Kenneth Lewis Blog

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

There is nothing stating that a kitchen remodeling project needs to be more than you can afford and let's face it; remodeling a kitchen can be an expensive endeavor. Appliances and paint to floors, cabinets and countertops, completely transforming a kitchen requires quite a bit of money and time. Often, doing the entire project at once is cost-prohibitive. But there are ways to transform your kitchen without spenging too much. How? Creative solutions to kitchen renovation, like countertop resurfacing. You can save a lot of money and hassle with countertop resurfacing as opposed to replacing them. Countertops are heavy and cling to everything, including the kitchen sink. By just resurfacing, you can avoid the labor and cost of completely removing them, let alone replacing them.

In resurfacing your countertop, one option is to remove the old laminate and replace it with new laminate. But, there are other options for countertop resurfacing as well. You can install ceramic tiles over the old countertops. You can also polish existing old stone or other solid material countertops to give them a brighter and fresher look. The countertops are a focal point for the eye when you enter a kitchen and they dramatically change the style of an area. Changing the countertop will allow you to carry through with the design you want while visually impacting the space with just one renovation. Countertop resurfacing can transform your kitchen into something cozier and more stylish without killing your home remodeling budget.

There are many reasons to consider a kitchen make-over. But there are many reasons that you can talk yourself out of one too.  But with Cabinet Refinishing from Kenneth Lewis, the decision is easier than you think.
 
Kenneth Lewis can help you with a face lift for your kitchen in less time for less money. Cabinet refinishing and refacing are options that many home owners forget to consider, or perhaps do not know about at all. Often times it is the cabinets in a kitchen that really are the game changer. With new kitchen cabinets, your kitchen would have all the attributes you are really looking for in a kitchen remodel. Many people do not need to take on the extra expense of new cabinets, and all the demolition and time that cabinet replacement entails.

Consider cabinet refacing or refinishing with Cabinet Refinishing by Kenneth Lewis. By refinishing your kitchen cabinets you will significantly increase the value of your home. And even better, Kenneth Lewis will spend only about 3-4 days in your home, which is a minimal interruption to your normal life. The doors and drawer fronts work is done at his facility, not in your home, using the most durable commercial grade lacquer on the market. He can also replace or repair damages to existing cabinets.
 
Consider getting your cabinet make-over by Cabinet Refinishing and reduce the time cost and stress of a traditional kitchen remodeling project.  

Whether you are aspiring to renovate your kitchen for the purpose of attracting potential buyers to purchase your home or you have a kitchen that needs some work to become more user-friendly for your own ends, it can be well worth your while to hire a professional to assist you in your endeavor and that is where we can come in.

Doing kitchen renovations on your own may seem like a cheaper way to get the same result from your project, but it's likely that your experience in renovations isn't very extensive; even if you have done some renovations in the past, it's unlikely that you have much experiences with specifically renovating kitchens which often have specific issues that can need to be taken care of.

Working with the professionals can help you not only make a plan that encompasses all the elements that you'd like to have in your kitchen, but we can also help you realize what about your plan works or doesn't work in the amount of space that you have, the style of your home, and the amount of money that you want to work with. While hiring someone else to do a job for you does add an expense to your project it can help you create a much more polished end product as a result.

If you're planning on renovating your kitchen for the purpose of making your home more appealing to buyers and don't want to invest more than your return would be, make sure that you let us know; it is easy to make your kitchen stand out with its new-found awesomeness but you might not actually see as big a return on your investment unless you plan accordingly. Some upgrades to a home result in very little return even though they significantly improve a home.

Don't be afraid to be frank us about your likes and dislikes, what you can afford, and the purpose of your renovation. The more honest and upfront that you can be about the whole project, the happier you will be when it's all said and done. Feel free to contact us for more information on how you can improve your kitchen with just a little cabinet refinishing.