Planning your kitchen remodel sounds a bit tedious to some, but is absolutely essential if you want things to go smoothly. Without a well-laid plan for the project, you could spend thousands more than necessary and several months chasing your own tail.If you followed the last post in this series, How to  Set a kitchen Remodel Budget and Get Design Ideas, then this step should be a breeze for you!

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Here is the best way to plan your remodel from start to finish.

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Document the current design.
First, you should know exactly what you are working with. Whether it is your own kitchen or a client’s that you will be

remodeling, it is important to know the “starting point” of the project. The best methods of documenting this are

  • Create 1 freehand drawing of the current kitchen (or pay someone else to sketch it)
  • Take lots of pictures of the current layout, design, appliances, etc. Take pictures of everything you will probably be changing.
  • Create or get a blueprint of the current layout.

Why go through this trouble? This process serves many purposes, not least of which is the ability to make notes all over the current design that state what to change and

how. Remember that famous quote “he who fails to plan, plans to fail.”

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Document the desired result.
After gathering ideas from the last step of what you want (and don’t want), you should already be pretty well equipped to do this step. This part of the planning process really does require professional consultation or expertise. If you are a professional designer, builder, or architect, then you are golden. If not, it is highly recommended that you opt to consult or even contract the services of a professional to help you. Choosing to do this now is what will save you from spending too much time and money attempting to fix mistakes that could have simply been avoided.

The elements of this process include using those remodel ideas you gathered to:

  • Do a few freehand sketches/computer prints of what you want the new kitchen to look like. Do at least two or three from different angles.
  • Shop around online for specific kitchen products that fit your vision. Take note of all measurements. If they are not shown in the product descriptions, call the customer service line for more information.
  • Use this information to draft a blueprint with exact measurements of what the kitchen will look like after the kitchen remodel is complete.
  • Adjust those preliminary sketches/computer images to match the design contained within the blueprint for a 3D preview of the new kitchen.

Take you time when look at kitchen accessories, because the quality of the products you use will ultimately make or break the success of your kitchen remodel.

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Now that you know where you are and where you want to go with this kitchen remodel, begin planning what will be done and when. Give timeframes and even deadlines for

each part of the remodel to be completed, allowing a little leeway (about 30%) for setbacks that may occur.

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The only thing left is to purchase your supplies and get down to work!