Are you planning to renovate your St. Louis kitchen? A kitchen renovation can bring value to your home, both while you’re living there, and later on if you decide to sell — but it’s not without its challenges. The better you plan ahead, the more smoothly the renovation is going to go. Here are a few of the most common mistakes you’ll want to avoid when updating your kitchen:

Choosing Style Over Function

For some homeowners, style can be a trap. Everyone wants their dream kitchen, and it’s great to find inspiration in magazines and online, but sometimes this can cause homeowners to minimize functionality in their renovation. Apart from inspiration, you need to think about exactly how you’ll use the space day-to-day. If you love to cook and prepare most of your meals at home, what kind of kitchen setup would make that easier for you? If your family tends to congregate in the kitchen and you eat meals there regularly, how can you optimize your kitchen for that? These questions are of the greatest importance before you even start thinking about style.

Not Defining a Budget

Kitchen renovations can become astronomically expensive if you’re not careful. It’s imperative that you define your budget in advance, and you should always leave a little wiggle room for any unexpected expenses that may come up. When you have a concrete budget determined, you can be perfectly clear with contractors and other professionals about what you can spend. Then, they can tell you what’s possible at your price point.

Skimping on Storage Space

Your storage situation deserves a good look before beginning any renovation. Storage is one of the key components in a functional kitchen, and you need to understand your needs before getting started. Assess your current storage — How does it work for you? Are you always running out of space? Or are there several half-empty drawers? Designing a functional kitchen means choosing storage systems that work for you. Consult with your contractor to create a design that will give you ample storage without going overboard. Discuss challenges you have currently in your kitchen so they can help you find solutions in your new design.

Doing it Yourself

Unless you have experience working with electricity and water systems, you should enlist the work of professionals. The kitchen is a significant part of your home and it’s essential that it functions properly. If you want it done correctly (and want to avoid leaky pipes or electrical issues later) it’s much better to work with someone who does it for a living. Do it yourself when it comes to accents and decor, but unless you’re a contractor, you should leave it to the pros.

If you’d like to talk more about kitchen renovation, or if I can refer you an experienced, local remodeler, please get in touch. I’m always happy to be of assistance.