Why To Trust The Professionals With Your Kitchen Remodel
“Kitchens sells houses” is a common phrase for many, arguing the fact that the center of every home is the food manufacturing zone. Everyone wants to be comfortable and relaxed in this space. For sure, your kitchen has to be an appealing environment to attract those who depend on it for its resourceful delicacies. So, what should you do to get your kitchen the justice it deserves? Well, the answer is as easy as pie: a kitchen remodel. Of course, you already know that a kitchen remodel is a transformation of your kitchen equipment and finish to increase its aesthetic value. So, no need to discuss this further. What you’ll learn from this read is the difference between DIY vs professional kitchen remodel and why you should trust professionals for your remodeling project.
DIY vs Professional Kitchen Remodel
In recent years, do-it-yourself designs have exploded in popularity. Nothing compares to the sense of pride you get by finishing a job with your own two hands. There are a variety of items you can do around the house to customize your home, and each project varies in complexity. A home improvement project initiated by an inexperienced individual can easily turn into a total mess even with the best guidance. Although a DIY project may seem simpler and more cost-effective compared to hiring a professional at first, professional service is more cost-effective in the long run.
If you’re wondering how much of a kitchen remodeling job you should do on your own, you’re not alone. You will do far more than you think if you are willing to get your hands dirty and invest in the time, effort, and research needed. It might seem reasonable to DIY and save money on smaller remodeling ventures, but where do you draw the line when a project grows in sheer complexity?
Before you begin your kitchen remodeling project, sit down with yourself and determine the scope of your work. Whether you want to install a new cabinet or change your hardwood flooring to tiles is an important decision that you need to think about carefully.
Some questions you should ask yourself before determining if you want to DIY vs professional kitchen remodel services include:
- How long will the remodeling project take to complete?
- What is the cost of your kitchen remodeling project?
- Do you have a guide for the desired remodeling?
- Can you obtain the materials you need?
- Will the remodeling project interfere with your daily routine?
- Do you have the skills, tools, and patience to complete the task?
After answering these questions, you’ll have better insight into what exactly you need to complete your kitchen remodeling project. If you have the answers to these questions and the answers are all a confident ‘yes”, then you can go ahead and DIY. However, in many cases, you may have the instruction guide, the budget, and desired design, but you may just not have the materials, skills, time, or patience that you need to make your kitchen space an admiration for many. This is when you have to drop your desire to handle a DIY project and hire a professional to help.
Professional skill and capacity are needed for some projects. Skilled kitchen remodelers have the skills and expertise to ensure that your renovations run efficiently and that any problems that may occur are quickly resolved before they become worse. If you decide to DIY and ignore hiring a professional kitchen remodeling service to handle some delicate areas in your kitchen, you may be left struggling with asbestos, mold or mildew, leaks, pest or animal infestations, or structural damage.
If you deem your project dangerous, if it could destroy your home, or if it requires a permit, such as in case electrical and plumbing changes, you’ll be better off hiring a professional company. These experts will be in a better position to handle the risk or damage that could occur as a result of the remodeling activities.
Take, for instance, you want to open up your kitchen space by tearing up the wall separating the kitchen and dining area to come up with an open space kitchen. This is a very good idea, and it may seem fun to tear down the walls while envisioning how beautiful your kitchen will look when the project is complete. But remember, within those walls, you may have water pipes and electrical wiring that may pose a risk to you. You may burst a pipe and have your whole house soaked in water by the time the plumber arrives.
How much will you pay the plumber? You will have to add a number to the budget-forced to dig deeper into your pocket. What if you accidentally touch an exposed electrical wire? This could add on medical bills with a trip to the emergency room.
The fact here is if you choose to do DIY vs professional kitchen remodel experts, you may end up with the plumbing contractors, hardwood flooring contractors, and other kitchen installation services on call, and this means more money because they will have to fix the damage before the remodeling starts.
If you still decide to DIY, remember that small modifications or quickly learnable tasks that can save you money but can still be reversed or corrected by a professional at minimal or no cost if something goes wrong are the best items to DIY. Some tasks you can do yourself to save on costs include:
Painting
While not everybody has painted a wall or space in their home before, it is a popular DIY project for homeowners. If you’re a handy person with a paintbrush and have a good eye for style, you might save money by doing your own paint updates and choosing the color for your walls. In the worst-case scenario, you may not like the color, and you may decide to either try again or find someone else to finish the job.
Hardware Installation
You can make some simple cosmetic modifications of your own to make the renovation process go more smoothly, such as replacing light fixtures, switching cabinet hardware, and scraping old tile. Easy updates to the look and function of your kitchen can be made with only a few basic tools.
Customizing Your Remodel Materials
You should buy the things you like if you want to achieve your desired look. Although your window installation company or hardwood flooring contractor may have particular materials that may save you on costs, it may be worth it to select the perfect items for your kitchen space. Whether you have kitchen antiques that you want to be maintained or want to completely remodel the kitchen, there are many options for you out there. The important thing is to take your designs to your contractor to incorporate them into the project in a creative way.
Selecting Kitchen Appliances
Even the best remodeling contractors cannot hack into what you like. You know the kind of ambiance you desire for your kitchen. Your contractor may want a black gas stove to blend in with the cream paint, but you may want a white one. Devoting time to choosing the ideal kitchen appliance for your needs will ensure that you get exactly what you want. Consider shopping for appliances yourself, whether you choose to purchase used, on sale, new, or top-of-the-line, just look around; you could land a great deal!
Since you’ll be learning as you go, it’s better to do tasks in such a way that you can undo them if necessary. Keep in mind that even when you mess up, you can still reach out to a professional to correct your DIY project. Doing the job yourself and not adhering to industry guidelines on more difficult projects, such as those including structural changes or MEP (mechanical, electrical, and plumbing), could end up costing you even more in the long run and defeat the purpose of DIY.
When Do You Need Kitchen Remodeling Professionals For Your Project?
Mechanical, electrical, plumbing, flooring, HVAC, and gas are all aspects of kitchen remodeling that can be addressed by a professional who is familiar with potential problems. These specialist engineering tasks can seem to be a great way to save money if you DIY, but they may end up costing much more if done poorly. Invest in professional inspections to guarantee all these structures in your home are in good working order and delegate any adjustments that are needed to professionals. Some tasks that you should trust kitchen remodel professionals to complete for you include:
Hardwood Flooring Installation
Hardwood flooring is fashionable and sustainable. Hardwood floors come in a range of natural colors. The benefit of a hardwood floor is that it doesn’t accumulate dust or dirt, making it easy to clean and maintain. When installing a floating hardwood floor, you should install it after the kitchen countertops and cabinets have been installed. However, with other flooring options, the cabinets are installed after the floor is done. If the cabinets are installed before the floors, height issues can seriously restrict your flooring options, especially with appliances. But how would you know this if you don’t hire hardwood flooring contractors? Trust the professionals and make that call!
Natural Stone Flooring
Natural stone flooring is the most beautiful and luxurious of all flooring materials. In contrast to some synthetic or manufactured stone materials, the word “real stone” applies to mountain-born mineral substances such as Slate, marble, limestone, travertine, granite, and sandstone, all of which have slightly different properties and occur naturally. To decide if a certain form of stone flooring tile is suitable for a specific area, you must first consider the characteristics of the stone. With the help of a natural stone restoration or stone flooring expert, you can make your kitchen have that natural yet luxurious appearance you desire.
Kitchen Ventilation
Kitchen ventilation is a form of ventilation that focuses on treating air from kitchens. First, it addresses grease, smoke, and odor issues that aren’t addressed by any other ventilation systems in your house. Some of the common components of a kitchen AC system include an extractor hood or canopy and a filtering mechanism.
The type and design of your kitchen ventilation system are determined by the kitchen layout, the cooking workload, the type of cooking equipment, ease of cleaning and maintenance, and energy efficiency requirements. To make the best choice for your kitchen, you’ll need to seek the help of a professional. Ac installation services exist, and the professionals can replace, repair and maintain your desired kitchen ventilation system, so you don’t have to DIY.
Plumbing
Plumbing contractors will help you mitigate or prevent any plumbing issues that may occur during the DIY remodeling process. When you know you’re working with professionals, you can rest assured that they’ll still be able to give you that extra advice and details pertaining to your project. These professionals undergo extensive training, and this, combined with their experience in the field, you’ll rest assured that you will get all the advice, warnings, and recommendations on anything plumbing-related.
Electrical Installations
As much as changing out a bulb or replacing a faulty socket may seem like simple tasks, electricity remains one of the major concerns when remodeling a home. In many cases, the power supply should be cut off when carrying out remodeling projects because naked wires lying around can pose a serious danger. Never trust yourself if you are not an electricity installation expert. With the help of electrical installation services, your electric installations will be in better hands.
Kitchen Cabinet Refacing
If you’re like other homeowners, you may want to maintain the current configuration of your kitchen but redesign and upgrade its appearance. Cabinet refacing allows you to maintain your original kitchen space while totally changing its appearance. During a kitchen cabinet refacing service, a sturdy 14″ plywood is used to reinforce the original cabinet doors, and either a veneer of natural wood or maintenance-free laminate is added over the plywood. A skilled resurfacing craftsperson can take exact measurements to guarantee that your fresh refaced cabinet boxes are flawless and perfectly color-matched to your new doors and drawer fronts. Your option of new hinges, knobs, and/or pulls will complete the transformation.
The Bottom Line
Many considerations can influence the choice to tackle a project on your own or hire someone to do it for you. First and foremost, determine whether you have the resources and time to complete the job. If you decide to DIY vs professional kitchen remodel expert, do your homework to make sure you have a well-thought-out plan for the length of your project. If you hire a professional, make sure they’re qualified, experienced, and reputable. There is no fault in checking the website and online reviews to see what they are all about and what other people are saying about them. Otherwise, trust your instinct too. If you have a bad feeling about your remodeling contractor, or you don’t like their portfolio, it’s okay to ditch them and hire one that completes your task as desired. After all, you’re the one who will be cooking meals in that space, and you still want it to remain the “center of your home.”