kitchen remodel tips Archives - Inspired Remodels

Kitchen and Bath Contractors Tips to Preparing for a Remodel

Remodeling your kitchen or bath is exciting. But it’s also disruptive and frustrating. Experienced kitchen and bath contractors, Inspired Remodels, wants every remodel to be as stress-free as possible. When you follow these tips, your kitchen or bath remodel will be much easier.

Living During a Kitchen Remodel

Plan on living without a kitchen for at least a month. If this is a major remodel, it may be longer. You can’t eat out three meals a day for over a month, so use this plan:

Set up a temporary kitchen

Turn a spare bedroom, living area, or even the garage into a temporary kitchen. Move the fridge in there along with a coffee pot, small microwave, and a toaster oven. If you don’t have room for your full size refrigerator, invest in one of the small dorm-sized fridge/freezer combo. You don’t need much freezer space, but you will want a few ice cubes here and there and may want to store a small container of ice cream. After all, it is stressful to have your kitchen under construction. You may want to self-medicate with a cocktail or some ice cream. If you normally eat in the kitchen, set up a temporary eating area as well.

Buy disposables

Go ahead and buy disposable napkins, plates, forks, spoons, and knives. There are even biodegradable options available these days. Even if you don’t like to eat with disposables, you will like washing dishes in your bathroom sink even less.

Plan for disruption

It’s going to get messy. An experienced kitchen and bath contractor knows how to contain the dust and debris. Talk to them about this plan before demolition begins. Think how the disruption will affect your pets. You may want to start feeding them in an alternative location before work begins.

Surviving a Bathroom Remodel

A bathroom remodel isn’t as disruptive, as you generally have more than one bathroom in the house. You only have one kitchen.

Even so, stock up on santizing gel and dry shampoo. When you’re sharing a sink and shower, you’ll find that the sanitizing gel and/or baby wipes are perfect for a quick clean up. Dry shampoo reduces the number of time you may need to stand in line to use the shower. As an alternative, you can always wash your hair in the kitchen sink.

Hang a mirror in an area with good lighting. This will come in handy when the working bathroom is occupied and you need to put on makeup or fix your hair.

If the cat’s litter box was in the bathroom undergoing remodel, you’ll want to make sure you move that a few days before the renovation so kitty gets used to the new spot. Having workers in the house is usually stressful for pets. Moving the litter box is also stressful. Moving the box in advance reduces the chances of accidents.

Kitchen and Bath Contractors Recommend

No matter what type of project you do, it won’t hurt to get away for a few days. Living with a kitchen or bathroom remodel may set your teeth on edge if you are compulsively neat and orderly. Even the untidiest among us may get tired of the disruption. Plan a small vacation to get you out of the house and away from the chaos for a few days.

Speaking of days, plan for disruptions. Every project, no matter how carefully planned, usually has its bumps in the road. If you are prepared for things to go wrong and for the budget to go over 10% to 20% it will be less stressful when it happens.

When you are ready for a remodel or update, call the kitchen and bath contractors that see your home as more than a job site. Inspired Remodels understands it is an honor to be invited into your home. You’ll get one point of contact for the entire project and communication will always be open and honest. Call (949) 716-1938 or Contact Us online today.

Kitchen cabinet contractor uses Decora cabinets to give a custom look to kitchen

3 Things the Kitchen Remodel Company Knows that You Don’t

By Inspired Remodels / Kitchen Remodel / Comments Off

Thinking of updating your kitchen this year? You can spend hours on Instagram and create tens of Pinterest idea boards, but there are a few things that the kitchen remodel company knows that you don’t. That’s until now. Because we are spilling the beans.

Open Storage

Ever wonder why you see open shelving in light colored kitchens? It’s because the kitchen remodel company knows that the fastest way to make a small space look larger is to use open shelving and light colors. Open shelves open the space up. You think they are there to provide a space to showcase your prettiest dishes and stemware. Your kitchen remodel company knows they are there to trick the eye into perceiving space that isn’t there.

Open shelving is also a popular trick because it is timeless. It can be used in almost any style kitchen. It just works, from country to contemporary.

Glass front shelves on both sides of the range and white cabinets make this kitchen look much larger than it is. The unfiltered light from sink windows also tricks the eye into seeing space that isn’t there. Whether you use glass doors or open shelves, open storage makes a room look bigger.

Quartz Counter Tops are Awesome

Quartz counters are gaining on granite. It seems like every American wants granite in the kitchen, but the kitchen remodel company knows quartz is superior to granite in many ways.

First, quartz is easier to work with. You don’t have to worry about imperfections in the stone or matching the stone. Second, its much easier to hide the seams on a quartz counter top. Your contractor also knows that granite can emit radon gas. Quartz does not.

The contractor also knows that years after they finish the job, the homeowner will still be happy with the quartz. It doesn’t need sealing, is impervious to stains, cleans easier, and is overall easier to maintain. In the long run, granite costs more in maintenance than quartz. You may love and yearn for granite, but your kitchen contractor knows quartz may be a better choice.

Good Design Makes a Good Kitchen

You can spend tens of thousands of dollars and end up with a bad kitchen if you didn’t start with a good design. No matter how exquisite the finishes or fabulous the fridge, if the design is bad the kitchen isn’t functional. A good kitchen remodel company knows that a functional kitchen has 3 work areas:

food prep
cooking
clean up

Each area should have room to store the things you need to perform each task. In addition, the sink, cook area, and refrigerator should be placed in a triangle. This minimizes the steps you take when cooking.

kitchen remodel company places sink, stove, and fridge in a triangle for efficient work space

The Kitchen Triangle

A good kitchen cooks as well as it looks. It’s easy to clean up afterwards as well. That means plenty of storage and easy-to-clean surfaces.

Pick Your Kitchen Remodel Company Wisely

The maxim is true, one bad apple can spoil the whole barrel. Horror stories abound about kitchen remodeling projects gone bad. Contractors abandon jobs, leaving exposed pipes or wires dangling. You must pick your kitchen remodel company wisely.

Jason and Joe Mueller of Inspired Remodels can say “trust us.” But you need to listen to what their customers say.

Joe and Jason are easygoing, smart, and calm under pressure. They made intelligent suggestions, entertained and quelled our process concerns, and managed our entire project with thoughtful attention to detail. – Dan, Foothill Ranch

Joe, Jason and team have been great. Any problems that came up they took care of for us. It is so nice to work with a company with such integrity. – Justin, San Juan Capistrano

When it comes time to pick your kitchen remodel company, call Inspired Remodels. You’ll get personal service and all the information you need to make informed decisions about your new kitchen. Call (949) 716-1938 or Contact Us today for an appointment.

How to Pick a Kitchen Remodel Company

By Inspired Remodels / Kitchen Remodel / Comments Off

Renovating the kitchen isn’t a do it yourself job. If you are thinking about a new kitchen you need to be thinking about hiring a kitchen remodel company. Hiring any contractor can be scary. Kitchens have all major components (electrical, plumbing, and heating/cooling), so you need an experienced contractor. Here’s some tips to help you hire the right kitchen remodel company.

Shop Around

You know you are going to shop all over town and the internet for your next kitchen appliances. You should put the same effort into selecting the contractor that is going to do your kitchen remodel. Start by asking friends, family and coworkers for a referral. If they give you a horror story, make a note of the contractor’s name and the name of the business. Business names may change, but the general contractor’s license will always be in the same name. This is one way to steer clear of any rotten tomatoes.

Get several estimates and make sure that all estimates include the same items. You want to compare apples to apples in your kitchen remodel quotes.

Don’t forget that the estimating process is a good way to determine the personality of the contractor and the company. If you think the estimate is a hassle, the kitchen remodel will probably be a hassle too. If you enjoy working with the contractor during the estimate phase, you’ll like working with them during construction.

Check it Out

On-line reviews are great. But take on-line reviews with a grain of salt. A business can’t influence a Yelp! review. The reviews on Porch are submitted by the contractor. So, not all reviews are the same.

Check the company out with the Better Business Bureau. Then check the status of their California license. You can search the California database by name of the license holder, business name or license number. Ask for a certificate of insurance. If the contractor allowed their insurance to expire, they won’t be willing to provide you with a certificate of insurance.

Don’t Be Penny-Wise and Pound Foolish

In your zeal to save money, don’t make some serious mistakes. The first mistake is paying cash. Beware of contractors that ask for payment in cash. That’s a tactic of shady operators – take the cash and run.

Don’t apply for your own permits. Your kitchen remodel company should be familiar with the building department in your town. They know what is required to get a permit. If the contractor asks you to pull the permit, they are avoiding the building department and you should wonder why.

The low ball deal may not be the best deal. A low ball price may end up costing you more in over-runs. Get the price in writing and get a clear and complete description of what the price includes.

Inspired Remodels – The Kitchen Remodel Company that Gets it Right

No matter how many companies you interview, make sure you talk to Inspired Remodels. From the initial design to the final clean-up, Inspired Remodels is the Orange Country kitchen remodel company you can trust to get it right. Check Inspired Remodels out on Yelp, the Better Business Bureau, and with the State of California. You will find a professional, experienced kitchen remodel company.

From a minor update to a major innovation, Inspired Remodels will assign one project manager to be your point of contact. Your house will be treated like a home; not a job site. For professional work by a company with integrity, pick Inspired Remodels.

Call (949) 716-1938 to schedule your consultation.