One of the biggest puzzles when designing a kitchen is balancing your budget with what you really want. Remodeling or building a new kitchen is not a cheap endeavor, and you need to take some financial protection measures to ensure you don't overspend. But this is also your chance to finally outfit your kitchen with the appliances, surfaces, and storage solutions you've always wanted.
Start by listing all of your needs, wants, and non-negotiable must-haves. Include everything, even more sophisticated items like the wine fridge, pot filler, etc. Then determine exactly what you can spend on the project. If you're not sure how much you should spend, 15 to 20% of your home's value is a good starting point. It is also advisable to set aside around 20% of your budget for unforeseen costs.
Once you have your feature list and budget, start costing individual items and look for areas where you could save. For example, you might consider repainting existing cabinets, using prefabricated rather than custom-made ones, or keeping some elements of the layout so you don't have to rip out and reroute plumbing. Any money you can save means more capital for the features you really crave. From here, divide your budget and decide which aspects of your list you will prioritize, where you will spend money, and where you will implement cost-effective design decisions that will make your money work harder.
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