East Bay Kitchen Remodeling Tips
Anyone who has ever seriously thought about Castro Valley kitchen remodeling can tell you that coming up with a dream kitchen is a lot harder than building that kitchen in reality.
It’s all fun and good to daydream. Indeed, visualization is a key part of the creative germination process. But at some point, you must take action. Otherwise, you may forever be stuck with a dishwasher from 1954, a galley kitchen with practically zero room to prep food, and an old stove from the previous owner that you fear may spontaneously explode at any moment.
The first step to remodel the kitchen (or any room) involves mental planning. You need to answer the three big questions: Why? What? How?
Why are you doing this project? What do you hope will happen once it’s done?
What does “ideal success” look like in the real world?
How will you make the finished product a reality?
During this process, you will need to journal, talk to your partner, research, plan, interview professionals, and then dive into more “specific stuff,” such as schematic designs, fixture specifications, and construction documents.
Strive to embrace a certain paradox regarding planning: plan to “have planned.” Be meticulous in your preparation, but don’t expect to follow-through on your plan precisely.
Many great remodeling Bay Area general contractors will tell you that “things change” as you get into the execution of any plan. For instance, at the end of the job, there will likely be a “punch list” of “stuff” that you will need to do, post-construction. This list could range from “add a hood over the new stove” to “repaint scratched up wall.”
Unless you are doing just a tiny amount of work — and even small remodeling projects have a funny way of blossoming into multi-week, multi-thousand dollar time and money pits — you will likely need substantial professional help.
Focus on planning the space and layout before you get sucked into details about what color or materials to use for the cabinets, etc. You would never measure the drapes for the windows of a new house before laying the foundation and fixing the general schematics. Likewise, you need to table talk of fixtures and finishes (“the fun stuff”) until you’ve settled on the big picture needs.
Choice Exhaustion
During the process, you will be confronted with a non-stop barrage of choices. Should the refrigerator go next to the stove or across the room? Should you choose a sleek white modern design or an Asian inspired gray/dark/dark green schematic? Where should the outlets go? What lead-time should you give your contractor? How should you evaluate different contractor estimates against one another? Etc, etc.
Research on choice suggests that the more choices we have, the more difficult choosing becomes. Strive to limit the number of choices you have the bare essentials. This is why it’s helpful to use an experienced Bay Area general contractor, like B.A. Morrison. Call us today, and we will help you systematically and cost-effectively plan your kitchen remodeling project.
