Kenneth Lewis Blog

There are many homeowners that are hesitant to put their homes on the market today because they don’t feel as though they would get the asking price for it. Combine this with the lowest personal savings account interest rates in history and you have more people investing in their homes than ever. If you are going to keep your house, you may as well make it more comfortable while you’re there, and when you do sell it, the return you will get will most likely be higher than any interest rate.

One of the home improvement projects that do pay - Remodel the kitchen:

An average kitchen remodeling project takes nine months to plan and three months to build, according to the National Kitchen and Bath Association. You can improve the overall look and feel of a kitchen with a lot less work and money simply by refurbishing what you have. Some refurbishing options include refaced cabinets instead of new, resurfaced countertops or an added backsplash, updated flooring and under-cabinet task lighting.

Regardless of the project you plan to undertake, there are a few things you can do to ensure you get the most for your money.

• Establish a budget:
• Hire a qualified remodeler who is familiar with local building codes.
• Compare products and prices before you begin.
• Work with a contract.  

Countertop replacement is usually the best option when totally changing or remodeling your kitchen.

A beautiful countertop can really stand out in a kitchen. Consumer Reports tested 14 different countertop materials like granite and quartz, recycled glass, bamboo and soapstone. They applied things like tomato sauce and grape juice and let them sit overnight.

The bamboo surfaces stained badly.

They also tested the counters for heat, by placing a 400 degree pot on them: the bamboo counters scorched, and 2 recycled glass countertops cracked within 12 minutes.

When all the tests were done, quartz and granite countertops came out on top!

Kenneth C Lewis uses granite, corian, cambria quartz and other quality materials for replacing existing countertops.

At the time you bought the house, you thought it was a great idea. “The kitchen needs remodeling, but we can do that after we move in”.

Well months or years later, you are still in that outdated kitchen, and the economy has slipped, and you are not sure if you want to use your “rainy day money” on a whole kitchen upgrade. Well, you don’t need to.

Kitchen cabinets can be the most expensive part of a kitchen remodel. Don’t waste your money or your time on cabinets. With Cabinet Refacing and Cabinet Refinishing you can have brand new “looking” cabinets at a fraction of the cost. For the most part, cabinets are structurally fine, it is the color, or the hardware, or they are scratched and worn out, that has them looking so dated.

Cabinet refinishing - this is a great way to save some money and still have a beautiful or elite looking kitchen. The cost can be lower if your cabinets and doors are in good shape.  Decorative possibilities for your cabinets are almost endless.

New Cabinet Doors and Drawer Fronts - It is very possible to combine new doors and drawer fronts with refinishing cabinets for a truly new design. This will bridge the gap between a full refinish and refacing, saving you money and still giving you a new look.

Refacing Cabinets - An alternative to refinishing is refacing. Although cabinet refacing is cheaper than all new cabinets, it is still considerably more expensive than cabinet refinishing. Cabinet refacing involves the replacement of the door and drawer fronts plus installing a veneer of new wood over the existing cabinets.

Homeowners are moving away from tile countertops, which are difficult to maintain, in favor of natural stone, solid surfaces and environmentally friendly 'green' products.

Granite countertops are still the biggest thing out there, but less common materials like marble, limestone and soapstone are becoming more popular countertop choices.

These materials are much more durable than we have been led to believe especially with the advent of greatly improved sealers and a routine maintenance schedule.

For homeowners looking to jazz up their modern kitchens with bright, bold countertops, we suggest quartz.

Quartz counters may not be as durable as granite but it comes in colors not typically seen in natural stone, like lime green and electric blue. For those who may not appreciate stone's natural pigment variation, quartz offers consistent color from top to bottom and side to side.

Natural stone countertops that combine different textures are a new trend. For this look, installers use stone with two different finishes, one sandblasted to a matte finish, the other polished to a smooth gloss. Lindsay says that a typical application might be to use one finish for a kitchen island and the other for the rest of the kitchen countertops.

Wood adds a warmth and beauty to kitchens that no other material can match. So recently more homeowners have been opting for wood countertops over stone.

Another great kitchen island idea for homeowners is a beautiful butcher block island that you can actually cut on.

The kitchen is your home's nucleus. It the place where you gather to eat, talk, and enjoy. Remodeling your kitchen can be a complicated endeavor. One of the ways to make this task less complicated is to ensure you hire the right kitchen company. This means hiring someone who is reliable, knowledgeable, credible, and easy to work with.

Prior to hiring a kitchen contractor, think about how you would like your kitchen to look. Create a budget for yourself and be sure you can accomplish these ideas within your budget. When remodeling, it is often very easy to get off track resulting in a project which is way over budget.

Be sure you can be involved in the process and that the contractor is fully insured. Avoid contractors that only want cash or that are eager to jump into the deal without asking questions.

Do your research on various kitchen companies and ask for references or referrals. Talk to the contractor about cost saving or time saving ideas. Remodeling a kitchen can be stressful and time consuming.

Consider refacing or refinishing your cabinets instead of replacing them. Replacing kitchen cabinets that are merely dark or worn, but in otherwise fine shape, is a costly pursuit and can be the brunt of the budget. Refacing or refinishing them is surprisingly less expensive and only takes 3-4 days!

Ken Lewis, the owner, of Cabinet Refinishing, is personally involved in all phases of every project.  Our crew follows the same values Ken founded the business on. We are eager to turn your vision into reality. Contact us today.

Refinishing or refacing kitchen cabinets, instead of cabinet replacement, lets you upgrade your kitchen at a price you can afford while getting the new custom look you want. If you looked into remodeling your kitchen you have found that it is not cheap and a significant portion of that cost is for cabinets. They are also costly and time consuming to install. However, if your cabinets are in decent shape, the alternatives of refacing or refinishing your cabinets can give your kitchen a fresh new look quickly, without busting your budget.

The kitchen cabinets are the most visible and abused parts of your kitchen. So when they look tired and worn, so does your kitchen. But, most kitchen cabinets are in good shape structurally and only need a facelift. With many colors, stains and wood veneers, refinishing or refacing kitchen cabinets is the perfect way to transform your kitchen from old and worn to fresh and new.

The least expensive solution between refinishing and refacing your cabinets is refinishing. Kitchen cabinet refinishing is done by painting or staining the cabinets and cabinet doors.

Refacing kitchen cabinets is more expensive than refinishing but still a fraction of the cost to replace them. The old cabinet doors and drawers are removed, stripped, and the door and drawer fronts are replaced with new surfaces, either new wood veneer or laminate. The cabinet frames and exterior surfaces are covered or refaced to match and the inside is cleaned and painted.

The time required for refacing or refinishing kitchen cabinets depends on the size of the kitchen but usually can be completed within 3-5 days. This means that your kitchen will not be unusable for weeks or months as with cabinet replacement.

If you are thinking of redoing your kitchen, you know you can spend thousands on new countertops. Kitchens are one of the biggest remodeling expenses, so how can you be sure that your counters will hold up over time?

You can double the price of a kitchen makeover by throwing in new countertops. So with that kind of money on the line it's important to get the right ones for your lifestyle.

A beautiful new kitchen countertop can really stand out. However, with so many different types to choose from, how do you know which is best? Consumer Reports tested 14 different countertop materials to find out.

"We checked out popular surfaces like granite and quartz. New to our tests we have recycled glass, bamboo, and soapstone," said Consumer Reports tester Chris Regan.

To see how well a countertop resists stains, Regan applied 20 common substances, like tomato sauce and grape juice, then let them sit overnight.

"We tested bamboo countertops with a mixture of a beeswax and mineral-oil finish. Both countertops looked great out of the box, but not so much after our tests," said Regan.

Both stained badly, even coffee and tea, which most other surfaces could handle - stained the bamboo.

Consumer Reports also tests to see if counters can take the heat - literally. Testers set a pot of 400-degree oil on the countertop for an hour. There were scorch marks left behind on each of these bamboo counters.

"We also found a problem with some of the recycled-glass countertops," said Regan.

One of the recycled glass countertops cracked within 12 minutes. But recycled-glass countertops from two other manufacturers did not crack. When all the tests were done, quartz countertops and as well as granite came out on top. And while either surface can chip, getting a rounded edge helps minimize this.

If you decide to go with natural stone, like granite or quartz, be aware their look can vary widely, even within the same slab. So pick out the sample you want and reserve it.

Original article on ABC local – Michael Finney

The kitchen is the heart of the home, and it's also the most popular room to renovate. The average kitchen redo costs about $15,000.

When it comes to remodeling a kitchen almost everyone has something they might have done differently.

When you're cooking up a kitchen renovation there are so many places where it's easy to goof. Storage space is one of them. Consumer reports says, don't skimp!

"Carefully plan how much storage you'll need and where to put it," said Bob Markovich with Consumer Reports.

For instance, dishes and glasses need four to six linear feet of cabinet space above or near the sink and dishwasher. Pots and pans need the same, and store them close to your cooktop. If you have kitchen cabinets that already provide enough storage space, consider refinishing them instead of replacing them.

Center islands can be tricky too. Make sure they are the right size, too big is a common mistake.

The countertop should be three feet wide to no more than ten feet. As for depth, you want one that measures at least 26 inches, and up to 48 inches.

As for countertops, choosing one that stains easily is another mistake people make. Skip oil-rubbed butcher block for kitchen counters - it's one of the surfaces that stains easily. Corian and Granite work nicely.

With careful planning and attention to detail you can sidestep these mistakes and get the kitchen you've always wanted.

Original article on ABC local

Summer is the busiest time for home improvement projects and, after a few years of a down economy, it looks like more people will take the plunge in the summer of 2011.

Kitchen remodeling is the number one project that people take on.

It is also the best return for your investment.

You can get as much as an 85% return on your money and it can cost as little as a few thousand dollars for things like re-facing cabinets and a fresh coat of paint.

A good rule of thumb is never spend more than 20 percent of your home's value on any re-modeling job, especially if you are thinking about selling in the next few years.

"Understand exactly what the market is, do they have granite countertops, do they have stainless steel appliances, because the last thing you want to do is price yourself out of the market because that is going to cut into your return," Hicks, from Angies List, said.

In general, you can expect an 85% return on your kitchen re-model when you sell your home.

In the meantime, you get the benefits of a better kitchen, which for most families is the "heart of the home."

Kitchen remodeling on a budget
Just about everybody can make their kitchen their own dream kitchen space without breaking the bank or causing a divorce. Here are some suggestions to do kitchen remodeling on a budget.

1.   Add a fresh coat of paint  
2.   Order new doors or fronts for your appliances  
3.   Refacing your cabinets or replacing the doors  
4.   Replace the cabinet hardware with high end hardware  
5.   Replace your sink or just the faucet

Original article on 9news.com Written by Jack Maher

A recession-wrought change in consumer spending is having a dramatic impact on kitchen and bath remodeling, according to a major new study conducted by sink, faucet and shower products supplier Moen.

“Given the current recession, it’s no surprise that consumers are saving rather than spending – and when they do spend, they’re doing so from cash on hand, rather than credit,” says Jack Suvak, senior director of OH-based Moen. “This change in spending behavior has had a dramatic impact on remodeling projects.”

According to Suvak, most homeowners are choosing to perform “room lifts” – small upgrades to personalize a room – rather than undertake the kind of major remodels that were commonplace prior to the recession. An example is choosing to refinish or reface existing cabinets to update a kitchen rather than remodel an entire kitchen. In addition, Suvak said, homeowners “are choosing to personalize renovations to fit their needs, rather than update a room for the next family that will be living in the house.

“For years, we’ve heard that if you want to sell your home, start by remodeling your kitchen because it has the highest return on investment,” he said.

Moen’s research found that families with children living in the home are more engaged in their kitchens than their counterparts without children – and are more likely to view the kitchen as a place where activities or conversations happen. With regard specifically to kitchen remodeling, respondents with children are significantly more likely than those without children to remodel or make improvements to their kitchen or spent more on kitchen improvements, Moen said.

Original article on Kitchen and Bath Design News