Warped cabinets? Malfunctioning oven? Chipped countertops? While these kitchen issues can cause constant headaches, they are superficial challenges that can be resolved by minor repairs or replacement during your kitchen remodel.
Structural glitches, on the other hand, directly affect your family’s lifestyle and warrant a more permanent solution.
Likewise, milestones are occasions that call for a kitchen upgrade. In fact, many architects recommend this type of renovation to be done every 10 or 15 years.
But exactly how do you know when your kitchen has outgrown its efficiency?
6 Common Signs It’s Time to Remodel Your Kitchen
Walk through your kitchen and take down notes on the problem areas and pain points. Before the remodel, sit down with your design-build team to discuss the items on your list. Ask them for suggestions on how to address your concerns. These could be some of them:
1. Your Space Seems to Have Shrunk
Years of living in the same home full of the accumulation of things (yes, sometimes junk). What used to be spacious countertops, shelves, cabinets and floors are now inhabited by countless jars, pots, appliances and furniture.
You might already be thinking about remodeling, but before doing so, make an inventory of all the objects in your kitchen. Recycle, repair, or repurpose broken things. Donate redundant stuff. Keep only what’s necessary, both for day-to-day needs and special occasions.
If you’ve tried decluttering and still find your preparation, work, and storage areas inadequate, then a kitchen remodel is in order.
2. Increased Traffic Flow
Family life is never static. Each member goes through a unique experience of perpetual transformation. Thus, what you thought was the perfect setup for your lifestyle when you acquired your home, might no longer be so.
Little ones may have grown into young adults who love to cook and bake. Mom and dad may now prefer entertaining at home over the weekly night out with friends.
Changes such as these directly impact movement and elbow room in the kitchen. Rearranging furniture might not be a permanent solution.
Kitchen Remodel: 3. Babies Start Toddling
Just yesterday, your infant was safely and comfortably cocooned within your arms. Today, the munchkin has become the mischievous and curious small person out to discover the world.
Since you can’t confine your toddler to the nursery, protection from the dangers of slips, falls, electrocution, and dirty surfaces extend to the rest of the house.
In the kitchen, moving ingredients and cooking utensils to higher ground and out of reach could work for a while. But you know your bundle of joy won’t stay below 3 feet forever. Soon, the adorable rascal will find ways to get around, and up.
Several features in your kitchen could be hazardous to your little one. Sharp corners of countertops, wobbly chairs, unhinged doors of lower cabinets, and dated appliances are all accidents waiting to happen.
Moreover, a growing family requires larger meals, extra seating, and a wide array of additional eating utensils. A kitchen remodel may be wiser than making minor adjustments every year. Consider your baby’s needs and development in each life stage as you plan for the overhaul.
4. Aging and Retirement
In your golden years, spending more time at home is a treat you look forward to enjoying. Is your kitchen ready for your sweet retirement? Mobility is one of the major challenges of seniors, even when they don’t develop a serious illness. So, when retirement is just a few years away, planning for a more efficient, accessible, and flexible kitchen is a must.
Cracked flooring, high shelves and cupboards, poor lighting and ventilation, and faulty faucets are potential issues you will confront as you age. Having your kitchen remodeled can fix all these in one go. Your design-build contractor can replace the floor with more appropriate material and install waist-level cabinets. They could expand your windows and revamp your plumbing as well.
You should also think about knocking down the wall that separates your kitchen from the dining and living rooms. That would facilitate easy navigation.
Kithchen Remodel: 5. Expansion to the Backyard
If you’re seriously considering adding a porch or deck to the back of your home, then your kitchen should be part of the plan.
The home addition can function as a family lounging area or an alternative entertainment zone for guests. Either way, refreshments will definitely be required.
In this case, installing a door that connects the kitchen to the outdoor structure would spell convenience. And if you have young children, you might have to widen your windows so you can watch them play in the backyard while you sip your coffee.
With new outdoor activities taking place just behind your kitchen, the area near the connecting door will function differently as well. You may need to add a cabinet for coats, a bench for shoes, and even a laundry basket for soiled clothing. Plus, an extra sink for washing up.
6. Rising Utility Bills
Since the kitchen is the busiest part of the house, it’s safe to conclude that water and electricity consumption is highest there.
Remodeling your kitchen to make it more energy-efficient makes financial sense for the long-term. This is especially true for old dwellings.
Replacing your medium-sized windows with expansive ones will allow more natural light to come in, reducing the need for artificial light. You might even want to add a skylight for enhanced illumination and ventilation.
Dated appliances also devour plenty of power. Modern models are built to be energy-saving. Solar-powered units are now widely available, too.
When done well, a kitchen remodel can make the space brighter, airier, energy, and cost efficient. And the right contractor will suggest materials that require less water to clean and maintain.
Getting Your Kitchen Remodel into the Right Hands
The kitchen is the heart of your home. It’s where your family starts each day, toasts achievements, breaks major news, and reveals first drawings.
But it also receives the most use and abuse, mostly for the same reasons.
Would you entrust this precious space to just anyone? Of course not.
When you find that one or more of the above signs applies to you and you decide to remodel your kitchen, proceed with equal amounts of excitement and caution.
Hire the best design-build team with a proven track record. Make sure they will take care of your home like it was their own and feel confident in your choice to remodel your kitchen.
THE FOLLOWING ARE OUR LAUNDRY ROOM REMODELING SERVICE AREAS
McCordsville, Indiana
Fishers, Indiana
Carmel, Indiana
Lawrence, Indiana
Greenfield, Indiana
Zionsville, Indiana
Noblesville, Indiana
Whitestown, Indiana
Westfield, Indiana
Rocky Ripple, Indy, Indiana Meridian Kessler, Indy, Indiana
Castleton, Indy, Indiana
Meridian Hills, Indy, Indiana
Fortville, Indiana
Pendleton, Indiana
