Homeowners sometimes ask themselves if they really need to replace the units. Why not just “reface” them ? To decide if your kitchen remodel warrants replacing units or you should consider refacing instead, take this brief quiz:

1. What is the MAIN reason you are considering remodeling?

A. Just want a fresh new look
B. Need more counterotop work space.
C. Need more storage or to add an ‘eat in space’
D. Need new appliances, sink of floor covering
E. unit drawers stick or otherwise don’t work or other unit problems

2. Is the value of your home rising?

A. No
B. Yes

3. Have others in your neighborhood remodeled the kitchen in the past 5 years?

4. How long do you plan to stay in your home?

A. One year or less before we sell
B. Plan to stay 3-5 years before we sell
C. Plan to stay in this home indefinitely

If your answer to more than one of these questions is “A”, refacing might be the right choice. “Refacing” is a general term for a process of replacing doors and drawer fronts and includes placement of a veneer to match the new wood species and finish on the unit frames. (Some refacers also offer optional replacement of the entire drawer and drawer glide system and adding other interior functional features.)

Positive Results You May Obtain by Refacing Your units

* Costs less than unit replacement
* Fresh, new look for your units
* More pleasant or up-to-date environment
* Possibly interior functional features for extra cost
* More appealing to potential home buyers

Refacing Cautions

* Same old traffic, workspace and storage problems have not been improved upon.
* Future decision to do the complete job and make floor plan improvements would mean replacing the countertop and sink a second time. The same for floor coverings and wallpaper.
* No opportunity to enhance the kitchen with specialty units like dish or wine rack, etc.
* Interior of unit remains the same; so does interior maintenance
* Warranty is for new products only. Basic units are not covered

Positive Results You Can Expect by Replacing Your units

* The opportunity to improve the traffic, work patterns and storage space in your floorplan
* One time sink and countertop replacement. (If a few years after refacing you decide to tackle the entire kitchen and make general improvements, countertops and sink cannot be re-installed on new units
* Stronger, more durable units throughout
* Solid wood face frames, not veneer applied to the surface
* The possibility of enhancing the beauty of the kitchen by adding specialty units such as a wine rack or display unit
* Light, attractive easy to clean interiors
* Warranty on the entire unit, not just the doors and drawers

Best Advice

The price difference between refacing and replacing may be minimal when the overall value is considered. Replacing units does dictate the replacement of countertops, sink, built-in appliances and probably floor covering. The additional cost for completely new units compared to refaced old units may be quite small. In some instances, the difference is as little as 10%. Be a wise shopper!

A mini kitchen units is made for house in cottages, R.V.s, boats, ice houses, apartments. Retirees like them, there is not as much of to clean, and college students like them for space they save and mini kitchens match their fast and informal lifestyle! Mini Kitchens are flexible in both, design and application and let the artistic designer or renovator a enormous advantage. Here are some examples:

1. The important storage closet is big enough to put up water heater, waste bin and cleaning materials .

2. A cooking, cooling and storage unit that gets jointly all the necessary kitchen purpose in only 0.6sq metres of floor space by Whirpool.

3. The Mini Kitchen is created for the rising numbers of youthful and single people in China, and features an all-in-one design with tiny facsimiles of a fridge, stovetop, and silverware. The “cook box” is sort of like a modern bento box that can be used for both cooking and serving, which is in fact pretty smart. The tablet PC is a little netbook that is generally intended for chatting and looking up recipes. Regrettably for every one of you that are single, it is just a concept for now. By Electrolux.

4. You can cook a good food for breakfast, lunch and dinner with the Severin Mini kitchen. Finished in silver with enameled top and warmth resistant dyed housing, the oven has 26 liter capacity and comes with 5-stage switch – OFF, Top Heat, Bottom Heat, Top and Bottom Heat and Hotplates. The highest power is 2500 W. Changeable thermostat controls temperature in a 100° – 250°C range. This Severin mini kitchen as well comes with enamelled baking plate, grill rack, detachable crumb tray and adaptable shelf. On the top surface are two hotplates, one with dimension of 155 mm in diameter with 1000 W power and the second with dimension of 185 mm with 1500 W. The price for this universal kitchen is about € 120.

Before you begin with your kitchen remodel, keep in mind that you have to decide on how much you’re ready to spend for your kitchen first. You will have to fix the exact price for every task like the painting, cabinets, floors, lighting etc.

Measure Your Space

1) Start with the primary wall on the left and work to your right around the kitchen. First, measure the overall length of each wall in your kitchen. Use grid paper to save all your dimensions.

2) Specify all breaks in walls (windows, doors, closets) by measuring from the corner to the outside edge of the molding. Don’t forget to specify any permanent kitchen units, air vents, offsets, etc.

3) Measure to centerline of plumbing, ducting and outlets. Keep in mind, plumbing and outlets may be moved to accommodate a design.

Create Floor Plan

With your kitchen dimensions, start sketching your cabinets. Begin in the corner of your grid paper and work out. Note the location of your electrical outlets, plumbing fixtures as well as air ducts. You may be able to move major kitchen units several inches either way to accommodate a layout change.

Optimum workspace

Modern trends show that these days couples or nuclear families often cook mutually and share kitchen responsibilities. Thus workspace in today’s kitchens should be utilized such that more than one person can work efficiently without getting in the other person’s way. You can also make separate work centers by separating workspaces with sinks, microwave or other kitchen units.

Storage space

Modern trends also show that these days, kitchen remodel, with women working out, very few items are cooked from scratch and storage space for items needs to be bigger. One can desire from frameless and framed cabinets and can order from custom or usual design makers. Check for rollout, tilt-out and other storage features inside the cabinets.
Kitchen sinks

Sinks are an significant element in any kitchen, and for remodel a kitchen. These are offered today in a diversity of colors, materials, sizes and design options. You can select from cast iron, stainless steel, plastic, and top-mount or under mount models. You can also choose from single-bowl, double-bowl, deep and shallow models.

Considering kitchen units

While buying kitchen units for your kitchen keep in mind that these should suit the entire idea of the kitchen remodel. Opt from built-in or free standing styles and select ranges in materials that go with the color combinations and materials.

It would be a good initiative to draw a picture of how you want the kitchen to finally look like. You have to use the computer programs that come with kitchen units icons included in them. All you need to do then is to put in the dimensions of your room and start experimenting with different designs on the computer before your in fact begin renovating the kitchen.