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5 Mistakes to Avoid During A Custom Kitchen Remodel

By Inspired Remodels / Home Improvement, Kitchen Remodel / No Comments

Your home is typically your most valuable asset, and deciding to undertake a custom kitchen remodel is an important and exciting decision.

Many Orange County homeowners purchase a house or condo knowing at some point they will want to customize and make the space their own. Custom kitchen remodeling represents a sizable investment in a complex process. Even a minor mistake leads to major timeline and/or budgetary setbacks.

To help you get the results you want with the least amount of stress, avoid these five most common mistakes homeowners make during a remodel.

Automatically Hiring the Lowest Bidder

When considering a custom kitchen remodel, meet with a few different general contractors and obtain multiple bids. While it may be tempting to go with the cheapest bid received, that’s not always the best course of action.

The Problem. The lowest bidder may provide quality work and deliver acceptable results, but more commonly, they cause stress and headaches. From poor craftsmanship or low-quality materials to deviating from the project scope, or submitting numerous change orders for items not initially considered, the lowest bid may not always be the best solution.

The Solution. Instead, get several bids from various contractors and then compare your options. Make sure the bids or estimates you consider are for the same work and the same materials and finishes. Ask yourself:

Who did you feel most comfortable with and confident in?
Who else in the community used them?
What do each of the contractors bring to the table?
Have any of the contractors built your dream space before? Have they shared photos online?

Focusing Solely on Aesthetics

The Problem. During the planning phase of a custom kitchen remodeling project, it is easy to focus on beauty and not functionality. Updating your kitchen so that it’s on-trend and updated to today’s colors doesn’t make the space serve you better. Don’t spend a fortune on a beautiful room that’s not built for the way you cook or entertain.

The Solution. Opt for a layout that works for you and makes cooking a meal easy. If your counters are cluttered with various small appliances, bring this up during the design phase. Let the designer/general contractor know of your functionality needs so they design a space that offers both beauty and practicality.

Custom kitchen that will help sell in 5 years

Not Considering The Future of the Home

The Problem. Goals such as “Create a gorgeous kitchen with the latest colors and finishes” isn’t a goal that supports the overall plans for your home. That’s because it fails to consider your future plans for the home. These include goals such as how long you plan to live in the home, whether you plan to rent the home out to others, or if you plan to sell the home in the near future.

The Solution. Keep the design and materials aligned with the future of your home. If this is your forever home, go for the ultimate in personalization (that’s permission for red cabinets if that’s your heart’s desire). However, if your plans include a sale in the next five years, make choices that appeal to potential buyers. If the home is going to become a rental, opt for budget-friendly designs and finishes that offer durability.

Skipping New Plumbing

The Problem. Many homes in Orange County have experienced a leak due to failed copper piping. Failing to take advantage of this opportunity to re-plumb the area can be penny-wise and pound-foolish. When your pipes fail and you have a leak, the restoration team is going to cut through your cabinets, tiles, and floors. Matching finishes could be a nightmare.

The Solution. When the demo is complete and it’s time to start the remodeling process, go ahead and replace the plumbing. It will be less expensive while the pipes are exposed and accessible. Protect yourself from future headaches and construction by taking care of the pipes.

Black and white kitchen cabinetry with wood look flooring

This kitchen flows beautifully to the adjoining room

Ignoring The Rest of the Home

The Problem. Your custom kitchen features all the latest conveniences and is designed with the trendiest colors and finishes. And it doesn’t match any other room in the house. You failed to consider how the kitchen would look from adjoining rooms. Now the kitchen seems disassociated from the rest of the house. Bummer.

The Solution. Consider how the renovated kitchen will fit in with the rest of the home. Is the style consistent, and does the ingress and egress flow with adjoining rooms? Design the kitchen to be new and fabulous, but design it to be part of a larger home.

Custom Kitchen Remodeling in Orange County

Turn to Inspired Remodels and avoid the most common mistakes made during a custom kitchen remodel.

Inspired Remodels listens to your wants and needs and then designs a functional and beautiful space that fits with the rest of the home. Bring your dreams and inspiration, and watch Inspired Remodels bring them to life.

Orange County Kitchen Renovation Inspiration

By Inspired Remodels / Home Improvement, Kitchen Remodel / Comments Off

Thinking of updating your home this fall? Whether you want to update older elements, create an entirely new floor plan, or create an open concept, Inspired Remodels has design ideas to get your creative juices flowing. Check out these Orange County kitchen renovation ideas and get inspired.

3 Common Reasons to Renovate the Kitchen

Most kitchen renovation projects start with a need to create a larger or more usable space. Maybe you bought a home and need to renovate the kitchen to your needs. Growing families often find their kitchens fail to meet their changing needs.

New floor plan

Some kitchen remodels start with a need for more storage or better layouts for cooking and entertaining. Homeowners want a kitchen that better accommodates their current lifestyle, whether it’s for gourmet cooking, socializing, or family meals. This often involves moving walls, windows, doors, and islands. Open-concept floor plans combine living, cooking, and entertaining areas.

Update design elements

Many Orange County homeowners update the look of their kitchens to reflect contemporary styles and personal tastes, or simply to give a new look to the space. Since the kitchen is often a focal point in homes, this room is often updated before other areas of the house.

Increasing home value

A well-renovated kitchen significantly boosts a home’s resale appeal and value. Potential buyers desire updated, modern kitchens, making kitchen renovation a smart move for homeowners looking to sell. Cosmetic upgrades like painting cabinets, replacing countertops, updating fixtures, or installing new appliances typically yield an ROI between 70-80% of the cost.

Use Contrast to Your Advantage

Mix and match cabinets. Who said uppers and lowers had to be the same color? Use complimentary but contrasting countertops. This Orange County kitchen renovation uses two colors of quartz for the countertops.

Keeping it Cool

White and grey tones give the modern Orange County kitchen a clean and cool look. From the choice of flooring to the art on the wall, this kitchen incorporates cool, coastal living vibes. Forget what you think you know about grey. Grey remains a popular color in kitchens, bathrooms, and bedrooms in Orange County. As a cool neutral tone, grey offers the opportunity to either add a pop of color or use black for drama.

Turning Up the Heat

2024 turned a corner on kitchen renovation trends. It marks the return of warm tones and more wood tones to the kitchen.

The warmth of the wood provides the perfect foil to the gorgous quartz countertops. Even the vent hood gets the warmth treatment with a little wood.

This Orange County kitchen renovation brought the dream of a casual, coastal kitchen vibe to life through the use of warm tones and natural finishes. Open shelves provide a great alternative to upper cabinets and make small spaces appear larger while offering great storage.

Get an Inspired Orange County Kitchen Renovation

Ready for a kitchen renovation that brings your dreams to life? Talk to Inspired Remodels. Their design and build approach to kitchen remodeling offers all the services you need while minimizing the hassle and stress of kitchen remodeling. Call (949) 716-1938 or contact us online to schedule a consultation.

Four Advantages of Custom Kitchen Remodeling

By Inspired Remodels / custom cabinets, Kitchen Remodel / Comments Off

Are you thinking about remodeling your Orange County kitchen, but still sitting on the fence? Now is the time to move! Custom kitchen remodeling brings an entirely new look to your living area, makes the best use of space, and offers a great opportunity to add elements you dream of.

When you incorporate custom kitchen cabinets as part of the kitchen remodeling project, you end up with quality cabinets to last for years.

Here are four advantages of custom kitchen remodeling for your Orange County home.

Open Concept Transforms the Living Space

Orange County homes liberally make use of the open concept in building and remodeling. So, when you transform your kitchen with a custom kitchen remodel, the transformation spills over into the adjacent living spaces.

Adding white kitchen cabinets not only makes the kitchen look larger but also makes the connecting spaces look larger as well.

When you improve kitchen lighting or seating, you improve the dining options or usage of adjacent spaces.

For example, this Irvine custom kitchen remodeling added extra light to the dining area and tied the two spaces together with wood flooring.

In this custom kitchen remodel, the kitchen opens up into the living area. Light spills from the kitchen to light the hallway, stairs, and living area too.

Custom Kitchen Cabinets Are Higher Quality

No Orange County custom kitchen remodeling project would be complete without updating the kitchen cabinets. Remodeling affords you the opportunity to upgrade your kitchen cabinets.

If you have stock or builder-grade cabinetry, now is the time to upgrade to custom or semi-custom cabinets. Custom cabinets are more affordable than you think.

You won’t find particleboard construction in your custom kitchen cabinets. They are made to last. Not only is the cabinet construction superior, but the hinges, drawer rails, and glides are of higher quality as well.

In the future, you can paint or reface wood cabinets if you decide you want to update the look without updating the entire kitchen. That’s not possible with stock and low-grade kitchen cabinets.

Custom Kitchen Remodeling Maximizes Space

Speaking of those custom cabinets, custom kitchen remodeling allows you to maximize the space in your new design. Ingenious custom cabinets provide new ways to store common items.

The move from cabinets to drawers provides more storage in the same space.

With custom kitchen remodeling, you get the space where you want it in your Orange County kitchen. Whether it’s pantry space or pull-out steps, custom cabinets in your custom kitchen put the items you want at your fingertips.

Remodeling Incorporates Missing Elements

When you built or purchased your Orange County home, you settled for the house that gave you the most of what you wanted at the time.

But over time, your wants can change. Kitchen remodeling is the perfect time to incorporate those new wants or add in the elements that have been missing.

Maybe you wanted a warming drawer, wine storage, or a beverage bar. Remodeling affords the chance to take a space and make it your own.