Choosing a style and design for your kitchen cabinets is only one of many important decisions to make when remodeling a kitchen. The right cabinets will do a lot more than merely look good. They will add function and efficiency, they will increase the value of your home, and they will redefine the way you use your kitchen. But how to select just the right ones?
After years of experience in helping customers build the kitchens of their dreams, our friends have narrowed down the five most important questions you should be asking yourself to determine the best kitchen cabinets for your unique needs.
How Long Do You Plan to Stay in Your Home?
The answer to this question will have a pretty big impact on how much you should be paying for your kitchen remodeling project. If you are updating your kitchen is in the hopes of putting your house on the market and fetching the highest possible price, you will want to keep your budget as low as possible so that it doesn’t begin eating into any profits from the sale.
You will most likely be sticking with stock cabinets, fairly standard hardware, and amenities and upgrades that are the most popular among current homebuyers.
However, if you have no plans on moving out of your home, or can we see yourself staying there for a decade or more, it might be well worth your money to pay for higher quality, and focus more on personalization than trends.
Do You Plan to Keep or Change the Current Layout?
Building within the “footprint” of your current kitchen will be significantly more affordable than knocking down walls or adding an addition. However, some kitchens are simply too small for the needs of the family, and will require a very large-scale renovation.
If you plan to completely redesign your layout, you will be working from a blank slate. You will have more freedom to select custom or semi-custom cabinetry that meets very specific needs. Any functionality that is lacking in your kitchen can be added in to this new layout, assuming you have the bandwidth to absorb the higher construction costs.
If you are keeping the current layout, use your money to improve functionality and ergonomics working within the square footage that you already have.
What is Your Budget?
Two kitchens of the same square footage can differ wildly in price depending on the types of installations used in their new kitchen.
Be realistic about what you can afford, and always remember to have a plan in case of unexpected problems. Corroded pipes, dangerously outdated electrical wiring, metal fatigue, etc. can all be discovered during the demolition phase of a new kitchen. You need to be prepared to address it.
What Types of Features do Neighboring Homes Have?
To keep your home value in line with the neighborhood average, you will want to make sure the features in your kitchen fall in line with those of the other homes in your neighborhood. For instance, if you are one of the few kitchens in your neighborhood without an island, you will definitely want to add one in as part of your renovation.
Conversely, you don’t want to go too overboard either, as this can lead to issues if you put your house on the market. People may not be willing to pay for highly specialized features, and you will therefore not see a return on that investment.
Have you Selected and Measured Your Appliances?
Kitchen appliances have changed pretty dramatically over the past decade or so. A refrigerator purchase today is significantly larger than what was considered “standard” in the past. This change in measurement can affect your entire kitchen. Make sure you are 100% settled on any appliances before measuring for cabinets.
Keep these 5 questions in mind while shopping, and you are much more likely to make the right choice.
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