Kitchen remodeling often expensive, time-consuming — but worth it
Still using a wood burning stove? Microwave has dials instead of digital buttons? Cabinets creaking like old floorboards?
It might be time to remodel that outdated kitchen.
Kitchen remodeling projects range from something as simple as replacing a countertop or appliance, to rebuilding the entire room. They can also cost tens of thousands of dollars with the growing popularity of high-end wood cabinets, granite countertops and ceramic tiles.
“It’s getting so expensive anymore to do any of the remodeling,” said Wayne Nicholson, owner of Lodi’s Nicholson Construction. “People like the fancier products, and it ends up costing a lot more money.”
Among the big factors in the kitchen remodel:
• Cabinets: Many older homes use inexpensive and less-sturdy woods in their kitchens. Homeowners are upgrading to cherry, maple, walnut and other fine woods, which offer longer life but higher pricetags.
• Appliances: Technology improves every year, and many of the kitchen appliances available today offer more bells and whistles — and in many cases are more energy efficient — than their older counterparts.
• Countertops: The older, composite surfaces popular in prodction homebuidling are being replaced more often by such solid surfaces ads quartz, granite and marble. These offer the same long-life benefits as fine wood cabinets, but are also expensive.
• Plumbing and infrastructure: New sinks, appliances and lighting often require changes to the home’s plumbing and electrical wiring. Before the new stuff can be put in, the infrastructure must accommodate them.
Combined, these projects can begin at expensive and end with unimaginable pricetags, said David Saca, a sales manager at the Kitchen Cabinet Center on Kettleman Lane.
“It varies from $10,000 to infinite,” Saca said. “You can’t really set a price range. It depends on what you’re after.”
Nicholson’s company does everything from window and door replacement to complete home renovations. But kitchen remodeling projects are always popular, particularly because the room sees more wear and tear than many others in the home.
The renovation projects reached a fever pitch in the past few years, when many homeowners cashed in on their home’s equity by refinancing their mortgages. With all that extra cash lying around, many people had the capital to turn their outdated rooms into the kitchen of their dreams, Nicholson said.
“There was a big push a few years ago when everyone redid (their mortgages),” he added. “It’s pretty steady now. There was more refi money out there a few years ago.”
Saca said most homeowners will look to remodel their kitchens when the home is about 15 years old. Customers will talk to Saca about their ideas for the new kitchen, which are designed on a computer to give them an idea of what it will look like.
The Kitchen Cabinet Center sells nearly everything customers need for a kitchen remodel, including cabinets, surfaces and appliances, Saca said. The store also provides contractors who can do the work for customers.
In fact, ripping out the cabinets, flooring, appliances, plumbing and counters isn’t the most time-consuming part of the remodeling process, Saca said. That, instead, would be the period it takes the homeowner to make a decision on the project.
“Getting the customer to decide on colors, appliances, cabinets and everything else takes the most time,” Saca said. “After the cabinets are ordered, it basically becomes in and out.”
Once the kitchen is designed and the work is completed, some homeowners look to finish their projects with some finishing touches. They’ll use stores such as Lodi Cooks on Pine Street, which features plenty of kitchen needs as well as decorating ideas for homeowners, said owner Meyer Puzon.
Folks will come in to look at pots and pans, hanging racks, knives and little knick-knacks to help decorate their new kitchens. Oftentimes homeowners will try to match the colors of their new appliances or paint jobs with other equipment found at the store.
“We’re kind of the finishing touch to a renovated kitchen,” Puzon said. “They want to see the new stuff in there.”
Contact Business Editor Greg Kane at gregk@lodinews.com.
