Home Renovation Blog

Is Your House Ready for the Holidays?

Summer isn’t over yet – do you really need to think about the holidays already if you’re planning renovations? Yes, if you want them done before the guests arrive. Start planning now for a kitchen remodel in time for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or other religious holidays, or to ring in the New Year with a new look. 

Remodeling Ideas

Now is the time to start brainstorming and dreaming about what you want in your remodeled kitchen. When you’re working in your kitchen over the next week or two, keep a list of things that bug you or things you wish you had. Are there pockets where there’s not enough light? Is there enough counter space to work? Do you wish you had convenient places to hide appliances? Or is your kitchen just too darn small? 

To help you brainstorm, here are some common upgrades homeowners like to do to their kitchens. 

Lighting: Undercabinet lighting and hidden socket strips are an easy and extremely helpful upgrade that will make your kitchen tasks so much easier. Ceiling inset lighting with the ability to adjust the settings gives you the flexibility to create different moods at different times of the day or for special dinners. Depending on your home structure, consider adding windows or skylights for more natural light and a view of nature.

Space changes:  A common upgrade is opening an adjacent wall, either halfway to retain room separation but allow for conversation and connection with those in the other room, or completely to expand the kitchen or add a seating area or breakfast nook. Some homeowners even open an outside wall onto a patio or backyard. This visually expands the kitchen, creates a great view, lets in lots of light, and can add space for entertaining. 

Appliances: There are so many new energy-efficient and sleek appliances to choose from.

• • Counter-deep refrigerator, which would be flush with the counters for a sleeker look
  • Induction cooktop, which transfers heat via magnetic field rather than heating up
  • Warming drawer for keeping things warm as you’re completing the meal or waiting for your guests to arrive
  • Steam oven, which cooks via steam, retaining moisture and more nutrients –this is not in place of a regular oven, since it does not brown, but some manufacturers are now offering combination ovens that cook via steam and then finish with dry heat to brown the food
  • Double oven or two ovens, for those who bake or entertain a lot
  • Two dishwashers, or a second dishwashing drawer for small jobs

Sinks: A double bowl sink is convenient when you use your sink for multiple purposes – washing dishes in one and rinsing in another, for instance, or prepping food in one. Another option is a prep sink, separate from the main sink, for cleaning veggies or fingers when the main sink is busy. A garbage disposal in the prep sink is also a great timesaver.

Counter space, islands, and cabinet redo: There are lots of possibilities here.

• • Add an island for more counter space and maybe an overhang for additional seating.
  • Rearrange and rethink the layout of the kitchen for more workspace and greater efficiency. Add granite or marble countertops – real or faux – for a fashionable upgrade.
  • If you use your heavy stand mixer a lot, add a pullout lift. It installs right into your base cabinet, hiding your mixer and conveniently popping it up to counter level when you need it. 
  • Hide your recycling and trash in one specially designed drawer.
  • Add display shelves for your favorite cookbooks or decorative items. Glass doors keep them from collecting grime but still allows for easy viewing.

Flooring: Options abound when it comes to flooring. Some people choose to make the flooring the focal point of their kitchen, while others prefer it to be unobtrusive and functional. Whatever your taste, choose something durable and easy to clean that creates the mood you like. Our designers can go through the many options with you.

How long does a kitchen remodeling take?

How long your project takes will depend on what you want to be done. That’s why we recommend you come in as soon as possible and talk to our designers to develop a plan. We pride ourselves on being able to estimate well how long a project will take. As general contractors, those renovations that we don’t do ourselves we contract other experts to do, and since we have an extensive list of vetted and highly skilled contractors, we are able to line up our contractors to come in at the right time to keep the job moving at a rapid pace.

Give us a call today to talk about your dreams so we can start working on your new kitchen for the holidays.

Jeff Schiller

Jeff’s experience in Operations Management and Organizational Leadership in the mortgage, manufacturing, and finance industries allows him to bring 15+ years of corporate expertise to the M&K team. His motto is: “Quality is paramount – Process should be simple.