How To Make A Kitchen Remodel Go From Small To Perfect
A San Diego couple has to make a big decision to remodel their kitchen or sell their home. One major structural problem stands in the way of their remodel. But Marrokal Design & Remodeling comes up with a unique solution. See how they transformed a tiny kitchen into a delightful living space. Phoebe Chongchua has the story for Live Fit Magazine.
Kitchen Remodeling Tips
When remodeling the kitchen, there are two primary considerations: functionality and improving resale value. Kitchens are high on the list for buyers. Even those who don’t cook, still want to make sure the kitchen has an updated look, is spacious, and has great functionality.
Kitchen walls started coming down a few decades ago. The lack of separation in the rooms in the home leads to great rooms and an easier ability to connect with family members in common spaces.
Typically the most visible area of a kitchen is the cabinets. If they are worn or dated, the kitchen will be less appealing. Choosing to replace, customize, or simply refinish the doors can make a big difference. However, growing trends in kitchen architecture include softer lighting, larger windows, and–here’s a surprise–fewer cabinets. That doesn’t mean that you can get away with very little storage space, instead it means you have to be creative. Some homeowners are choosing to have built in storage spaces.
Create a gathering space. If you have a large kitchen, consider installing or placing a portable island in it. These are very popular for a number of reasons. They’re handy, useful for extra storage space, and they often become a central gathering spot at parties, especially when there’s food on them. Add a few bar stools and you’ve got a comfy and welcoming place for guests to relax while dinner is being prepared.
Turn down the lights. Not literally, rather use lighting that’s less harsh. Overhead lighting is excellent but, to create a mood, you can place accent lights in tucked-away areas that will still allow the light to shine in the kitchen. Maybe an adjoining hallway, for instance, could have a small lamp on a table or sconces on the walls.
Make room. Even though some architects are taking away the cabinets, buyers still are attracted to plenty of storage space. That means sellers who don’t have it, must creatively devise it. By staging your home with stand-alone cabinet furniture and displaying some kitchen items in them, you give buyers an idea of how to use the space. You can also have your remodeler create clever hideaways that look decorative and double as storage space. The options are nearly limitless. Explore and get creative. Always be sure to seek out an expert remodeling company for advice.
Remember, function and beauty will help ensure greater resale value when it comes time to sell your home.
Blumkin opened the doors of his floor decor business, Outrageous Rugs, a San Diego-based company, in 1988. Since then the company has been unpacking, rolling out rugs and placing custom, machine-made, and fine rugs in happy customers’ homes.
“Seeing a real textile [in person] makes a difference,” says Blumkin. The company stands behind the quality of its rugs. Often the Internet can show a picture of a rug that looks fabulous online but once the shipment is received, it’s not always up to the customer’s standards.
There are five vital factors that a remodeling company should have: a staff that skillfully listens and pays attention to clients’ needs, trust, experience, full-service design and remodel, and a make-it-right guarantee. Marrokal talked with me about how he’s built long-lasting clients by focusing his efforts on these important customer concerns.
A company that has a full-service design and remodel under one roof
Kiplinger’s worked with Kevin Stolarick, research director at the Martin Prosperity Institute, a think tank that studies economic prosperity. A formula and a methodology that included several economic indicators were used to select the top 10 cities that have current and likely future growth in high-quality jobs and income. Kiplinger’s also visited the cities with potential growth interviewing business and community leaders, and residents.The number of “creative class” workers (those who are educators, writers, and scientists) in the area was considered as well as things like public transportation systems, and overall affordability.
Here are some organizing tips to help you increase the sale of your home.
What’s tipping the scale to make buying cheaper than renting? Of course, it’s the declining home prices and historically low interest rates are also helping to encourage home buying. Recently, interest rates for 30-year and 15-year fixed have been hovering near 4%. Also, the increased demand for rental units is pushing rents up, making now a good time to buy as purchasing a home is cheaper than renting one in most major U.S. cities.
The good news is that companies are realizing how difficult it can be to relocate. About a third of 100 companies in various industries throughout the nation changed their relocation programs in 2009 and 2010 to help with the move, according to a survey by Worldwide Employee Relocation Council (ERC), a national trade group.
All roofs are designed to shed water and keep the building dry. “Green roofs are no different. The most important aspect is that they are living, breathing roofs planted with many types of vegetation.”
