| So, you're thinking of remodeling your kitchen. It's a | | | | also be installed by the average do-it-yourself |
| smart move if your motivation is to improve the | | | | homeowner, whereas solid granite countertops need |
| value of your home. (It's a smart move if you just | | | | to be cut to fit and installed by a professional.If you |
| want a better kitchen for yourself too.) This is | | | | want to save even more money, you can get |
| because kitchens are the most important room in the | | | | laminate countertops that are made to look like |
| house for most prospective home buyers.If you're | | | | granite, marble, or other stones. (These won't likely |
| currently doing your cooking and food preparation in | | | | fool prospective home buyers though.)Choose |
| a room that's dated, dingy, or dilapidated (or all | | | | laminate flooring instead of hardwoodWood flooring is |
| three), it can seriously affect the amount of money | | | | popular in kitchens right now, and it'll cost you a |
| people are willing to offer when it's time to sell your | | | | pretty penny to get it installed. However, you can |
| home. Unfortunately, it's easy to spend tons of | | | | buy laminate flooring that looks a lot like the real deal |
| money on a kitchen remodel. Stainless steel | | | | for about half the price. Laminate is also more |
| appliances, granite countertops, dedicated pot-filling | | | | forgiving of spills (wood can be damaged over time if |
| faucets, double ovens, professional cook tops, etc. | | | | repeatedly exposed to moisture), and it's very easy |
| etc. etc. If you want to buy all that stuff, you can | | | | to keep clean.Don't spend a fortune on appliances.If |
| expect to spend tens of thousands of dollars. Some | | | | you want stainless steel, you don't necessarily have |
| people even spend six figure sums on their | | | | to spend a lot of money on Aga or Viking. Many of |
| kitchens.Fortunately, it's possible to update your | | | | the low to mid-end brands are putting out high-end |
| kitchen and make it look a lot better without | | | | look-alike appliances. GE, for examples, offers |
| spending an arm and a leg. Let's take a peek at | | | | stainless steel ovens and refrigerators. True, they |
| some of the ways you can increase the value of | | | | won't fool kitchen snobs, but let's face it: the people |
| your kitchen without spending a lot of money:Paint or | | | | looking to buy your house are more likely to be |
| refinish your cabinets instead of replacing | | | | average Joes, who just want stainless steel and |
| them.Before you decide you need to completely gut | | | | granite because that's what everybody says is in |
| and replace your cabinets, take a good look at them. | | | | right now.Buy new lighting.Nothing makes a kitchen |
| Are they sound? Are they made of good wood? (If | | | | look dark and dingy like a single overhead ceiling |
| you live in an older home, chances are the cabinets | | | | fixture. Lighting is a relatively inexpensive |
| are made from solid wood and of a higher quality | | | | improvement, but it goes a long ways in brightening |
| than you'll get today--most of today's low to mid-end | | | | up the kitchen and making it look good. Make sure to |
| cabinets are made from particleboard with maple/oak | | | | buy modern fixtures. Pendant lighting over eating |
| beech "veneers".)If they're basically in good shape, all | | | | counters is popular, and under-counter task lighting is |
| your cabinets may need is a little low-cost TLC. A | | | | smart for brightening up food preparation areas.To |
| paint job is the cheapest way to give them a new | | | | save on lighting, visit stores like Ikea, or consider |
| look. New door and drawer hardware (knobs and | | | | doing your shopping online. Sites like make it easy to |
| hinges) can help bring your kitchen into the 21st | | | | compare prices on lamps and just about anything |
| century as well, and it won't cost a lot. You might | | | | else.Hopefully these tips have given you some ideas |
| also consider just refinishing the fronts and getting | | | | on how to make your kitchen look like its worth a lot |
| new cabinet doors.Install granite tiles instead of solid | | | | without actually spending a ton of money.To see |
| granite countertops.If you want the classy, upscale | | | | what's trendy in kitchens right now, visit the Kitchen |
| look of granite, you can achieve it with granite tiles, | | | | Remodeling section of the author's Home |
| which are less expensive than solid granite. They can | | | | Improvement blog. |