Tricky Questions On Your Kitchen Remodel

Tricky Questions On Your Kitchen Remodel Lifestyle Kitchen Cabinets Conestoga

When contemplating the design and construction of a new kitchen, the homeowner faces dozens of decisions that need to be to made. Most are fairly straightforward and easily answered. Traditional or contemporary? White or black? However, there are a few tricky ones that require a deeper level of consideration. Here are five of the most notable ones:

  • How should my cabinet and appliance doors be configured to open? – A seemingly inconsequential decision, the way your drawers and cabinets open can be a monumental source of frustration if not decided properly. For example, the refrigerator door should always open towards the wall. Similarly, a pocket or swinging door should be used for entry into the dining room. In a similar vein, sufficient space should be allotted to open cabinet doors lest they get in the way when pulled out.
  • How will I mount my sink? – Undermount sinks are now all the rage design-wise – and they are very practical from a maintenance standpoint – but they are not suitable for every kitchen. In particular, they are tremendously problematic for any kitchen with a laminate countertop as they leave an unprotected edge that is very difficult to seal from water intrusion. In other words, use a standard drop-in sink with laminate countertops and an undermount one with stone a countertop.
  • What edge profile should I use for the cabinetry? – Again, deciding on this relatively mundane detail may seem like a purely aesthetic choice, it can have some important ramifications. Any of the “cove” or “bevel” types are stylish but their sharply delineated edges can actually hurt quite badly if you slip or a child runs into one. For greater safety – and peace of mind – consider a “bullnose” or “waterfall” type of edging. They still provide a fair degree of visual impact but are much less painful when impacted.
  • What metallic finish should I choose for my fixtures? – Those single folks with OCD can choose any finish they want but those others with children will probably want to opt for something that is a little less labor-intensive to keep clean. Brushed finishes tend to hide smudges and other dingy details while stainless steel is notorious for highlighting every fingerprint. In a related vein, it is often best to choose all the kitchen appliances – with a metallic finish – from a single manufacturer as appliances from different ones can have subtly different finishes that are not readily apparent until they are situated next to each other.
  • Are you complying with the local building code? – While it is nice to think about a dream kitchen in the abstract, there are some very real, practical things to consider. The local building department will want you to pull a permit and then let you inspect the work at various stages before they will sign off on the work. In particular, they will want to see that your contractor has installed the necessary electrical and plumbing connections for every appliance and whether or not the kitchen has been properly ventilated.

For further information on the tricky questions to ask about your new kitchen and how Lifestyles Cabinetry and Millwork’s line of cabinets will best fit into that design, please contact us at Lifestyles Cabinetry and Millwork today. We can be found online at LifeStyleCM.com or you can reach us directly at 833.782.2227.