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

Need to remodel your kitchen but think it will be too high priced? Then think about kitchen cabinet refacing. The cost of kitchen cabinet refacing is considerably less than the price of gutting your kitchen and the job is done in a much shorter amount of time.

If you want a whole new kitchen without breaking the budget, contemplate cabinet refacing. Kitchen cabinet refacing usually involves the replacement of the door and drawer fronts (with new) plus installing a veneer of new wood over the existing cabinets. But refacing could also mean anything from repainting the current cabinets and drawer fronts and updating the hardware to stripping cabinet doorways and applying veneer or other decorative elements. Refacing could also include completely changing cabinet doors.

Most home owners intend to keep the layout of their kitchen area the same especially when it is functional and designed well. In these cases, there really is no reason to tear out the cabinets.

By having kitchen cabinets refaced rather than replaced you will be getting the benefits of a major custom kitchen remodel at a more cost-effective value.

There are many ways to deal with old and tired looking cabinets. As you know, if you are contemplating a kitchen makeover, new cabinets are the bulk of the cost. But consider cabinet refinishing. Newly refinished cabinets can give you a brand new kitchen. Cut the cost on your kitchen makeover and add a new finish or decorative flair to your existing cabinets. From contemporary finish to old world charm, newly refinished cabinets with new knobs can change the entire look and feel of your kitchen.

If you have priced new cabinetry lately, most likely you have found that even stock cabinets at a big box store can run in the thousands of dollars. And if the original cabinets were custom made for your kitchen, most likely stock cabinets won’t be able to be used.  Therefore, if you are looking into brand new custom cabinets, you know the cost can easily run into the tens of thousands of dollars. In addition, the cost of tearing the old out and installing the new needs to be considered. Perhaps these costs have caused you to stop your remodeling project before it even begins. Cabinet Refinishing is a great way to save money and achieve the look you are after. If your cabinet doors are too damaged or old, new doors can be added during refinishing as well.

 When all options are considered, you may find that refinishing your existing cabinets may be a much better solution for many reasons, not the least being that all the above costs can be avoided. Your old cabinets, along with high quality finishing products, professional standards, and the right finish choice can have you in an entirely “new” kitchen.