Undeniable Proof You Need to Remodel Your Kitchen

At H&H Construction and Renovation, our favorite projects tend to be kitchen remodels.

Of course, that doesn’t mean we’ll try convincing you to have one if that isn’t what you come to us for! But how do you know when you need to remodel your kitchen?

We’ve put together a guide on the undeniable proof you need to remodel your kitchen – as well as a few reasons you might actually want to!

Let’s jump in!

1. Rule of Thumb

Let’s start with an easy, albeit somewhat abstract one: the rule of thumb.

In our experience, your kitchen needs remodeling every 10 to 15 years on average. This gives you enough time to enjoy any work you’ve had done previously while also planning ahead.

“10 to 15” might seem like a rather wide range, but there’s a good reason for it.

The kitchen is the heart of your home – and it’s a very high traffic area. On average, a person enters their kitchen at least 3 times a day, which takes its toll on your flooring, cabinets, appliances, and work surfaces.

Now think about your daily routine. You might be using your kitchen more often than the average person, especially if you work from home. And if you have a large household, there are more people contributing to the natural, every day wear and tear.

This is one of the reasons you might need to do a kitchen remodel sooner than later.

On the flip side, if you live alone or have a smaller household, and/or you do extensive maintenance fairly regularly, you might only need to do a kitchen remodel every 15 years instead!

2. Maintenance and Cleaning Are No Longer Enough

Because the kitchen is such a high traffic space in your home (on average, only the living room experiences more foot traffic), things can quickly get to the point where maintenance and cleaning are no longer enough.

This is perfectly natural – especially if you and your family lead busy lives!

After all, if you’re working two jobs to try and make ends meet (like roughly 30% of all Americans), you don’t have much time to spend on fixing drawers that no longer slide open and closed properly – let alone the persistent leak beneath your kitchen sink.

Sure, you can usually squeeze in some time to tackle these projects eventually. But by that time, the to-do list has already grown longer!

Likewise, the light cleaning most of us do only helps so much. Without a deep clean, your kitchen tiles aren’t ever going to look the way they did when you first put them in.

It happens to all of us!

But the longer the to-do list gets, the more undeniable the proof you need to remodel your kitchen becomes.

3. Your Appliances Are Ancient and Your Power Bill Looks Like Your Pay Check

It’s only natural to try to make your kitchen appliances last as long as possible. After all, who wants to spend money on a new microwave every year?

But like your kitchen, most appliances only have an average lifespan of about 10 years. And if you’re trying to save money in the short-term by buying cheap replacements, that lifespan can be drastically shorter!

The good news is, if you’ve been planning ahead and putting money aside, you should be able to afford some much-needed appliance upgrades as part of your kitchen renovation.

And even though you might be spending more on those appliances in the short-term, you’ll definitely be saving in the long-term if you opt for higher quality now.

Plus, older (and cheaper) appliances tend to use a lot of electricity.

If you’re taking this opportunity to remodel your kitchen and put in some new appliances, you’ll get the benefit of the Energy Star ratings. The money you’ll save on your utility bill alone might be enough to offset the added costs within a year!

Plus, you can also start incorporating Smart Technology in your kitchen, which can make it a more enjoyable environment. If you do go this route, it’s always best to choose Smart Appliances made by the same brand – that way, you don’t need to install a dozen different apps on your phone.

4. Lifestyle Changes

This one can be as broad and abstract as the Rule of Thumb is.

The most basic way lifestyle changes can serve as undeniable proof you need to remodel your kitchen is feeling like it’s become outdated.

And if that’s true, then don’t feel bad – studies found it’s the most common reason for homeowners deciding to do some kitchen remodeling in the first place!

This isn’t just about updating your appliances, of course – that’s the previous proof point. Nor is it solely a matter of style.

Instead, the lifestyle changes we find to serve as the best reasons for wanting to remodel your kitchen are those that affect the way you use your kitchen.

For example, you might have bought your home as a young, newly married couple without kids.

Now that you’ve had one or more children together, you find yourself needing more counter space and/or wanting a dining area in your kitchen so the family can have breakfast together in the mornings.

Or perhaps your kids are older and you’re hoping to entertain dinner guests at home. You might not need the lower, kids-friendly seating area anymore, and want to change it to a taller, more adult-friendly space so you can entertain your guests while preparing your specialty roast dish!

On a more serious note, someone in the family might have special needs requiring more moving space between cabinets and islands.

Whatever the lifestyle change, if shuffling some appliances around isn’t going to be enough, it’s likely time to think about remodeling your kitchen.

Need some inspiration? Check out these 21 pictures!

5. You’re Thinking About Selling in a Few Years’ Time

Okay, so this isn’t so much “proof” as a good reason to consider remodeling your kitchen…

When many people first hear a kitchen remodel can increase their property value by as much as 25% (sometimes more), many make the mistake of jumping straight in. What they don’t take into account is you aren’t likely to see a profit on the cost of your remodel.

However, you might be able to recoup between 60% and 80% of that cost!

This means if you’re already on the market to sell, now is not a good time to do a full kitchen remodel. That is unless your kitchen is looking like a fixer-upper, of course – in which case you might need to do some light remodeling to get it into a better condition.

Instead, save that money for renovating the kitchen in your new home – if not soon after moving in, then for in the future.

But if you see yourself moving in 5 years or so, whether to another town or just a new neighborhood, then it’s definitely worth doing a kitchen remodel.

You’ll have plenty of time to enjoy the finished result, but (provided you keep up the maintenance and cleaning!) it’ll still have another 5 to 10 years before the new owners need to follow the Rule of Thumb.

Conclusion

Remember when you do a kitchen remodel, you’re renovating a functional room. You aren’t looking to strip it of that purpose – instead, look at ways in which you can optimize the space while also reflecting your personality!

No matter the undeniable proof or your vision, H&H Construction and Renovation is happy to help bring your kitchen remodeling dreams to realty.

Don’t hesitate to reach out to us with any questions!