For some reason the one room that most people seem most eager to remodel is the kitchen. Perhaps it is because the kitchen is such a creative place. And generally, it is well lit so you can see any blemish or flaw that is there. So if the kitchen is next on your remodeling list, you need some guidelines for how to plan your remodeling project so when the job is done, you achieved your goals. And whether that means you have the ‘kitchen of your dreams’ or that you just fixed some problems with a kitchen that has gotten run down over time, your remodeling project can address those needs.
Before you buy the paint and start pulling up tiles from the floor, a serious planning session of what you want in your new kitchen is in order. The list may get quite long but its a healthy exercise to ‘blue sky’ what the perfect kitchen might look like. After that exercise is done, you can start to come down to earth by detailing each ‘dream change’ into tasks that must be done. So the dream to ‘open the kitchen up’ might include putting in a skylight, knocking out some walls and painting the kitchen with brighter and happier colors that make the room look bigger.
If you have 20 ideas or dreams for what the perfect kitchen will look like that could break out into 100 task steps that must happen to make each of those dreams come to life. The value of all this categorizing is that just that little exercise in organization could surface steps that are counterproductive. One goal might call for you to take out a wall and another may need that wall to hold shelves. So right away, reality has stuck its nose into your plans and some adjustments have to be made. But these are all good planning steps en route to your perfect kitchen.
The next confrontation with reality is the time frame and budget that you might have for your kitchen remodeling project. Do you hope to do all the work yourself? If so, how much time will it take and can you fit the project in with your work and family responsibilities? But the most important consideration is what you can afford. This doesnt mean that you have to cut all of your dreams from your kitchen remodeling plan. But because you took some time to sort and arrange both the bigger goals or dreams and the individual tasks it will take to achieve those dreams, you now have some detail to work from.
Now you can lay out a schedule of work you can do in the next big kitchen remodeling effort. You can decide what you can afford this time to make a good step forward toward the perfect kitchen. The rest can be saved for the next time you have time and money to take another step. In this way, step by step you reach toward the goal of the ideal kitchen of your dreams. You might never get there entirely. But you sure will have fun trying.
