A kitchen renovation can be a great way to increase the value of your home and freshen up the look of one of your family’s favorite rooms, but is hiring a contractor for the project absolutely necessary? The answer to that question often depends on two issues: how extensive your renovation will be and your abilities as a DIYer.
Turning your Kitchen Renovation into a DIY Project
If you plan on a whole new cabinet layout, expanding the size of your kitchen, or rearranging the location of appliances, it’s usually a good idea to get some contractors involved no matter how skilled you might be with home improvement projects.
Changing the cabinet layout or appliance locations normally involves electrical and plumbing work and those are two areas that require a professional’s expertise. Whether you’re adding on or just knocking out a few interior walls, making your kitchen larger can get into structural issues that may affect your entire home – once again, you may want to get an experienced contractor involved. However, there are a few methods for making your project DIY-friendly:
Cabinets – install new cabinets using the same footprint as your existing layout. This gives your kitchen a new look, but makes it much easier to order and place the new units. You can even use the old countertops again if you like their appearance or they bring to mind fond memories – just be careful when removing them to install the new cabinets as some materials can be damaged easily.
Appliances – keeping the same appliance locations doesn’t mean you can’t install new models – you just shouldn’t have to install any new plumbing or gas lines or run any new electrical wiring back to the panel box. However, if any of your old or new appliances are hardwired and not simply plugged into an outlet, you should have a qualified electrician handle any disconnecting and connecting that may need to be done. The same holds true for any gas appliances in your kitchen – this is for the safety of your home and family.
Replacing old appliances with new ones is rather simple tas unless hard-wiring is present. Photo courtesy LG Electronics
Choose RTA Cabinets – RTA stands for ready-to-assemble and these types of units can make life much easier for a DIYer. Not only are the units much easier to move around your kitchen, but they also take up much less space in your home until the project is ready to begin. While RTA cabinets may sound complicated, assembly is normally very easy and can be accomplished by even beginning DIYers.
Ready-to-assemble (RTA) cabinets are easy and cost-effective way to replacing your old kitchen cabinets.
Finish shown Grey color by 27Orange Kitchen Cabinets.
Do Your Research – many cabinet distributors deal primarily with contractors and don’t expect to provide much assistance during the selection or ordering process. Choose a cabinet distributor with a reputation for outstanding customer service and who gets much of their business from DIYers.
Research! Research! Research! Order! Install! Be Happy!
Replacing your cabinets can be a DIY job if you follow the above guidelines and allow yourself enough time for the project. Depending on the size of your kitchen, you may want to take a few vacation days so the project can be completed in a timely fashion – remember that the room may be difficult to use while the project is underway.
