You have many kitchen cabinet choices, but you can break it down to three basic approaches, with a fourth option you may not have considered.

• At the top end, you can go with completely customized cabinets. You hire a custom cabinet builder to build you tailor made cabinets from scratch. This is the most expensive category, and can easily start at $20,000 and up. With this approach, everything depends on the expertise, fine craftsman skills and experience of your cabinet builder. If you have an unusual floor or space plan, or you’re interested in some unique cabinet designs, this may be the best way to go. By the way, we have many years of experience with custom cabinetry fabrication and installation at Z.Z Daily Construction.
• Premium brand pre-manufactured cabinets from companies like KraftMaid.  Premium brand cabinet manufactures can offer excellent quality, choices of materials, a variety of hardware options, and  with many designs and styles to choose from. Most cabinets come in standard dimensions and sizes, so you have a little less flexibility than with custom cabinets when it comes to odd sizes and dimensions to fit your ideal kitchen plan. Kitchen cabinets in this category typically run between $10,000 and $20,000 for the average kitchen remodel.
• Budget priced kitchen cabinets from the big home improvement centers like Home Depot and Lowes. Many customers start here when shopping for cabinets, most likely because of the familiarity, and a sense that this will be the money saving choice. We generally don’t recommend the home centers for kitchen cabinets. These cabinets tend to be fairly low quality, inferior materials and construction, and poor hardware options.  In the end, many folks don’t actually save that much money with the home center cabinet choices.  Worse yet, you can end up stuck with kitchen cabinets that leave you dissapointed everytime you step into your kitchen, and you may have to live with this choice for years.

A fourth option, which you may not have thought about, is Ikea for kitchen cabinets. Ikea Kitchen Cabinets offer solid quality, good materials, durable construction, nice hardware upgrades and are available in many styles and designs.

And Ikea cabinets are easier on the budget, coming in at substantially lower prices than the premium brands. Sometimes as much as a 1/3 the cost.

In fact, in some cases, people have found Ikea cabinets lower in price than selections at the home improvement centers, and Ikea kitchen cabinets are definitely better quality than what you’ll find at outlets like Home Depot.

There are thousands of satisfied customers that are delighted with their Ikea choice, and we’re happy to recommend Ikea if you’re thinking about going in this direction.

One important consideration when choosing Ikea for your kitchen cabinets. Find a qualified Ikea kitchen cabinet installer. Z.Z. Daily Construction has a lot of experience installing Ikea kitchens.

If you’re looking for a skilled and qualified company out here in the Ventura, Ojai and Santa Barbara area to help you with your Ikea kitchen cabinet installation, be sure to contact us at Z.Z. Daily Construction. We’d like to help make sure your next kitchen remodel comes out a huge success!

1. Cabinet Organizers and Lazy Susans

How often do you find yourself rummaging through your kitchen cabinets for that skillet or sauce pan that just seems to have disappeared? And where’s that favorite utensil that you haven’t been able to track down for months? Must be hiding in the back of one of your cabinets somewhere. And be honest, would you pull out the Cuisinart more often if you didn’t have to get on the floor on your hands and knees to dig it out of the cabinet?

You can greatly improve convenience in your kitchen with cabinet organizers and lazy susans that make your cabinet interiors visually accessible and easily reachable.

These storage enhancements make it simple to see what you do and don’t have, and you no longer have to pull everything out of a cabinet to get at an item that’s hiding all the way in the back.

2. Upgrade to a Modern Dishwasher

Today’s modern dishwashers have come a long way. With larger capacities, improved cleaning power, separate compartments, and quiet operation, dishwashers today are more advanced and convenient than ever.

Even better, many of the newer dishwashers can provide all of these improvements and extra cleaning capabilities with better energy and water saving features than the model you currently have!

Top end models are in the $1300 to $1500 range, with many outstanding choices under $1000.

3. Convection Ovens

Some of the manufacturers have created some confusion about convection cooking. First, let’s clear up the confusion on convection ovens. Simply enough, a convection oven has a built-in fan inside the oven cavity that circulates the heated air throughout the oven and evenly around the food.  This has three main benefits:

• Heats up the food evenly front to back, top to bottom, side to side.
• Can speed up the cooking time by constantly forcing the heated air around the food.
• Creates a surface “skin” of heat around the food which enhances browning, seals flavor in, and prevents flavor transfer (flavors mixing together between two items cooking at the same time).

With convection cooking, trays of cookies and appetizers will cook evenly and quickly. Better yet,  you can load up the oven on every rack and still get even and consistent results. And preventing flavor transfer means you can cook different items such as fish and bread together at the same time and and avoid an undesirable blend of flavors from between the two.

Convection ovens cost more than regular ovens. But many kitchen chefs swear they will never go back to a conventional oven after using a convection oven.

4. Hanging Pot and Pan Racks

Add convenience and easy access to your pots and pans with a hanging rack. Putting your cookware on display with a hanging rack also adds visual appeal to your kitchen. And getting your cookware out of the cabinets helps you recover more storage space.

If you’re looking to save on the budget, wall mounted racks are less expensive. Typical prices for hanging racks prices are in the $100 to $200 range, with a number of attractive options for under $100.

5. Ventilation Hoods and Exhaust Fans

If your cooktop gets frequent use, don’t overlook a good ventilation system for the kitchen. Cooking can churn out plenty of smoke and airborne contaminants.

There’s no question, food smells great while it’s cooking, but smoke and contaminants can turn into unpleasant odors  that linger throughout the house for several days.  Even more so if you have upgraded the insulation and windows in your home, which can further trap stale air inside. With an effective kitchen ventilation system, you can easily eliminate the lingering odors and help keep your house smelling fresh and clean.

Modern ventilation hoods are equipped with larger capacity blowers that can move higher volumes of air and and provide much better ventilation. Prices range with many options under $1000 on up to $2500 or more for higher-end designer models.

While homeowners may be getting more cautious given the current market conditions, kitchen remodels still remain a key area of focus for homeowners looking to improve the beauty, functionality and value of their home.

Your kitchen can be one of the more expensive projects. You’ve seen some of the very extravagant kitchen upgrades in home decor and designer magazines. These high-end kitchen remodels can cost as much as $100,000 or more. While beautiful to admire, that’s probably beyond the budget of most Americans looking to improve their kitchen.

If you’re considering a kitchen upgrade, here are a few ways to get the most for your money.

Always start with a plan. According to a recent Consumer Reports Survey, people who did less homework before they began their home-improvement projects reported more problems. Nearly 25% of the over 2,000 homeowners surveyed said they wished they had done more research or chosen a professional contractor more carefully. One of the more common complaints was that the job wasn’t finished on time.

Keep a planning workbook. As you work through the planning stage, stay organized with a planning workbook. Keep a file of clippings from magazines including styles and products you like. Studies show that homeowners change their mind more frequently with kitchen remodels than other projects. Work with your contractor or designer to thoroughly understand your options, clarify your preferences, and understand your budget.

Set a Spending Limit. Speaking of budget, the kitchen is one of the easiest projects to get away from you when it comes to spending money. If you set an upper spending limit based on what you can afford, this will help manage a little discipline as you plan your kitchen project. According to surveys, homeowners spend an average of $10,000 to $15,000 to remodel an existing kitchen layout, and upwards of $25,000 or more when changing the floor plan. Cabinets, for example, can contribute to more than 50% of the kitchen upgrade cost.

Consider Faux-Pro Appliances. Professional and designer level appliances can really hit your budget. Cooktops and ranges such as Wolf or Viking can run as much as $4,000 or more for these top end kitchen appliances. While the designer label and highest price may stroke your ego, the most expensive price tag does not necessarily mean top quality or reliability.  Surprisingly, in some cases, consumers tend to report higher than expected repair and maintenance on some of the top name designer appliances. Do consider the faux-pro appliances. You have many options today of sleek, top-performing appliances that will give you the pro-style look and functionality at a fraction of the price. For example, you can find excellent gas ranges that offer stainless trim for under $1,000.

Don’t forget cabinet performance. Cabinets are a top priority focus in many kitchen remodels. While the aesthetic look and beauty of the cabinets is obviously very important to homeowners, don’t overlook the performance and functionality. Your cabinets get frequent use. Well-built drawers and guides are critical since they get so much use (and some abuse). You may not need solid hardwood or plywood cabinets, with advances made in sturdy particleboard construction. A luxurious veneer applied to a particleboard cabinet can get the job done without killing your budget. Often, homeowners don’t realize their old cabinets may actually be OK quality. A new veneer upgrade, or an affordable stain and refinish may be all that’s needed to restore the beautiful external appeal, and an a hinge and bracket upgrade along with new, better performing drawer guides and shelf runners may have you falling in love with your cabinets all over again.

Don’t neglect the countertops. Countertops are one area where you can achieve beauty and practicality at the same time. At the higher end of the price range, engineered stone and granite are top performers. To save on the budget, consider laminates which are more economical and still deliver versatility and durability.  Countertops are priced by the square foot, but the price can vary widely across the variety of materials and options. Most important, don’t overlook the installer and fabricator. An experienced and qualified installer and fabricator can make all the difference between a less than satisfying result, and a truly beautiful job that you’ll enjoy for years.

For more ideas and options you can consider for your next kitchen remodel or upgrade, don’t hesitate to contact Z.Z. Daily Construction.