Planning your Home Addition

You’ve lived in your home for 10 years and have suffered with the inconvenience of a small kitchen and eating area. You want to finally take the plunge and remodel your kitchen area to make it “one big open space.” Besides the fact that you want to make it a bigger space, however, you don’t how to turn your claustrophobic space into your dream kitchen. Our suggestions below will guide you as to what steps to take to make that dream kitchen a reality. Start getting ideas Start browsing home remodeling magazines even before you’ve saved up enough money for your remodel. Get as many ideas as possible, and cut out your favorites. Don’t limit yourself to “what can’t be.” Instead, imagine “what can be.”

Another great place for ideas is your local home furnishing/furniture stores. They usually have sample floor plans, with different countertop styles and cabinets. You can even take home countertop and flooring samples. Don’t forget about your friends’ homes as a resource for ideas. You can get a real good feel for what works and what doesn’t work for you. Make a budget Even though your budget will probably change a few times before the final remodel, you should roughly calculate how much you’re willing to spend for the big-ticket items.

For instance, if you’ll need a new stainless steel refrigerator, stovetop and dishwasher, then get some price estimates from some of the local stores. This way you’ll have an idea how much things will cost before you even start the project. Figure that you’ll probably end up spending at least 10% more than you’ve budgeted though, as you have to plan for those unexpected, additional expenses. Hire an architect Although it might cost you a few thousand dollars, hiring an architect will probably be one of the smartest investments you make for your remodel.

Without an architect, you can make extremely costly mistakes that might not even be able to be rectified. It’s better to pay a little bit more for an architect so that you’ll have everything planned according to code. You don’t want your own design plan to cause you headaches down the line in case you decide to sell your house in a few years and find out that you didn’t build according to regulation.

Article Source: http://www.realestatepropertyarticles.com.

About the Author:
Homelist24 lists a full range of properties, from apartment rentals to vacation rentals, from rental homes to houses for sale. http://www.homelist24.com