Your Own Kitchen Design

Deciding to remodel your kitchen or design a kitchen for a new construction home is a big deal.  The kitchen is often one of the most popular shared spaces within your home.  It needs to be comfortable and beautiful and also maintain a high level of functionality.  There are interior designers and kitchen specialists who will gladly charge you an arm and a leg to create and install a new kitchen for you but this simply isn’t necessary.  With a minimal amount of research, some simple tools, and a lot of hard work, you can design your own dream kitchen!

 

Where To Start

 

The first thing you need to do when you decide to design your own kitchen is to collect lots and lots of ideas.  You can find great kitchen ideas all over the place.  Cut clippings that appeal to you from magazines.  Search the web.  Browse through your local kitchen remodel showroom and home improvement stores.  Create a folder or album in which to keep pictures, notes, and samples.  You will find many dream kitchen ideas as you go along, so be sure to keep only the ones that you feel you might actually be able to use.  Sometimes too many good ideas can just leave you frustrated and confused.

 

Create An Exact Design

 

Once you have a large amount of inspiration from which to draw, plan an exact kitchen design.  There are several pieces of software available to help you with your kitchen design plans.  This type of software will help you best utilize your space, give you exact dimensions for when you go to purchase materials, and also just give you a visual reference.  You will still want to keep a hard copy design folder or album as well.  In this, you should keep samples of all your choices including countertop, flooring, and paint.  Make sure you take in to account all the needs your new kitchen must accomplish, and also incorporate as many elective details as your space will allow.  You won’t be happy with your new kitchen if it is beautiful but difficult to work and live in! 

 

Buy Your Materials : Money-Saving Ideas

 

Once you have your do-it-yourself kitchen fully designed, it’s time to go buy materials.  At this point, you should know exactly what you are shopping for.  Don’t just buy from the first store you go to, unless you just have money to waste.  Even many retailers offer price matching, so do your homework and demand the best possible price on every item.  You can save at LEAST 10-20 percent of your overall materials cost if you just take a little time to comparison shop. 

 

Another money saver when purchasing materials is to find items that are about to be discontinued or have minor damage.  As long as the store you are purchasing from has plenty left for your job, you can save a ton by picking a ceramic tile or cabinetry etc. that is going “nonstock”.  Retailers want to hurry up and sell these items to create space for their new inventory.  Scratch and dent items can also bring in a huge savings.  Often these items are repairable, or the damage is in an area that will never be seen. 

 

Don’t go too far with this idea though!  It is one thing to save some money by purchasing discontinued or slightly damaged merchandise but be sure that choice won’t end up costing you more in the long run.  If you purchase discontinued items, make sure there is more than enough to complete your job.  Purchase more than you think you will need for items such as flooring to help cover for mistakes or damage to the product during installation.   Store any leftover materials so they can be retrieved later should a repair be necessary.  Also make sure that you do not intend to use that exact same product on a later project as it may not be available. 

 

When purchasing damaged merchandise, do not save money by purchasing a product that has lost some of its function or is no longer covered by a warranty.  Minor surface damage is a great way to save; structural damage is a waste of your money.

 

Other Considerations

 

There may be elements you want to incorporate into your kitchen design that are considered non-standard.  For example, you may desire an environmentally friendly kitchen, or you may want to use feng shui elements.  Also, your kitchen may have a secondary function such as a work space or laundry room.  Be sure to take into account the use of the room, the aesthetic of the rest of your home, and even just your personal wishes when completing your kitchen design.

 

Get To Work

 

Once the design is complete and the materials are purchased, it is time to get down and dirty.  There are scores of books, magazines, websites, and television shows that will give you great tips and advice when it comes to actually installing your kitchen.  Many kitchen design showrooms and home improvement retailers have specialists that you can go to with questions as well.  Doing all the work by yourself will not be easy, but if you prepare yourself, it will be rewarding.

 

Do-it-yourself kitchen design can be an extremely enjoyable project if you take your time and do your research.  It can save you a ton of money and also increase your pride in the new space.  Keep the ideas that are working in your current kitchen and find solutions to the ideas that don’t.  If you are looking to remodel or build a kitchen, quit wasting time.  Stop thinking about it and start doing it right away!

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