Kitchen & Bath Blog

For many homeowners, the kitchen is truly the heart of the home. Oftentimes, it’s where you cook, eat, and where family and friends gather. Whether you’re considering a major or minor kitchen remodel, approaching the project with the right expectations and attitude will go a long way toward contributing to the renovation’s ultimate success. Here are 5 of the biggest kitchen remodeling myths you should know about:

1. Bigger is better

When it comes to the size of your kitchen, it’s not always financially or structurally possible to remove walls or increase square footage. But just because you can’t make your kitchen bigger doesn’t mean you can’t make it better. It’s typically the functionality and flow of a kitchen that cause the most issues for homeowners. Issues like: two people not being able to work in the kitchen comfortably, or not enough counterspace for chopping and food prep.

With the proper planning, you can design an extremely functional work triangle (the distance between your sink, stove, and fridge) within a small kitchen footprint, along with organizing your kitchen into several efficient zones that you will use for specific tasks such as food prep, cooking, and clean-up. Some people find that they prefer a smaller work triangle over a larger one because it makes cooking faster and more convenient, and they don’t have to walk around an island to get to one of their other appliances. Bigger isn’t always better when it comes to a kitchen remodel, and it’s important to think about how you want the space to function before renovating.

2. Always trend towards trendy

While we all love talking about the latest trends in home design, there also are many elements in kitchen design that have stood the test of time, including clean lines, white cabinets, and colors found in natural materials such as granite, quartz, and tile. Just because electric blue is the color of the hour doesn’t mean you have to design your kitchen around that.

Consider what is best for you and your family for the long-term or what buyers might appreciate in the future if you need to sell your home. Is the style of the kitchen keeping with the overall flavor of the house? Is there adequate storage? Is the kitchen work triangle arranged in an efficient flow? Will the materials you choose stand up to heavy-duty usage over time? Will you still be happy with certain trends you might like currently 5, 10, or even 15 years from now? 

3. DIY Design is Fine

Yes, there are thousands of resources available online to help guide your kitchen design, but never underestimate the value of working with an experienced designer or remodeler during the kitchen renovation process. The selection of materials and finishes alone can quickly become overwhelming, and everyone’s home and family are unique.

A good designer or remodeling company will help you think of things to include in your kitchen that you may never have thought of before. Are you left-handed or right-handed? Have you considered what kind of lighting you need in your kitchen? Does your kitchen have proper ventilation, so you aren’t smelling last night’s dinner well into the next day? There are a lot of small nuances surrounding a kitchen renovation that a designer or remodeling company will have expertise on, which you may not.  

4. We Can Figure It Out as We Go

Failure to plan is a plan to fail! What is your main goal for your kitchen remodel? What do you like about the kitchen you have now? What do you dislike about the kitchen you have now? How long do you plan to live in your current home? What type of investment do you want to make in this kitchen remodeling project? Keeping these goals front and center throughout the kitchen renovation process will ensure that you make the best decisions and are happy with the result.

For example, you can’t just decide you want to add a pot filler over the stove as your cabinets are being installed – you didn’t add the proper plumbing. You can’t decide you want under-mount lighting once the cabinets are in – you didn’t add the proper electrical. Even choosing materials takes time. You can’t walk into the store, pick out the countertop you want, and have it delivered tomorrow. Usually, materials must be ordered weeks ahead of time. Think about all the elements you want in your kitchen and plan for them! For more information, read our article, What to do before remodeling? 

5. Contractors Can Start Immediately

While it looks fast and easy on television, remember all those home remodeling shows are designed for entertainment, not reality. TV shows leave out all the boring parts of the remodeling process - the research, the contractor evaluations, the estimates, the selection of materials, and the permits. Months of planning and hard work is edited down into a 30- or 60-minute show.

Contractors on a TV program also are paid to work solely on that project—and they’ll work nights and weekends if that’s what the shooting schedule requires. Contractors in real life must juggle multiple projects to sustain their business, the schedules of multiple employees and sub-contractors, and the realities and interruptions of everyday life; they also like to sleep at night.

Speak to a Project Manager!

A kitchen remodel is one of the most satisfying and exciting projects a homeowner can embark on. If you try to enjoy the entire renovation journey and avoid falling prey to some of these common kitchen remodeling myths, it’s much more likely that you’ll be thrilled with the final product.

A kitchen remodel can be an overwhelming venture, but the Project Managers at Kitchen & Bath Center are dedicated to helping people navigate this territory. Learn more about how to get started and ensure your kitchen meets your needs.