Update Your Home's Value with a Remodel!

It makes sense when you think about it. If your home is getting up there in years simple updates can help improve the value of your home. As real estate bubbles pop across the country, these sorts of simple upgrades can go a long way to separating your home from the heard.

Here are a few things from the article:

Entry door replacement. Removing an existing entry door and replacing with a new 20-gauge steel door proved to be a homeowner's best friend, recouping 128.9 percent of its cost at resale. Among midrange projects, this one recouped the most money by a landslide

129%! Adding a new door can pay for itself just by installing it. It also helps increase your homes security and, if install correctly, can increase the energy efficiency of your home. So really, a new door can pay for itself twice.

Minor kitchen remodel. For homeowners looking for smaller-scale projects, a minor kitchen remodel, which includes installing new raised-panel wood doors on cabinets and drawers as well as replacing older appliances with more energy-efficient models, boasts a smaller price tag and a solid return. The project recouped 78.3 percent of its cost at resale

Another easy fix. If the structural integrity of your kitchen cabinets is good, there may not be a reason to replace them completely. New doors and panels and a little paint can dramatically update the look, feel and value of your kitchen. There is no reason to do a complete kitchen remodel if you are just looking for good return on value.

A Closer Look at Cabinets

Like countertops, redoing your kitchen cabinets can cost as little or as much as you want to spend. At the cheapest level, you can simplify, sand down, and repaint the doors and frames. Another option would be to simply repaint the framing and buy new doors. This is slightly more expensive, but can update the look and feel of the space without the huge expense or the time that comes with a full scale remodel.

However, if you are ready to take the jump and completely replace your kitchen cabinets, there are many options and issues to consider.

Modern vs. Rustic

The biggest decision you make is related to the style of your new cabinets. Once you have decided on an aesthetic, all of your other choices will flow from that. Broadly, there are two popular styles: Rustic and Modern. A rustic kitchen incorporates raw or unfinished wood and muted hardware. For example, instead of painting or veneering wood, the cabinetry is stained with lacquer in order to highlight the natural features of the wood. You can pair with that light colored stone countertops and bronzed or brass fixtures.

Modern style cabinets take a different approach, the doors and drawers are going to be made from metal or wood painted to hide the nature features of the wood. Hardware will have a modern design and made from stainless steel. The goal is to the keep the lines as clean and simple as possible.

At the end of the day, your options are almost endless. Any material or design you think of can be used.

Those Special Features

When designing kitchen cabinets from scratch, you can integrate any number of special features into the design. Drawers or built-ins can be made to hold specialized tools, like a mixer or spice racks, can be integrated in to the back of a door. As with the overall style, working with a designer will help you walk through the specifics of the kitchen layout.

When redesigning your kitchen cabinets, it is important to think about how you use your kitchen. Is it an eat-in kitchen? Are you also replacing your dishwasher or fridge? What sort of sink do you want?