Kitchen and Bath Remodeling

The Kitchen

Should you cook up a new kitchen from scratch or revive the old one?

Kitchen remodels are the most expensive and most time consuming rooms to remodel and yet they are the most popular. A pleasant environment with lots of natural light adds to the ambiance and makes your home feel comfortable. Careful planning of the remodel project is essential to achieving desired results.

The kitchen has long been regarded as the most important part of the home. The challenge is not to replace, but to create a kitchen remodel that works and makes you proud of your creation. Not only a place for cooking, the kitchen functions as a dining room, family room, living room, workshop, and even a home office.

Kitchen Design

A successful kitchen remodel design begins by identifying who uses the kitchen and for what purpose.

• Are you happy with the way your flooring and countertops look and are they easy to clean?
• Is current layout conducive to supervising children and/or visiting while preparing food?
• Do you have enough storage for food, appliances and cookware?
• Is the task lighting sufficient?
• Are there an adequate number of circuits?
• Is it a common family gathering point, or just for food preparation?
• Do guests gravitate toward the kitchen when you entertain?
• Does the family share food preparation or clean-up activities?

If the current layout is well suited for its intended use, you may be able to get by with only a face-lift. New counter tops, flooring and appliances can do wonders. Modern appliances are surprisingly quiet, fast and work much better than their ancestors; not to mention what they can do for the look of a kitchen. Lighter colored materials, larger floor tiles and better lighting can visually expand any kitchen. Changing the doors, drawers, and guides, along with saving the boxes can save thousands of dollars while giving you that new kitchen feel.

If you plan to live in your home for the long-term, or if the kitchen layout just doesn’t fit your family’s lifestyle, then you may consider a custom tailored creation. The cost of a full-blown kitchen varies dramatically. Moving walls or plumbing or other major structural changes will significantly increase the project cost. A major custom kitchen project can exceed $85,000 with over $15,000 in appliances alone. As a rule, it is a good idea not to over-remodel your kitchen unless your home is in your long-term plans. Most people can accomplish big things in the kitchen in the $40,000-$50,000 range.

What’s Hot in the Kitchen?

• Laminate Floors
• Corian® or Granite Countertops
• Sealed Gas Cooktop with Changeable Modules
• Smart Lighting/Under-Cabinet Lighting
• Maple Cabinets, Islands and Bar Tops
• Double Ovens/Convection Ovens
• Appliance Garages
• Roll-Out Shelves
• Personality

Every kitchen remodel design should take into consideration the three major work areas: food preparation, cooking, and clean-up. These three major work areas make up what is commonly referred to as “the work triangle”. In order to have enough room to move, work and circulate, try to include four-foot to seven-foot legs on the work triangle (the work triangle is an imaginary line that connects the refrigerator, sink, and cooktop). Lots of counter for workspace should be placed around these main activity areas and traffic patterns should not interfere with the triangle. Your perfectly remodeled kitchen will not be the same as your neighbor’s; everyone’s is different. Only you know how your family uses this room.

The Bathroom

Time to flush the old bathroom?

Bathrooms are the smallest rooms in the house and one of the most fun to remodel and decorate. Adding skylights and/or glass blocks will illuminate your bathroom with bright yet soft natural light. Currently many natural and/or recycled materials are available for every surface in the bathroom. Remodeling with a bright color material will update the room and reflect light, thereby creating a nice compliment to the natural light design. A Solatube® (mini-skylight) is an economical way to brighten a bath space.

Thoughtful planning and attention to detail are the keys to success for any bathroom remodel. As with any home improvement project, the first step is to decide if there are any current elements that exist in your present bathroom that can be retained as is or attractively updated rather than replaced in it’s entirety.

Lighting, space, circulation and ventilation are important elements of the bathroom design. Beyond the functional aspect, the door is wide open for amenities.

Modern Bathroom Features

• Adequate light and space to perform other daily grooming tasks
• More natural light, light sensor switches, ultra quiet fans
• Toilet closet with at least three feet clear from left to right
• Large whirlpool tub
• Vanity Tops – good looking and easy to clean
• Upgraded, taller vanities
• Anti-scald shower and tub valves
• Water efficient valves

Whatever your desires and budget, it is important to evaluate your family’s lifestyle in order to achieve satisfactory remodeling results. A well-done bathroom represents an improvement in home attractiveness for resale. In the meantime, you will enjoy the benefits on a daily basis. Let Bedrock Construction show you how to remodel your home properly on the first try!