When you bought your house, you chose one which had the features you like according to the budget you could afford. You may have known at the time you were going to make renovations later after building up equity, or after living there awhile you may have come to realize certain changes which would make your life more convenient. Nowhere is this more true than in the kitchen. Whether it's a few simple upgrades or a full kitchen remodel, everybody has a few improvements they would like to see in the kitchen to accommodate their personal cooking style.
The Design Process
The first aspect of kitchen remodeling is to come up with a design plan toward your end goal. Even if you plan to do a little work each year until it is complete, you need to know how you want the kitchen to end up rather than having to rework previous upgrades to match the new work conducted each year. A good remodeling contractor can work with you and help define the right process to follow so each new project adds to the previous project rather than starting with aspects of the overall design which may have to be removed to conduct the next step.
Cabinetry and Countertops
Cabinetry and countertops are the most noticeable aspect of the kitchen and also the biggest job to conduct. Typically, this is what you want to save toward before beginning the project. It makes sense to build the rest of the kitchen to the cabinetry rather than making the cabinetry fit the other features in the kitchen.
Lighting Options
Lighting is important in the kitchen as it is a working space and you need to be able to see what your doing. Lighting inside of cabinetry can be a useful feature and lighting underneath the upper cabinets allow for you to safely cut and chop on the work space of your countertop. Overhead lighting can be decorative or utilitarian according to your style. Dimmer switches can help change the mood between preparing and eating food.
Finishing with Appliances
Although appliances tend to be the finishing touch, you need to plan ahead for the ones you want. If you want an oversized refrigerator and freezer, a six-burner stove, or stove and oven as separate units, that needs to be planned for in the early stages of the project or they likely won't fit and you'll have to use standard modular ones instead.