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With proper planning and purchasing, you can do it. You simply need the right knowledge to tackle the job with confidence.
To learn how to buy what you need for your kitchen remodeling, keep reading for 7 tips on the right materials to order and how to get them quickly and cheaply.
1. Always ask for the builder's discount.
Don't be afraid to ask a supplier for a builder's discount. If he can't give it to you, look elsewhere or ask your contractor to do the purchasing for you. Builders and contractors can save anywhere from 20-60% on the cost of their materials.
2. Go right to the supplier.
This mantra holds especially true for tiling. Remember, an inexpensive tile will cost you about $2 per square foot, $8-$20 for more upscale materials like ceramic and granite and up to $50 or more for hand-painted or high-end tiling.
Going directly to the supplier or a tile warehouse means you can save big money on overstocks and returned or canceled orders, saving yourself anywhere from $5-$30 per square foot.
Buying direct from the supplier or an outlet retailer also means you can usually take the product home right then and there. No long waits for back-orders to finally come in.
3. Go custom-made.
It's surprising, but you can actually save a lot of money by having your cabinets custom-made by a local carpenter. Have a look through commercial catalogs to get an idea of cabinet designs and layouts that you like.
Then get quotes from at least three carpenters and have the cabinets of your dreams custom-made. You can order them unfinished and then paint and lacquer them yourself.
4. Look for a multi-flow tap.
Many taps and faucets on the market today are available in dual-flow or tri-flow format, meaning they come equipped with changeable water filters. Using one of these, you can eliminate the need for bottled water or cumbersome purification systems.
5. Know your counter tops.
If marble or granite counter tops are out of your financial reach, try products like Corian or Formica, which are both known for being hardy and scratch-resistant. Luxore is a new product that's non-porous and heat resistant, meaning you can put your hot pots right on the counter.
Finally, Swanstone is another new alternate stone product which provides a seamless and moisture-resistant surface that's easy to install.
6. Save in the right places.
You can usually save money on items like sink basins, cabinetry hardware, faucets, lighting and discounted appliances. By looking for areas where you can safely save money, you'll free up more money for your splurge fund.
7. Buy energy-efficient appliances.
Just as it's important to splurge in the right places, energy-efficient appliances are another great investment. You'll not only be living a greener lifestyle, but you'll be saving money on future water, gas and electricity bills. In expensive times, these appliances pay for themselves very quickly. Remember to go for the stainless steel.
Do the winter doldrums, cramped up inside your home, have you yearning for a newly remodeled kitchen? As you shopped for holiday gifts this year, did you spend more time drooling over kitchen accoutrements than the items you had pre-designated on your gift-giving list? Then, maybe it's time Santa brought you a kitchen remodel.
Remodeling your kitchen doesn't have to be the scary proposition it's made out to be. With a little preplanning, in fact, your dream kitchen could be just that: a dream come true. Just in time for post-holiday makeovers, the “Albany Times Union” recently ran an article titled “Kitchen remodeling tips.” Therein, the newspaper listed several pieces of kitchen remodeling advice, straight from the mouths of some leading kitchen designers. What did those experts suggest?
1. Devise a kitchen remodeling budget. To optimize the resale value of your home, multiply its overall value by 10 to 15% suggests one kitchen remodel expert. So if, for example, your home is worth $250,000, your remodeling budget should fall somewhere between $25,000 and $37,500.
2. Call in some kitchen remodeling help. No matter how handy you might be, plumbing, electrical and construction issues are going to creep up. If you can't afford to hire experts for the entire project, at least splurge on them during the kitchen remodel design phase.
3. Don't be a kitchen remodeling scrooge. If ever the adage “You get what you pay for” rang true, it's during a home remodel project. The money you save at the outset will come back to bite you over the long haul when you have to shell out more money to replace or fix the shoddy work.
4. Make your kitchen remodeling investments sensible ones. It's okay to splurge on certain aspects of your remodel projects, but make sure those expensive purchases provide you with long-term return on your investment. Kitchen flooring and cabinets are ideal kitchen remodeling splurges.
5. Don't overlook the lighting. Inadequate lighting, in fact, may be the rationale behind your kitchen remodeling desires. Don't make the same mistake twice by investing in a remodeled kitchen only to discover it's a dark and dreary prison.
6. Don't fall into the trap of thinking your kitchen remodel will be permanent. In this day and age, when change is moving at fast forward pace, that space-age design you love today may be an eyesore a year or two from now. When remodeling your kitchen, try to steer clear of built-in components that may be impossible to replace with a same size fixture.
7. Get back to kitchen remodeling basics. You have to keep in mind that functionality reigns over form. While a pretty remodeled kitchen looks nice, it's not going to do you much good if you can't store your kitchen gadgets and gizmos in it, cook in it or gather for meals in it.
8. Conduct a space reality check before remodeling your kitchen. “You may want an island for extra storage, but if the overall space isn't large enough, an island may just be in the way,” one of the newspapers kitchen remodeling experts pointed out.