I am thinking of remodeling. How do I get started?
How do I choose a style? What is style?
How does the design process work?
What is a certified kitchen designer?
Will I need an interior decorator on this project?
Once I have the plan, how do I go about choosing a contractor?
What are the steps involved in the remodeling process?
How do I evaluate quality of cabinets?
Why is remodeling so expensive?
How can I incorporate "Green" elements into my kitchen project?

I am thinking of remodeling. How do I get started?
Ask yourself: Why am I considering this project? What is the problem I am trying to solve? You need to understand the specific reasons for this project so you can stay focused on your goal. Consider budget- this is a very important element in determining the feasibility of getting what you want. Many times it comes down to how much you want to invest. Once you are clear about your intentions, you can take the next step.

How do I choose a style? What is style?
Style defines the look and feeling (theme) of a space. Style may be given to you by the architecture or you may have to create it on your own. Some homes by their very structural elements may dictate style choice in a remodeling project. For instance, a loft space in an urban setting with city views almost demands to be city slick, contemporary, and exciting. A turn of the century farmhouse in what used to be the countryside evokes a whole different set of feelings that should be respected when making improvements to the space. Some of us live in homes that are built in a particular style: "California ranch", "Spanish colonial", and "tuscany" are just a few examples popular in the Bay Area. Many homes are distinguished by their lack of any formal identifiable style or are tract homes that have evolved to their own well-known style (e.g., an Eichler home). When the architectural statement is weak, the opportunity exists to strengthen it with your remodeling efforts.

An important clue in choosing your theme may be the way you have furnished your home. If the home is all French provincial, you may want to maintain that style in the kitchen. If your furnishings are Early American, maybe this theme should be continued. On the other hand, if the style in the rest of the home is getting too boring or heavy and you want something different, go ahead! Be bold, just keep in mind the re-sale value of the house if you plan to sell. Will your kitchen enhance the value you are building into the home? You can do creative, different things with the kitchen space. Just try to keep in mind the feelings of future home buyers.

Once you have a theme, build on it. Collect photos of kitchens and details or finish materials that support your theme. Look at showrooms, designer show houses, and visit the library's home improvement section for ideas. Start noticing what, specifically, you like about spaces you enjoy being in. Are there particular colors that appeal to you?

Integrate function into your theme from the beginning. Start by making a list of what needs to be improved upon in your current kitchen. Consider the appliances as the work horses of the kitchen. Think about how you cook, how many of you cook, and how many people you cook for. One kitchen designer and professional chef from southern California plans all his kitchens based on the maximum number of seated guests at the dining table. When you think about it, this makes sense because this is when your kitchen must really perform. Are the various work zones that make up your kitchen adequately sized and illuminated? Consider the location and the size of at least the following areas: meal planning, food preparation, cooking, baking, serving, clean up, socializing, and snacking. Think about traffic patterns, proper work flow, and storage needs.

To sum up: Style is how you choose to express yourself. Everyone knows what they like, but many are unsure of how to pull it all together. This is where some professional help can pay dividends later. A professional kitchen designer will help you visualize the finished result and provide support in making the decisions. The kitchen professional knows what is available from the various manufacturers of kitchen equipment and can give you valuable advice on many topics based on many years of experience. You will find that style and theme provide focus for the project and the collaboration with professionals obtains the desired result.

How does the design process work? The design process begins with your ideas, wish lists, and budget constraints, but moves along most effectively when working with the appropriate design professional. After you have decided whom to work with, you make a commitment in the form of a fee or retainer, and the designer makes a commitment of time to work with you and help you to execute your project. The designer is the person who is there to provide feedback about your ideas, to provide additional ideas and insight, and to focus the ideas into a coherent design that satisfies all of your requirements within the limitation of the budget. The design process for a kitchen or bath includes the following:

meeting to determine your requirements
development of conceptual plans
appliance/fixture selection
scaled plan
finish materials selection
scaled elevations
lighting and electrical plan
costing of plan
staging the implementation

What is a certified kitchen designer?
The National Kitchen and Bath Association is located in New Jersey and has been actively involved in research, training, certification, and standardization in the field of remodeling since 1965. To be certified as a kitchen designer, a designer must meet strict experience requirements, codes of conduct, and provide support from clients and colleagues. In addition, he or she must pass a rigorous academic and design examination. In order to stay current, a certified kitchen designer must keep current in the field by attending seminars on a regular basis.

Will I need an interior decorator on this project? An interior decorator can be invaluable in pulling the finishing touches together. A professional decorator has access to resources that are difficult to locate. He or she will take the time to work out furniture plans and color schemes in detail. It is important to delineate up front how design responsibilities will divide with other design professionals.

Once I have the plan, how do I go about choosing a contractor? Once you have the basic documents of the design, you will interview the general contractor. This is a very important meeting. You must determine whether you can work with this person and whether he (or she) can execute your plans and meet your expectations for schedule and workmanship. This meeting should also be used to explore the design and obtain input from the contractor. He or she may have ideas to control labor costs. When you have found a contractor that you feel you would like to work with, verify their status by obtaining their license number(s) and checking with the California Contractor's Licensing Board 1-(800) 321-2752. Take the time to look at some of the contractor's recent work. Ask the homeowners if the job was completed to their satisfaction and how they liked working with this individual. Look at the written bid proposal. Did your contractor include everything that was discussed in the initial meeting? Did he or she give you enough detail so that you know exactly what you will be getting?

What are the steps involved in the remodeling process? The remodeling process for those who have not been through it can be a pretty scary thing. Your home is disturbed, there is a constant mess in the affected area(s), and from the outside the whole thing looks like total chaos. This is why you must have full confidence in your contractor. There will be times when it looks as though nothing is happening. There are waiting periods for inspections, decisions, product, and sub-contractor schedule glitches. However, you will see a continuous progress through the following stages:

1) Demolition
2) Excavation (additions)
3) Concrete (additions)
4) Framing
5) Plumbing
6) Electrical
7) Sheet metal (new or re-positioned flues/heating and exhaust ducts)
8) Insulation
9) Roof (additions, skylights, new penetrations)
10) Exterior wall (additions, wall or window changes)
11) Interior walls and ceiling
12) Finish carpentry (cabinets, casing, trim)
13) Counters and backsplash
14) Painting/wall covering
15) Floor covering

Get into the rhythm of the construction process. Be patient and enjoy this unfolding of your creation -- a new space!

Since cabinetry is such a large portion of the kitchen budget, how do I evaluate quality of cabinets? The cabinets are the most significant product cost item in the budget; therefore, it is important to spend some time here. There are many factors that determine the quality of a cabinet. Some of these factors are important to everyone, others are important only to the most critical shopper. There is a base level of quality and then there are extras which you will have to evaluate in terms of your budget and your intended result.

Box construction:
Cabinets are manufactured in two distinct methods. There are European style cabinets (also called "frameless" or "32mm") and there are "face-frame" cabinets. Traditionally American-made cabinets employ a wood face-frame to which plywood or particleboard sides are attached and doors hinge to. These cabinets are open on the top and have a thin back for appearance only. Their strength derives from the frame. In "European style" cabinets, there is no face frame. The sides are glued and doweled with tops and bottoms and backs all generally 5/8"- 3/4" thick. Some frameless cabinets have thicker sides which allow for elimination of the "center post" in wider cabinets. The carcass, as it is called, is assembled in a fixture which holds the box together perfectly square while the glue is drying. The doors attach to the inside of the carcass. The holes for shelves and other hardware are gang drilled on 32mm centers, 5mm in diameter, hence the term "32mm". Inside usable storage space is increased considerably with the use of frameless cabinetry.

Drawers, glides, and hinges:
Drawers can be made with particle board, plywood, solid wood, steel, or aluminum. In plywood and solid wood, joining of corners is typically with lap joint, dovetail joint, glued and doweled (typical in frameless), or butt joined. With metal drawers (typically only in frameless), the drawer system includes a thick captive bottom and slides integrated with drawer sides (a German invention). Look at the bottom of the drawer and check the thickness, and whether or not it is captive. Drawer bottoms that are just nailed onto the bottom edge of the drawer side members may not hold up. Drawer glides (other than the integrated German system) come in center rails (indicates lower quality), steel side mount with captive nylon roller, steel ball bearing type, and dual undermount. Most of these systems offer optional full extension capability (desirable for certain drawer locations). All of these glides are sturdy and are usually rated for at least 75 pounds of weight. The key things to look for are ease of operation, self-closing capability, and amount of net drawer width you are left with. There are 4 major types of door hinging systems: the barrel hinge (visible from the front), knife hinge (visible from the side), and cup hinge (fully concealed) are used on frame cabinets; frameless cabinets use a fully concealed hinge. All of these hinges are durable and self-closing. The differences are in the amount of adjustability, the ease of door removal and replacement, the amount of opening allowed, and the appearance.

Doors:
The door is what you are going to see after your cabinets are installed. Look at the door carefully. How tight is the joinery? How consistent is the finish? What quality of wood is used? How wide are the individual pieces of wood in a solid wood door and how well is the grain matched? Is the sanding sufficient to give a smooth base for the finish? Does the finish have luster, some depth with consistent sheen; or is it more of a surface stain with a coat of satin lacquer? Today, the best finishes are hand wiped, a sanding sealer applied, re-sanded and finished with catalyzed top coats. Check the specific finishing process employed by the manufacturer.

Wood doors will show variations inherent in the particular species. Maple, for instance, will have mineral streaks of dark brown and will have light and dark pieces. This is typical even with select grade lumber. A step below select, you will find that these character marks may now be large enough and plentiful enough to be perceived as "defects". Get to know the characteristics of each species by looking at door samples and displays of the woods in natural or light finishes. This way you will see the inherent properties of the wood. If you prefer total consistency; consider wood veneers which can be sequenced to provide uniform appearance.

Painted finishes are so popular today that manufacturers have developed high technology applications to give the paint look without some of the problems inherent with paint: chipping and hairline cracking. The cracking problems have largely been reduced by manufacturing a 1 piece door from UDF (uniform density fiberboard) which is seamless compared to the traditional 5 piece door. The problem with a joined wood door is that the wood moves while the painted surface does not and cracks appear, especially when the seasons change. If you want to keep the crisp detailing of a 5 piece door, it should be made with UDF to minimize this problem. To overcome the chipping problem inherent in any painted product, there are now traditional looking doors that are made, again from a core of MDF, with layers of melamine (a laminate). These doors will not crack or chip. The drawback is that in general the finish is not realistic and may feel rough or show an "orange peel" texture. Some MDF/laminate doors are topcoated with lacquer which preserves the painted appearance. To determine quality, look at the overall sheen of door, inspect the routing details, and feel the texture.

Glazed finishes are also popular and for good reason. They are in between stains and paints. A quality glazed finish will add dimension to the finish of the cabinetry. Options such as rub-through, distressing, furniture flecking, etc. add even more interest and have the advantage of pre-aging your cabinetry.

Laminate doors are available in low pressure (melamine) and high pressure laminate. Melamine is a durable surface for cabinet interiors; however, higher quality doors are surfaced in HPL. Many colors and patterns (including photographs of exotic woods) are available domestically and from Europe. Some have a polished top coat which gives a deeper luster and soft finish. The key to determining quality in laminated products is how well the edges are banded and how tight the glue lines appear.

Interior accessories:
Generally, the quality of the interior options tells a lot about the overall quality of the manufacturer. Take a look at how the accessories are built. Are they rugged enough for your purpose? Do they perform the function you are trying to achieve? If a lazy susan is very important to your functional plan and you plan to load it up with cast iron skillets and Corningware ™, make sure you end up with a rotating platter mounted to a fixed shelf rotating on a good bearing mechanism. If you buy roll out shelves for the convenience of adjusting for the heights of your storage items, make sure the roll out system offers adjustability.

Interior finish:
The constant movement of items in and out of the cabinets wears on the interior. The interior should either be finished to match the outside (e.g. a catalyzed varnish) or it should be a high quality melamine. These finishes will hold up in the long run.

Fit and overall consistency:
Look at a representative display and see if the overall fit is tight. Working with wood is not the same as with metal, but higher quality cabinets should present consistent heights of drawer fronts and doors. Everything should line up after adjusting drawer and door alignment hardware. The edge profiles should have a certain clean line and uniform appearance.

Custom capability:
The better cabinets allow custom specifications that can make a dramatic difference in the finished appearance of your kitchen. See if any of these features are important to you and your designer:

a) Integrated door in side of cabinet
b) Toe kicks recessed in from the side
c) Integrated angles or curves
d) Custom width stiles and rails
e) Finished bottoms for uppers
f) Extended back sides
g) Flush ends
h) Butt doors (no center post)
i) Special sizes
j) Pocket doors
k) Flush toe base
l) Special moldings
m) Pilasters and legs

When you look carefully at the door and finish, the quality should be apparent. The door is where most of the manufacturer's cost is (or isn't) and the better the quality here, the better the cabinet (and, of course, the higher the price).

Why is remodeling so expensive? Price is always difficult to comprehend. One way to look at it is from the homeowner's perspective. He wants high quality work, done quickly so as not to inconvenience, and at a low price. When the homeowner looks at "competitive" bids, these three variables are easily confused. You really can get only two out of the three from most contractors. You can find someone to work fast and cheap, but quality will suffer. You can work with someone who takes his time and gives you a good job for a good price. And you can work with someone who gives you high quality, taking a reasonable length of time, for a price that may seem high. Your kitchen remodel is made up of product and labor costs. Once you have chosen your contractor, the real controlable costs are in the materials.

Material cost items:
A breakdown of the typical kitchen in terms of product is as follows:

Cabinets
Appliances
Countertops and backsplash
Flooring
Lighting
Windows/doors/skylights
Paint and wallpaper
Accessories

Cabinets are a given expense in a kitchen remodel, but the price range varies dramatically. Appliances will vary depending on features and styling and your total investment for this category will depend on how many existing appliances can be re-used in the new design. For countertops, choose from laminate, tile, solid surface products including Quartz or real stone. Backsplashes can be a 3"-4" extension of the counter with paint above, or a full height affair in the material(s) of your choice. Flooring ranges from inexpensive sheet vinyl to high quality vinyl, wood, tile, or complicated patterns utilizing combined materials. Lighting can be a fluorescent box simply mounted to the ceiling or a layered application of task, accent, and ambient fixtures to optimize function and sparkle. Windows, if added or changed can be aluminum, vinyl, or wood and are priced according to quality and efficiency. Paint and wallpaper can be purchased at home improvement stores; however, elaborate faux finishes take skill to apply and designer papers are only available at specialty stores. Accessories can usually be added as you find them, but if they happen to form an integral part of the design concept, may warrant a larger initial budget.

Lighting:
For general lighting in the kitchen, we have been using LED recessed lighting from Cree to achieve high color rendering (92CRI) while lowering the wattage to 12 watts per fixture, down from 26 watts for the typical compact fluorescent lamps. These fixtures run cool so they reduce heat loads in the summer. Another advantage with LED is that they do not contain harmful chemicals like Mercury (in fluorescent lamps) that can end up in our landfill.

Cabinets:
Another thing to look at is where the wood comes from that goes into your cabinets. The doors can be made from FSC sources. The Forrest Stewardship Council certifies that the wood comes from sustainable sources. I have used beautiful FSC sourced wood veneers for contemporary kitchens that look like exotic woods but are actually engineered. The cabinet materials can also be specified to contain “no added urea formaldehyde” to minimize any “off-gassing” which usually occurs with particleboard and plywood. It is also a good idea to integrate recycling into the cabinet layout.

Countertops and Backsplashes:
There are many good choices for countertop material that will result in a lasting installation. Recycled glass material, concrete with glass and fly ash, and quartz made from post-consumer recycled content are just a few ideas. Backsplash material can be made from post-consumer recycled content. Glass is recyclable and available with post-consumer recycled content for the backsplash and is a very popular choice today.

Painting:
Paints are available in low or no VOC versions from all of the major paint companies. As long as you stick with a quality company, the paint should perform well and reduce the amount of chemicals you are bringing into your environment.

Flooring:
The most popular floor for kitchens still seems to be wood. Wood for flooring can also be FSC certified. Other materials that are easy on the environment include palm, bamboo, and cork. If you are on a slab, tile can be a good choice.

Appliances:
For appliances, you really want to look for energy star rating where applicable.

Other areas to consider:
Adding radiant solar heat
Add solar water heating or pre-plumb for it
Consider passive solar when adding windows and skylights
Consider a tankless water heater
Change to lighter color roofing materials with at least 40-year rating
Insulate properly- R38 in ceiling, R20 in wall, and R30 in floor
Consider whole house fan in lieu of adding air conditioning
Insulate water lines in unconditioned spaces
Consider on-demand hot water circulation pumps if applicable
Remember ROI rises every month as energy and water costs go up (as they will in the long run)