Kitchen Makeovers?

It sounds easy, but what kind of kitchen do you really want? Are you looking to simply increase the resale value of your home? Do you want to create a new gourmet kitchen for all of your entertaining? Does your kitchen space need to be expanded to accommodate your growing family? Remember that form always follows function. So what you're really looking for is a kitchen that works for you and your family. You want a kitchen that makes your life easier. Define your goals now, set priorities and create the super kitchen that suites your life.

Create Your Floor Plan Using your kitchen measurements, start sketching your cabinets. Start in the corner of your grid paper and work out. Note the location of your electrical outlets, plumbing fixtures and air ducts. You may be able to move major appliances several inches either way to accommodate a layout change.

Common Layouts

Six Basic Ways to Set Up a Kitchen

Will I have to walk far to get water to top off a pot on the stove?
Will I have enough space to slice, dice, chop, and otherwise prepare meals?
Will I have room to store the olive oil near the stove or will I have to go
across the room to get it?
Will two or more cooks be able to work comfortably in the space without constantly bumping into each other?
Will I be able to easily rinse dishes and load them into the dishwasher?
Do I prefer a range or a separate cooktop and oven?
Do I need a prep sink and a cleanup sink?
Do I need an eating area in the kitchen?

Of course, if you’re remodeling, the structure of your existing home will limit your layout options. You’ll have considerably more flexibility the larger your space and if you’re building a new home or adding on.

Common kitchen plans include the one-wall kitchen, the corridor or galley kitchen, the L or double L kitchen, the U-shaped kitchen and the G-shaped kitchen.

Graph Paper Download

The Basics of Kitchen Zones

A Few Tips:

Prep and cleanup zones combine well.
Baking and cooking zones combine well.
Islands can host multiple zones with ease.

Common Mistakes

Avoid These Pitfalls as You Plan Your Kitchen Remodel

Your kitchen is an island. Be sure to consider the way your kitchen's look will gel with the rest of your home. An ultra-modern kitchen in a 19th-century farmhouse will stick out like a sore thumb. Keep architectural integrity in mind.
You're a skin-deep thinker. Remember that selecting beautiful cabinets is only half the battle—and, in a lot of way, the less important half. Make sure you have enough storage for all those plates and pots—and the accessories like tray dividers and pull-out shelves that will make them a snap to find.
You think orange cabinets could be fun. While personality is important, the cabinet isn't the best place to go hog-wild. Choose fun pulls, colorful countertop appliances and unique accessories, but select a cabinet that you—and your family—can live with for the next 15 years. And if resale is in your future, be sure to favor the sound choice over the sizzling one.
You forget that tomorrow is another day. Sure, lowered countertop seating may be the perfect play space for your kids...but in 10 years that petite spot will be worthless. Design with the future in mind, and not just that of your kids. Ergonomic choices like raised dishwashers will keep you kitchen functional as you grow older.

You pooh-pooh lighting. It may not be the most thrilling part of the project, but invest some time and money in coming up with a solid lightingplan (earmark about 10 percent of your budget for it). It'll keep your kitchen safe, set the appropriate mood and keep creepy shadows from turning your honey-colored cabinets a stale shade of brown.
"It's My Prerogative" is your theme song. Go ahead, change your mind in the middle of the process—just be ready to handle the additional charges and delays that making that that slightly larger pantry incurs. And if your changes means other carefully measured things (like countertops or appliance panels) are altered, that cost goes way up.
You don't budge an inch. Sure, remodeling is about replacing that
countertop and sink—but it's also the best (and only time) when you can truly play with the room's layout. If you're tired of always walking across your kitchen to get to the refrigerator then move it!
You've watched too much Extreme Home Makeover. Going at your old kitchen with a sledgehammer may sound like fun, but your space may not need to be entirely gutted. Do a thorough inventory to decide if anything—from your appliances to your cabinets frames—can be saved...saving you money in turn.
Keep those Martha Stewart dreams realistic. If you've never baked a souffle, made a plum-stuffed pork tenderloin or tackled Spanish paella, don't expect that an $8,000 range is just the thing you need to go from microwave queen to gourmand. Be realistic about your needs—professional appliances may pack more power than you need.