Thinking about a kitchen renovation? It’s an exciting but often daunting task. As we navigated our kitchen renovation I got a lot of questions from you all on the remodeling process.
In this blog post, I aim to shed light on the most common kitchen renovation questions I’ve gotten, to hopefully guide you through your own renovation process.
How did you come up with the design for your new kitchen on your own?
Gather inspiration
Best way to start is with inspiration. Start with a fresh Pinterest board and pin away! Majority of all my design plans start with Pinterest. This is an easy way to gather inspiration and also narrow down your style. You’ll come to find common themes or features as you pin your dream kitchen photos and those from your favorite interior designer.
Start with key words and then dive even deeper by scrolling down to recommended posts from posts you love.
Make a mood board
After gathering some inspiration, my next step is to make a moodboard. I do this in Canva. I typically lean toward timeless design styles… I know I’m the one who has to live here, but I also still have future potential buyers in the back of my mind. So something neutral that would stay in stile for a long time was the goal, but I wasn’t interested in the very popular choice of white. So taupe was an easy choice.
Using this information and knowing I wanted mixed metals with a vintage feel I added all these “wishes” to a mood board to make sure I really liked them all together.
For a little behind the scenes of how my brain thought through the design ideas check out my timeless kitchen inspiration blog post below…
Utilize free design tools & services
Next, I abused some free online cabinet design services. Ssssshhhh… I kind of feel bad for doing this, but will say I came very close to using one of their cabinet lines! I first set up an appointment with CliqStudios and shared my general struggles and desires for the space. They created a free 3D design plan and recommended cabinet styles based on my wish list and budget.
This sure is more cost effective than hiring a whole design team especially if you really don’t have a good design idea for your space. A free design service like this can provide creative ways to lay out your kitchen and give you a shooting off point in your design phase.
This gave me a good idea of the quality of cabinets I was looking for and vocabulary to describe them accurately in a way a contractor would fully comprehend.
While I didn’t end up using their cabinet line, this design was FANTASTIC information to take to my contractor meetings. It provided a great visual and professional elevations (with close to perfect/accurate measurements of my space) so I could communicate my wishes effectively.
Giving the contractors a professional rendition of my vision allowed them to write up more accurate quotes when it came time to really talk numbers. Plus, they knew I had an idea of what cabinets SHOULD cost… kind of like going to the car dealership with an MSRP in mind. Basically.. prep yourself to get on their level, learn the vocabulary and come to the table informed with a comparative price point.
How did you find the right general contractor?
The next kitchen renovation question is also very common and tough to answer… sometimes it’s just luck!
I plan to do a much deeper diver into how to hire a kitchen contractor in a separate blog post in the near future. I’m planning on having my contractor help me write it from his perspective as well. We’ll include contractor red flags, essential questions to ask, and what a contractor is looking for in a client.
For now… I’ll keep it to simple and include some more points…
Shop around for kitchen contractors
First step in deciding on the right kitchen contractor is to shop around. We used ThumbTack to get into contact with several contractors. We also gathered numbers and names by simply walking around the neighborhood or asking for recommendations from friends.
I will say the potential contractors on Thumbtack were significantly more responsive than the ’round the block or recommended contacts. This makes sense once I learned that contractors actually pay for the Thumbtack service, meaning they are open and looking for work.
Get several quotes!
We had 5 meetings in total with prospective contractors before making our selection. There was a pretty broad range of quotes with a total difference of almost $30,000.
Tip #1: Don’t pick the Yes Man!
Several contractors said “yes we can do that” to every idea we threw out. While this sounds like they must be experts at everything, I was searching for someone who would be honest with me. Ultimately, our contractor we selected was brutally honest with some suggestions. He would comment something like, “yes, we can do that but you’ll be looking at bigger costs” or “i wouldn’t recommend putting a door there because x,y,z”. I appreciated this professional honestly!
Tip #2: The lowest price doesn’t always mean the best contractor!
The lowest estimate was NOT the guy we went with. And boy am I glad… the low baller was referred by a friend who was currently using him for a double story porch addition. Turns out he did some pretty sketchy stuff at my friend’s place and his work wasn’t up to code. My friend ultimately spent 3xs the original quote to hire a new person and have them tear it all out and fix all the errors. YIKES!
Tip #3: Look for transparency.
A good contractor will be open and honest about where your money is going. I loved that our contractor provided an itemized cost break down (seen above) including everything from new flooring, plumbing estimates, electrical work quotes to labor costs for demoing the old ceramic tile, etc.
Ensure you get quality work, a transparent time frame, a clear idea of who will make up your renovation team.
How much do cabinets cost for a 12 x 10 kitchen?
Starting with a small kitchen, we didn’t have ton of wall space to put kitchen cabinets. So we could easily go with a slightly higher end line knowing we wouldn’t break the bank because we simply didn’t have the space to! (That’s a perk of small kitchens). We didn’t do any custom cabinets, but did get creative with the appliance garage and wall of open shelving that we’ll just call the “hutch”.
Total cabinet cost = $14,000
How long does a full kitchen remodel take?
We broke ground on June 17th and had a working kitchen on Oct 20th with final details completed by the end of November. So lets say 18 – 20 weeks for a complete gut job kitchen renovation project. Keep in mind, we didn’t just remove and replace cabinets, we underwent a pretty major renovation by removing walls (load bearing walls at that), moved windows and rearranged appliances.
What lighting is best for kitchens?
Adequate lighting is crucial in a kitchen. A combination of task and accent lighting creates a well-lit functional space. But don’t forget about the cozy factors. From pendant lights over the kitchen island, wall scones, and can lighting… there are a ton of options.
KITCHEN LIGHTING SHORT ANSWER:
- Aim for 35-50 lumens per square foot for kitchen lighting.
- I highly recommend cans with dimmers at a 3000K setting.
- Add in warm accent lighting for a more cozy, less-task oriented vibe when you’re not actively working in the kitchen.
For our kitchen we have the following light sources:
- 4 can lights | each 3000K | 800 lumens
- 2 sconces on either side of the hood | 2200K | 245 lumens
- 2 pendant lights over peninsula | 27000K | 1600 lumens
- 1 flush mount ceiling light over the window | 2200K | 220 lumens
- 1 picture light over open shelves | 3000K | 400 lumens
I go into more detail over on my “Understanding Watts, Lumens, Kelvins When Designing Spaces” blog post. But basically you’ll want cooler bright light for tasks, and warmer dim light for a cozy ambiance. A mix of both overhead task and accent lighting can help achieve this balance.
What flooring is best for kitchens?
Kitchens demand durable and easy-to-clean flooring. We went with a luxury vinyl plank by Coretec and I will never look back. It’s beautiful like a hardwood flooring, but has the durability and water-proof properties of a vinyl. Highly recommend!
We have this same flooring throughout our entire downstairs and upstairs landing. With LVP being 100% waterproof, extremely durable, easy to clean and maintain with tons of color/style options to choose from it’s an easy go-to choice for kitchen flooring.
How Much Does a Kitchen Renovation Cost?
This is by far the most commonly asked kitchen remodeling question… You guys want to talk numbers! I mean, who doesn’t? It’s a huge investment!
The cost of a kitchen renovation varies widely based on factors such as size, quality of materials, and desired upgrades. Without getting TOO transparent with our spending I’ll keep it simple in reference to your home value…
Short answer: Keep your kitchen budget between 5-15% of your total home value depending on the scope of the project.
If doing a minor kitchen reno you should expect to spend ~5% of your total home value on the kitchen. The more extravagant you get or the more involved the renovation becomes the most it will cost. Experts don’t recommend exceeding more than 15% of your home value in the most elaborate renovations.
It’s crucial to set a realistic budget and prioritize where to allocate your funds for the best results. Keep in mind – your kitchen appliances and cabinets will likely be the most expensive purchases.
We spread these purchase out a bit by getting new appliances when we moved in, knowing we could use them in our future renovation. Best Buy credit card with 0% same as cash was a great way to spread out one of these big expenses over 2 years. (But only do this if you are a disciplined credit care person who is 103883% pay it off within the interest free time frame.)
Did you have to take out a permit for your kitchen renovation?
Yes! We had to pull permits for electrical work and for changes to the external house (aka moving the window). Your contractor should be familiar with building codes in your area and they should pull these permits for you, if needed. Also make sure the cost of this is included in their quote.
How do you like the KCD cabinets?
Our contractor recommended Kitchen Cabinet Distributors and I’m so pleased that he did! The new cabinets have been great! They are soft close, dovetail construction and 1/2 inch plywood carcasses.
While I don’t have any children, Kevin and I actually USE the kitchen. Like really get in there and make messes. Their premier series line has a very wipeable surface. Even some red tomato sauce which maaaay have gone unseen and unwiped for a day or two cleaned up without any residual stain or damage. I’m very impressed!
Where is your sink from and how is it holding up?
Our sink, faucet and pot filler are all from Vintage Tub and Bath. They are all holding up great! I’ve heard of some concern about porcelain sinks chipping or staining, but thus far we haven’t had any issues.
Even red wine that sits overnight cleans up well with a little soft scrub. We are only about 4 months into using ours, but I have no concerns or issues so far.
Read more about details on all our plumbing fixtures and partnership with Vintage Tub & Bath.
How do you save for a kitchen renovation?
Disclaimer- this is not financial advice! I’m simply providing ideas to get you thinking about how to fund your kitchen renovation
Financing options:
You always have the option of pulling out a HELOC or home equity loan for major renovations if you have been in your home long enough. This is basically a line of credit or loan you take out using the money you’ve paid into your home already (typically less than 80% of your equity). You can read more about them at Equifax. However, only being in our new-to-us home for a year before taking on a kitchen renovation this wasn’t an option.
Cash savings option:
Instead, we saved up enough cash +20% of the estimated cost before booking our contractor. We did this by holding back on some of our downpayment (knowing we wanted to make this big update) and conservatively spending for a year. In addition to savvy spending, any bonuses earned or PTO cash-outs went to this home renovation savings pile.
This is the most conservative and predictable approach. Be sure to at least put the money in a high-yield savings account while you’re saving up so you can allow your money grow a little while still saving. Our savings account has a 4.34% interest rate, which is pretty good!
Investment account option:
We considered this option as well, but it’s less predictable… You have the option of opening up an index fund (we like Acorns) or a short term CD to allow your savings to earn even higher interest rates while you’re saving up.
The only downside of this is if the market is down when you need to withdrawal. An important question to ask yourself before going with an investment option like this is, “is your timeline flexible?” If so, this can be a great option, esp if you think you’re 5 years or more from your project start date.
I also HIGHLY recommend saving 20% over the estimated project. Even the best contractors will come across unexpected hiccups, not to mention, eating out can get really expensive.
I understand this will take different lengths of time for everyone, but my advice would be to be responsible with your money and don’t get ahead of yourself. Save as long as you need to feel comfortable. A kitchen reno is stressful enough as is, you don’t want to be stressed about your finances in the process. Of course it’s important to be cognizant with each selection along the way, but you don’t want to be stressed about a few hundred dollar decisions or necessary add ons here and there.
I promise, it will all be worth it!
That covers my most common kitchen renovation questions, for now. If you think of any more questions please drop them in the comments below.
A kitchen remodeling journey involves careful planning and consideration. I hope you can now make more informed decisions about your future project, ensuring a successful renovation.
Don’t be intimidated to dive in! Gather inspiration, do a little research, establish your budget, start saving and get contractor shopping!
A major remodel will inevitably come with hiccups and living in a construction site can be trying, but I promise you it will be worth it in the end!
Girl Behind the Blog
I’m Jess, the creator of Oak & Grain. A mid-west girl at heart who now resides in Raleigh, NC. I love finding old things and giving them new purpose by way of refinishing or incorporating unexpected, overlooked thrift store finds in the modern home. I work full-time in medicine and I love dipping into my creative side and in the process, keeping my sanity. Follow me on Instagram and YouTube to see more behind the scenes action.
Keywords: common kitchen renovation questions // what I wish I knew before remodeling my kitchen // commonly asked questions about kitchen remodels // how much does kitchen remodel cost? // how to save for kitchen renovation? // how to pick the right kitchen contractor // how much do cabinets cost for a 12 x 1) kitchen? // what lighting is best in a kitchen? // what flooring in best for kitchen?