At the beginning of the holiday season we wrote about making it the last holiday season in your kitchen. Read the blog here. We outlined practical steps to organizing ideas and making notes to start the process. Now the New Year is here, and it’s the perfect time to start planning to make your holiday wishes come true: a new kitchen for the New Year!
Organize your Notes
Now that the decorations are put away and things have settled into midwinter quiet, set aside some time to sit in your kitchen with a cup of tea and the notes you have taken about what you would like in your new kitchen. Take a long look around to confirm in your mind the changes you want to see. Organize your notes in a way that works for you; it might be time to create a binder or folder for your notes. As the project goes forward you will want to have one reference point for all the information you get.
Determine Your Budget
At this point, you should determine what your budget is for the renovation. Large renovation projects often end up taking more time and money than you plan for, so it’s a good idea to aim for a budget that falls a little below what your absolute maximum budget is, to ensure there are funds if your project goes over cost.
Once you establish your budget you should visit showrooms and kitchen and bath stores so that you can see what the different elements of your project cost. Don’t forget to factor in labor, delivery costs and taxes. Aim for the best quality your budget will allow. Once you have an idea of the cost of the various items, your master list needs to be split into two columns: what you need in your kitchen and what you want in your kitchen. The “want” list is where you can be selective.
Decide Your Focus
You’ve looked around and have a sense of what you want to make your kitchen work for you. Now, step back and think about what you want for the kitchen as a whole. Where do you want the focal point to be? Will it be a color or a feature? This will influence the choices you make. If you choose to make your countertop the focal point you might choose a stone with rich deep marbling that will draw the eye to its beauty and texture. If you choose a different feature as your focal point, your countertop stone choice will act as a compliment to that focal point and may be more subtle.
This is a time to narrow things down in all categories. For example, if you are choosing stone you need to decide between natural stone or quartz from the BGE Quartz Collection. If you are leaning toward natural stone, which one? Granite, Marble, Quartzite, Soapstone – you have options and you should explore their different properties to see which one is right for you. Start your exploration on our website and continue the process with a visit or visits to one of our showrooms.
Bring in the Professionals
By now you may be ready to include a contractor and/or a kitchen designer in the conversation. Their expertise will help you finalize your budget and plan your space. The contractor will make sure that everything is laid out for proper safety and the designer will help you determine the most functional layout for your new kitchen. You can change your kitchen’s footprint and a designer may be able to assist you in seeing what possibilities will work in the space you have.
Go Shopping, Again
Once you have met with a contractor or a designer taking another look is a good idea. Don’t be afraid to make multiple visits to our showrooms. A kitchen renovation is a big investment and you should be confident when you make your final choices. When you are visiting showrooms, don’t be afraid to ask questions and take more notes. At Boston Granite Exchange we invite customers to visit as many times as they need to. We want you to have a positive experience and we want to know that at the end of the renovation you have selected the stone that is just right for your style and your budget.
Timeline
During a kitchen renovation, the different elements of the project typically happen in a specific order. This means that final decisions on some materials happen later in the process. This is true of your stone countertop. Understand more about the timing of your project by visiting the plan section of our website.
Happy New Year and we look forward to seeing what you choose and the finished product. Don’t forget to share pictures with us further down the road. Our door is open to you at any phase of your project. Come visit.