Kitchens-remodeling.com

Step for define your kitchen space

Kitchen remodeling is really participation to your house directly. You may wish to improve the old kitchen to new look. That mean more functional, and beautiful than the old. What's thing you can do it yourself? Or you should hire contractor and professional. What are criteria that you should consider or monitor when your kitchen will be remodeling?

LOVE YOUR HOME BUT WANT TO MAKE A FEW CHANGES? Remodeling May Be Much Easier Than You Think

By Anonymous


Des Plaines, Illinois July 29, 2004 -- You can’t climb anymore to reach the dishes in your top kitchen cabinets, the bathroom tiles haven’t been updated in 30 years, or you need another room for all of your kids’ toys, dolls and action figures. Before putting that “for sale” sign in your front yard, take a look at remodeling your existing home.

A recent survey by the National Association for the Remodeling Industry (NARI) shows that remodeling projects may be much easier than you think. As part of the study, homeowners across the country that had remodeled in the last five years were interviewed to learn about their experiences.

The study found that most homeowners will eventually do some sort of remodeling. The most common jobs are kitchens, new additions and roofs, followed by bathrooms, siding, basements and decks.

People typically remodel for two reasons: to update their homes to their taste or the latest trends (79%) or to address the changing needs of their family (62%). Other reasons include increasing a home’s market value (47%) and addressing the needs of a home business or one’s professional work (10%).

High Marks for Satisfaction
When a remodeling project is completed, the survey found that nearly everyone (96%) was satisfied with the outcome. In fact, 87% of respondents said they were very satisfied.

Homeowners are significantly more likely to be very satisfied with projects in which the remodeler played at least a somewhat important role in helping set the budget.

It Only Cost How Much?
The vast majority (72%) of remodeling projects cost less than $10,000; 49% of those were less than $5,000. Only 9% cost more than $30,000. The most common job over $30,000 was a new addition (36%), followed by kitchen work (21%).

Most people (60%) who hire a professional remodeler have a set budget before the project begins. The vast majority of remodeling projects done by a professional remodeler (80%) stay within or under their budget.

Quality is the Key
Survey respondents overwhelmingly agreed that quality is a very important aspect of a remodeling job (95%). Of those who used a professional remodeler, the vast majority, more than 90%, said the quality of work was better than expected or about right. (30% said the quality of work was better than expected.)

Price also was an important aspect to many respondents (60%). However, the majority said they would not sacrifice workmanship or materials to meet a budget.

Remodeling Professionals Know How To Get It Done
Many respondents (72%) said that scheduling was an important issue to them when they considered hiring a remodeler. It turns out that jobs done by remodeling professionals were completed ahead of schedule 12% of the time, whereas jobs done by Do-It-Yourselfers only got done ahead of schedule 6% of the time.

Also, jobs done by professional remodelers were less likely to go longer than jobs done by homeowners themselves (12% compared to 24%).

Background
NARI’s 2004 Homeowner Remodeling Survey was conducted by Northwest Survey and Data Services and Elkay, in consultation with Ezra Zuckerman, PhD, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The margin of error for all respondents in the telephone survey is +/- 4.0%. For those who hired a remodeler, the margin of error is +/- 5.3%; for those who did remodeling work themselves, the margin of error is +/-6.0%.

NARI is a professional association whose members voluntarily subscribe to a strict code of ethics. Consumers may wish to search www.RemodelToday.com to find a qualified remodeler who is a member of NARI.

Consumers can also call the NARI National hotline at 800-611-NARI and request NARI’s brochure, “How to Select a Remodeling Professional,” or visit www.RemodelToday.com and click on the homeowner’s guide for more information.

NARI is the only trade association dedicated solely to the remodeling industry. With more than 7,000 member companies nationwide, the Association – based in Des Plaines, Illinois – is “The Voice of the Remodeling Industry™.” For membership information or to find a contractor in your area, visit NARI’s website at www.RemodelToday.com, or contact the national headquarters office at 800-611-NARI.

EDITORS’ NOTE: NARI can provide hi-res digital before and after photos of award-winning remodeling projects to accompany your story. Contact Gwen Biasi (gbiasi@nari.org) or Larissa Marsh (lmarsh@nari.org) or by phone at NARI National 800-611-NARI (6274).

Kitchen Organizing 101: a recipe for organizational success

By Martha Matthews


There is no doubt that these days the hub of the home is the kitchen. It is the place we gather to spend time with family and friends. Many of us do our main entertaining in an open floor plan that has a kitchen/family-room combination. As a result, the kitchen has become the most difficult room in the house to keep clean. Our usual organizational challenges of overflowing cabinets and exploding junk drawers are compounded by mail, toys, clothes and all sorts of clutter. If your kitchen could use some help getting organized, try this recipe for organizational success.

1. Know Your Objectives

Start by creating an organizational plan. Establish stations within your kitchen just like a restaurant does: prep area, cooking, baking and cleaning. Organize your kitchen into these four quadrants by keeping related items together in the same area.

Break the job down into sections. Try to finish one section per day. Don't let the size of the job overwhelm you. Take it one small step at a time. Before you know it you will have finished. As the saying goes, “How do you eat an elephant? You eat it one bite at a time.”

2. Inexpensive Storage Solutions

Your storage solutions don't have to be expensive. Check the dollar stores for plastic bins, baskets and containers. Check stores that carry overstocks, closeouts and slightly dented items for great deals on storage racks and freestanding units.

Find creative ways to reuse items you already own. Try this inexpensive storage solution for spice bottles: cover the bottom half of a shoebox with the same contact paper you used on your shelves. Fill the box with your spices and set it inside your cabinet for easy "pull-out retrieval". If you are short on cabinet space but have plenty of wall space, try using an old bureau to store canned goods, towels or extra dishes and cookware.

Don't forget to "nest" items inside one another. For example pots of graduating sizes can sometimes be fit one inside the other.

3. Toss out the Clutter

Get rid of what is old or that you don't use. Toss expired herbs, yeast and baking powder. If you can't remember the last time you used some of your cooking gadgets, why not send them off to a new home where they will be appreciated. Make a vow to not bring in any more small appliances, gadgets or knick knacks. Clear off the counters and decide what really needs to be out. If an item has no use in the kitchen it needs to be put somewhere else. Bag or box the items to be dumped, donated or given to a friend.

4. Clean It

Clean out one cabinet at a time. Wipe down the shelves. Clear and wipe down countertops. If you have tile, now is a good time to clean the grout with a degreasing solution. Replace tattered dishtowels. Replace torn or worn shelf paper. Clean out the inside and outside of the refrigerator. Clean the oven. Don't forget to clean the top of the range and the knobs. Dust the ceiling fan. Dust the top of your cabinets and refrigerator.

5. Home Sweet Home

Every item needs its own home. When items have a designated place they tend to get put away. If they don't have a home then they tend to get lost.

Utilize bins and baskets wherever possible to keep "like things" together and at easily accessible. Go vertical. The important concept here is that any time you use vertical space it will free up horizontal space. Utilize the empty vertical wall space in a nearby closet by installing shelves that can be used to store canned goods. Install hanging broom and mop holders. Employ hooks, pegboards, and Lazy Susans. If your counter space is at a premium, see if you can mount some of your small appliances under a cabinet.

6. Efficiency in design

Organize your kitchen for maximum efficiency. Place items near each other if they will be used together. For example: if your coffee maker sits on the counter, store the coffee cups, cream and sugar in the cabinet above it.

7. Never Let Clutter Back In

Once you have spent all that time organizing your kitchen, you'll want to make sure that the clutter stays out. Set some time aside once a month to check for clutter buildup. Also spend a few minutes each night putting away anything that doesn't belong in the kitchen. Nip that clutter in the bud before it takes root.

If you hadn't already noticed, the first letter of each rule spells out the word kitchen. It's a handy little way for you to remember each rule.

Happy organizing!

About the Author

Martha Matthews is the Editor of Christian-Homemaking.com, a web site with resources dedicated to Christian homemaking. In addition to her web site, she also has a popular free monthly newsletter for Christian wives called The Wives of Excellence Newsletter. To subscribe send a blank email to wivesofexcellence-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. Or visit our web site at http://www.christian-homemaking.com/newsletter.html

Show Attendees to Learn the Latest Lifestyle Trends in Home Design

By Anonymous


VA January 21, 2004 -- Homeowners visiting the Central Virginia Home and Better Living Show from January 23-25, 2004 will learn all there is to know about trends in home design. Home improvement lovers of all kinds will be able to attend informative seminars on such topics as: log homes, home organization, home improvement loans, and trends in kitchen design and remodeling. They will see exhibits of custom cabinetry, mahogany furniture and antiques, children’s playsets, patio rooms, and hundreds of other products for better living.

National celebrity and Interior Designer, Doug Wilson, of Trading Spaces fame, will speak on Saturday and Sunday, offering tips gleaned from his experiences as a designer to such people as NBC’s Matt Lauer and CBS’s Barbara Walters. Although the 48 hour time limitation and tight budget on Trading Spaces doesn’t allow Doug Wilson to extensively remodel a room; his creative design techniques, sense of humor, and out-of-the-box style allow him to create spaces that are truly unique. Homeowners will be inspired by his approach to interior design and decoration.

Attendees will also hear from local interior designer, Chris McCray, of Chris McCray Designs as well as a number of other experts in topics as varied as faux finishing and home security . Interviews are being arranged for Doug Wilson as well as local experts in the days leading up to the show and a limited number of the press will be able to preview the show on January 23, 2004.

For additional information including a seminar schedule or press passes contact:

Kyndra Ferguson
Company: The Stramull Agency
Telephone: 804-230-1568
Fax: 804-230-8976
E-mail: kyndra@stramull.com
http://www.stramull.com