The Top Three Kitchen Remodel Mistakes You Don’t Want To Make

As a professional kitchen and bath designer and published design journalist, I see hundreds of projects and regularly advise clients and readers on how to get the best results from their remodeling projects. These are the most common mistakes you want to avoid in yours.

OVERSPENDING

While kitchen remodels return more of their cost than almost any other improvement, this is not true if you overspend. Think in terms of a 10 to 25 percent investment level relative to the value of your home.

If your home is at the beginning/entry level of the market, stay as close to the 10 to 15 percent investment level as possible. In the middle of your market, you’re generally safe at the 15 to 20 percent level. Spending less is a risk here, as your neighbors improve their homes, as is spending more than the neighborhood will bear.

At the luxury end of the real estate market, you should invest at the top of that 25% scale, as this is where homebuyers justifiably expect the highest-end amenities.

MICROVISION

Nearly every home being built today has an open layout that puts your kitchen in full view of your great room, dining room, and other nearby public spaces. This requires a higher level of design integration, what I call “Open Plan Design”, than an older home.

So… While you may love a Tuscan or French style, consider whether this style will work with your setting. If you’ve ever had friends install their dream kitchen and then the rest of their house looked horrible, they probably succumbed to microvision.

Here are some tips to avoid this mistake in your home: Consider your home’s window and door casings, along with fireplace surrounds, open archways, and crown molding to “reality check” whether the appearance you you want will fit well. Also consider any heirloom furniture and upscale furniture you plan to keep after the remodel to ensure that what you’re putting in the kitchen will look great in your shared space.

TREND BENDING

This is related to Micro Vision, but it goes much further. Don’t choose a kitchen style based solely on its current popularity, but rather on how well it works with your overall taste and lifestyle. You may have the budget for mass remodels, but I doubt you have the stomach for them!

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