. may have reached it’s useful life and/or may be in need of an upgrade. Although new cabinet and countertop materials are now built to last longer with the more common plywood construction and dovetail drawer boxes (for example), if your kitchen is 20 plus years old the wear and tear might be to the point where a new kitchen makes a lot of sense.

People will renovate a kitchen when they see the finish of there existing cabinets failing, door hinges no longer working, drawer guides losing their slide-ability, storage shelving sagging.

Reason 2 — Value
You might want to renovate your kitchen to benefit from the increased value provided after the renovation. Done right, a kitchen that is less than 5 years old will always add more value to a home compared to a kitchen that is 10 years old. Increased value can help sell a house. A lot of home buyers don’t want to work through a kitchen renovation. It is hard enough for them to just move.

Reason 3 — Energy Savings
People will like the idea of saving energy by installing new and more efficient appliances. Or adding low voltage LED lighting. Kitchen renovations sometimes involve removing sheetrock from an exterior wall, which provides for the opportunity to improve the insulation in the walls. Changing out an old window over the sink can also add to significant energy savings.

Reason 4 — Modernity
Along with deterioration in reason 1, modernizing a kitchen is the motivation folks use to remodel. The kitchen magazines and kitchen tours keep kitchen dealers in business. When you flip through and/or look at all the nice kitchen photos and compare those photos to your existing kitchen, then that will often provide what a homeowner needs to make the decision to renovate their kitchen. If you like to entertain, then homeowners will want their guests to look at a nice kitchen because the kitchen is where everyone gathers.

There are many benefits to modernizing a kitchen other than making the kitchen look up to date. As in reason 3, homeowners can see improved energy savings. But also improved efficiency in the kitchen with the addition of pantry storage and/or specific organizational items.

Reason 5 — Lifestyle
A kitchen layout that works for two people may not work for a family of five. So lifestyle differences often result in a kitchen remodel. When working with your kitchen designer figuring the kitchen layout, let him or her know what you like and don’t like with regard to how your current kitchen functions. Is the storage in the right places? Do you need more lighting? Is there usually one cook or multiple cooks in the kitchen? Does everyone eat at one time? Do you recycle? How about bar seating or an island? Experienced kitchen designers will automatically consider these questions without you needing to tell them directly.

Often the idea of making one small change to your kitchen results in making many more after you take the time to look what is available. You might be interested in getting a new over the range microwave, for example. When shopping for the microwave you see other options, like a drawer microwave that you like best… At the same store, you might see a refrigerator you like better than the one you have. When you get home you find out your existing cabinetry won’t accommodate such appliance changes… So what do you do? You go from wanting to change one small item to doing a full blown kitchen remodel.

Reason 6 — Special Needs
Someone that requires a wheelchair to get around definitely will have some special requirements within a kitchen design layout. Most cabinet manufacturers will have “universal” options in their catalogs to accommodate folks that use a wheelchair. Whenever you are doing over a kitchen it is always a good idea to keep asking yourself how your life can be made easier and to communicate any special requirements to your chosen kitchen designer. It is the kitchen designer’s job to narrow down the choices that are available and that are best for you.

Reason 7 — Home Improvement TV
Cable television has many programs that inspire folks to do a kitchen renovation. Programs like “This Old House”, “Property Brothers”, “Holmes on Homes” and the “New Yankee Workshop” are popular shows that definitely can start the spark to a kitchen remodel. These shows are very educational and allow folks to better understand how the kitchen remodeling process works.

Reason 8 — Change
It can be as simple as wanting to change your kitchen environment. Often kitchens are renovated that still have many years of life left. The home owner just wants to see something different. The layout may stay the same or maybe just change a little. A homeowner might just want to see the cabinet and countertop colors changed. They might want more glass doors for displaying items. Sometimes homeowners have a vision to relocate a kitchen to another room in the house.

Reason 9 — Gourmet Kitchen
Speaking of television, cooking shows can influence and motivate folks to wanting a new kitchen. Wanting what the professional cooks use will always be desirable to homeowners. With a gourmet kitchen function is key and looking good is also important.

I suspect that one or many of the above reasons will give you the motivation to consider remodeling your kitchen. Part 2 of this article will work through what cabinet and countertop layouts may work in your space.  CLICK HERE for Part 2.

from https://nhkitchens.com/kitchen-remodeling-process-getting-started/

Caring for Granite Countertops

Dry-Treat Dry Treat Stain-Proof Plus

Black Diamond Stoneworks 32 oz Granite Counter Cleaner

from https://nhkitchens.com/caring-for-granite-countertops/

Common Stainless Steel Undermount Sinks

TUSCAN 50/50

from https://nhkitchens.com/common-stainless-steel-undermount-sinks/

Kitchen Design Greenland New Hampshire — Dan and Mary

October 9, 2018 — I wanted to produce a video covering all the detains of your kitchen prior to placing the order. Have a look at the video below… Let me know if you would like to see changes or if you have any questions. If all looks good… I can then order your cabinets.

from https://nhkitchens.com/design-greenland-nh-dan-mary/

Larger Version — Digital Countertop Template Layout

from https://nhkitchens.com/larger-version-digital-countertop-template-layout/

Granite or Quartz Countertop Templating Process

Generally, the more expensive countertops you purchase, like granite and quartz countertops, require a template with a kitchen or bathroom remodel.   Countertop fabricators want to accurately cut the material the first time and they would rather do most of the cutting at their fabrication shop.  Because of the dust factor, you would want that too.

So there are two options countertop fabricators most often use to create a countertop template.  Those are “digital” and “stick”.  The digital method involves using a portable computer to record measurements collected from a laser.  The stick method involves using either corrugated plastic material or 1/4 inch luan wood strips and hot glue to create the countertop template.

The stick method is the old school method and the digital template is the innovative method.  Likely more countertop fabrication shops will rely on digital than the stick method because of the increasing accuracy, speed and efficiency digital brings to the countertop fabrication process.

Stick Templating

Digital Templating

Granite and Quartz Countertop Preparation

When you are saving your old cabinets, you will get the best countertop template if your old countertop is removed from your cabinets first.  If you are getting new kitchen cabinets, then this isn’t something you will have to consider.  However, if you want to keep your old cabinets, removing the old countertop does inconvenience you being without a sink.  Unless you cleverly re-install the old countertop or a part of it so you can plumb up your old sink until the new countertop is installed.

After the countertop template, your new quartz or granite countertop is installed about 7 to 10 days later. With the old countertop off, the templator can verify that the cabinets are level and/or on the same plane – a necessary step to insure that the new countertop installation will go smoothly.  Particularly if you kitchen requires a seam.  The average quartz and/or granite slabs are about 120 x 70 inches.  Sometimes the slabs come larger.

With this in mind seams are generally needed on a run of countertop that exceeds 120 inches. Sometimes a countertop fabricator will template a kitchen countertop with the old countertop still in place.  There are some obvious benefits to this for the home owner.  Keeping the old countertop in place means the homeowner will still have use of their kitchen sink while they wait for the new countertop to be installed.  On average your new countertop will be ready for install 7 to 10 days after template.

Countertop Templating Options

So which is better, a digital template or a wood template?

A template of your new countertop can be created digitally (using a computer and lazers) or using strips of wood luan.  The “digital template” allows the homeowner to see the template on a computer screen as the countertop template is created.  With the digital template files can be transferred to the fabrication shop quickly.  Sometimes at an extra charge, the customer can see a digital representation of their selected stone or quartz countertop — CLICK HERE — to see this.

Often customers like the “digital template” better.  The digital template, if the operator is trained properly, can result in doing the template faster.  The average kitchen takes about 1 to 1-1/2 hours to template using the wood luan method and between 45 minutes to one hour using the digital template method.  The templator will have some questions that only a homeowner should answer.  So it is important that the homeowner be present during the template. So when are you ready for a template?  If new cabinets are being installed, then all base cabinets that will come in contact with the new countertop need to be properly installed.

All appliances, particularly the dishwasher, range and cook tops need to be on-site.  Plumbing fixtures such as sink and faucet need to be available to the templator.  If you are keeping your old cabinets, then all items on old countertop need to be cleared.  It makes things easier if you remove all items from the base cabinets prior to old countertop removal and/or template. If you have any questions about the templating process, please give the Kitchen Gallery a call at 603-964-8939.

Digital Countertop Template Layout — CLICK IMAGE — To Enlarge

Granite and Quartz Countertop Preparation

When you are saving your old cabinets, you will get the best countertop template if your old countertop is removed from your cabinets first.  If you are getting new kitchen cabinets, then this isn’t something you will have to consider.  However, if you want to keep your old cabinets, removing the old countertop does inconvenience you being without a sink.  Unless you cleverly re-install the old countertop or a part of it so you can plumb up your old sink until the new countertop is installed.  After the countertop template, your new quartz or granite countertop is installed about 7 to 10 days later. With the old countertop off, the templator can verify that the cabinets are level and/or on the same plane – a necessary step to insure that the new countertop installation will go smoothly.  Particularly if you kitchen requires a seam.  The average quartz and/or granite slabs are about 120 x 70 inches.  Sometimes the slabs come larger.  With this in mind seams are generally needed on a run of countertop that exceeds 120 inches. Sometimes a countertop fabricator will template a kitchen countertop with the old countertop still in place.  There are some obvious benefits to this for the home owner.  Keeping the old countertop in place means the homeowner will still have use of their kitchen sink while they wait for the new countertop to be installed.  On average your new countertop will be ready for install 7 to 10 days after template.

Countertop Templating Options

So which is better, a digital template or a wood template? A template of your new countertop can be created digitally (using a computer and lazers) or using strips of wood luan.  The “digital template” allows the homeowner to see the template on a computer screen as the countertop template is created.  With the digital template files can be transferred to the fabrication shop quickly.  Sometimes at an extra charge, the customer can see a digital representation of their selected stone or quartz countertop — CLICK HERE — to see this. Often customers like the “digital template” better.  The digital template, if the operator is trained properly, can result in doing the template faster.  The average kitchen takes about 1 to 1-1/2 hours to template using the wood luan method and between 45 minutes to one hour using the digital template method.  The templator will have some questions that only a homeowner should answer.  So it is important that the homeowner be present during the template. So when are you ready for a template?  If new cabinets are being installed, then all base cabinets that will come in contact with the new countertop need to be properly installed.  All appliances, particularly the dishwasher, range and cook tops need to be on-site.  Plumbing fixtures such as sink and faucet need to be available to the templator.  If you are keeping your old cabinets, then all items on old countertop need to be cleared.  It makes things easier if you remove all items from the base cabinets prior to old countertop removal and/or template. If you have any questions about the templating process, please give the Kitchen Gallery a call at 603-964-8939.

from https://nhkitchens.com/templating-granite-quartz-countertops/