Thinking about adding a new kitchen to your home? Remodelling the basement and think a kitchen would increase the value of your home? Or do you have a loft area over the garage that you would like to renovate into a small apartment for an older child or to rent out? Or are you building a new home altogether? No matter what the reason is that you have decided to build a new kitchen, you should know that kitchens are the centre of household life, and a stylish and updated kitchen can significantly increase the resale value of your home, or just increase the value in general while you stay in your home and enjoy the kitchen yourself. As is true with any home remodelling project, a well-designed, detailed plan is essential whether you are planning to mostly do-it-yourself or will be using the help of a professional contractor. For most homeowners, a project as complicated as building kitchens from scratch, hiring a contractor will be an inevitable.
The first step in building kitchens is to work out a plan that will address the three critical areas of a functional kitchen- food preparation, storage, and clean-up, as well as to work out a budget, and once that budget has been finalized, be sure to set aside extra to be prepared for any unexpected costs. Something to keep in mind when you are building your kitchen, or any other renovation for that matter, is not to over-improve your home if you are only building the kitchen for resale value. If you are building a kitchen for your own enjoyment, improve it all you would like, but for resale purposes it is better to work on a smaller budget for your kitchen addition to gain the most return for your work.
Once you have your budget in place, do your research. Building kitchens involves a blank slate, and therefore, you will have to research and purchase flooring, cabinets, countertops, appliances, and any other kitchen furnishings you wish to add. A great way to gather ideas for your own kitchen installation is to visit home showrooms, home improvement stores' model kitchens, as well as home magazines and internet websites. Once you have the colour scheme and/or style you are going for decided upon, it is time to make the purchases and begin the actual installation. When it comes to purchasing the materials, the best tip to stay on budget is to decide which items are the most important, such as custom built cabinets, and then which items you can save money on to make the budget work.
One way to save some money on building kitchens is to assess which projects you need to hire out a contractor for and which projects you feel you can handle on your own.
Homeowners are usually able to handle painting on their own, and do-it-yourself floor tiling is another money saving option. Saving money here and there on small projects leaves more in the budget for better quality pieces you really want in your new kitchen, such as energy efficient appliances or granite countertops; but once again, if you are building kitchens for resale, watch the pricey items that lean to personal tastes.
Another money saving tip for building your new kitchen is to stay away from making credit card purchases. Not only is it difficult to keep track of your spending, but credit cards also have excessively high interest rates and you will end up paying much more than you budgeted for. Rather, if you do not have the cash set aside for home improvements, you could look into home equity loans, which have much lower interest rates and you can spread your payments over a much longer period of time. Whatever decision you make for payment, make purchases one at a time and work through your kitchen build one area at a time to keep yourself on budget and on schedule.
Of Building A New House
Roofline-The steeper the roof the more the cost in most cases. If you have noticed lately, there are allot of new home developments where the roof of the home is quite high and large. This is usually because the home itself is a smaller square footage and the roof makes it look bigger. Always remember that the roof area equates to more sheets of plywood, more shingles and more labor. Gable roofs are less expensive than hip or cottage roofs. I suggest a 6/12 roof slope or less to keep the roof cost on budget. You might want to discuss this with your designer.
Windows/doors-This is a crucial part of design. Let's look at a few things that effect overall cost. Obviously the amount of windows, size of the windows, whether they open or not, as well as rounded top glass will effect your budget. The average home usually has 12-15 windows. Opening or venting windows cost more than a fixed or picture window. Rounded glass can cost as much as double the cost of an average window so use them sparingly. Wood windows usually cost more than conventional vinyl (PVC) windows. A door example is a double French exterior door is more expensive than a standard patio door.
Wall heights-The trend in the new home building industry today is to design and build with 9 foot walls and ceilings. This gives a home larger feel vs. a traditional 8' wall height. This will affect the cost of the finished home as there is more wall area for drywall, siding, etc. In a 1500 square foot home or less, I would recommend 9' ceilings to take advantage of the space. Two story walls, referred to as balloon framing, really adds to the cost of framing.
Vaulted ceilings-This is a raised ceiling in the home, usually going to a peak. It is a great idea to integrate into the design if you want the cost of standard 8 foot high walls with the higher vaulted ceilings giving the perception of a lager space. There are typically two types of vaulted trusses used in a new home design. The first on is the Scissor truss vault which gives a gentler raised ceiling and is less expensive, and the second is a cathedral vault which typically is a full height vault with a ridge beam. You see these allot in a Chalet style cabin. (steeper vault)
Foundation-A full concrete foundation (8 foot basement) in most cases will cost more than a crawlspace or slab foundation. If you don't have allot of storage designed into the home, a full foundation may be required and is also a great re-sale feature. A sloped lot may accommodate a day-lite or walkout basement option as well. Basement development, as well as extra space over a garage, are the least expensive ways to add square feet to a home.
So if you are about to get plans designed for your new home or just looking for a plan online, keep this five points in mind. Your wallet will thank you.
Both Gordon Bennet & Larry Clark are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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