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Cliqstudios.com is how I am remodeling our kitchen! Find out why below:
It has been said by more than one person that you spend more time in your kitchen in any other place in your home, outside of the bedroom that is. When you are looking for a new home it is one of the first places you look, the place where you are willing to spend the most and the one singular spot where you get the best return on your investment.
One of the reasons we chose OUR house was the kitchen (and the huge pantry). Even though this house is older and the cabinets are original (and badly painted I might add) there was so little we actually needed to do once we moved in other than to clean the kitchen.
That is- until we tried to replace the one piece pre-1970 oven/stove/oven hood combo. Assuming this would be a simple ‘pull out the old, install the new’ procedure we bought a new stove and oven hood. At a minimum we expected some clean up and paint and we were prepared for that. What we were not expecting was a giant hole that was roughly 2×3 feet.
A hole.
So to make a quick fix we bought some tin-roof look alike backsplash tiles and covered the hole. We installed the appliance and hood and assumed once we were settled we would patch the wall, try to fix the paint job on the cabinets and replace the entire (and poorly done) tile backsplash.
8 years later we still haven’t done it. I think this is a rut that many homeowners settle into. You get busy, home improvement projects stack up and it all snowballs. Plus, I need help. I need design help, on my schedule an in my budget. After a fair amount of looking online I found Cliqstudios.com. You can call them or go online to get started. There are options for photo’s, specs, samples, live assistance, step by step instructions- you are never alone in this process.
I do think, for your sanity, finances and marriage (if that applies), that you need to sit down and make a list of what you must have, what your stumbling blocks may be and have a somewhat firm budget. It is easy to get excited about what is new and flashy and next thing you know your simple home improvement project has blown up your pocketbook. Also, deciding on key points early will avoid last minute install changes and worse- having to call someone in because you didn’t think ahead. Are you moving any water or gas lines? You will need outside help with that. Using a design service like Cliqstudios.com takes care of all of these details for you- you just have to act on it.
Why do some people remodel?
I think of remodeling is a process that starts with some sort of trigger event. Sometimes the need to remodel arises simply because the old kitchen feels dated or out-of-style. Other times the need to remodel happens after some sort of disaster like a flood, storm damage or other event. Often though, homeowners get frustrated with a layout and floorplan that may be crowded or inefficient and they simply want to improve how they work in and use their kitchen. In all those cases, the assistance of a kitchen designer is critical.
Most people remodel a kitchen only once or twice in a lifetime. But a busy kitchen designer may complete dozens of kitchens every year and they have a lot of experience to offer. Most dealerships and home centers offer free kitchen design to consumers. CliqStudios has a large team of kitchen designers who staff their design center in Minneapolis. Those designers work with consumers and trade pro’s from all over the country everyday via telephone, email, screen sharing. There is no charge and no obligation for using the design service.
How does it work?
As part of the design process, a kitchen designer will ask a lot of questions of the homeowner to understand how they use their kitchen, what they like and don’t like, plus what their wishlist includes. The homeowner will need to take a few measurements of the room and provide those dimensions to the designer. Then the designer gets down to work drawing out floor plans and elevations along with making style and color suggestions. The homeowner reviews the drawings and makes revisions. This process of working through the design takes a few weeks typically. Once the homeowner is satisfied with the design plan, the order is placed. Approximately five weeks after that, the cabinetry is delivered, fully assembled, and ready to be installed, to the consumer’s home. The consumer is either a DIY’er who handles the installation themselves, or they make arrangements for a local cabinet installer, plus drywall, flooring, plumbing and electrical contractors to perform the work.
Once you have a plan, whether it is a full remodel or just a spruce up like we are doing, you can choose to do this yourself with all of the tools, measurements and products you will need OR you can find a contractor in your area to implement your plans. That way you are still working within your budget and on your own timeline. It really is that easy.
See a few of their success stories HERE and HERE
I have been scouring their pinterest boards for inspiration and at the end of this post you can get the link to see them for yourself (or click the pictures).
Bright and clean looking white- which would work well with what we already have going on.
Making use of a narrow space to maximize storage
Simple, classic drawer pulls and knobs- These are always a great look now or 10 years from now.
I would love to hear from you! Are YOU planning a remodel in the future- large or small? How are YOU planning?
Don’t get overwhelmed- take my advice. Get the help you need. I am and frankly- I do not have time to shop all over, find a designer and go through that hassle. Our kitchen gets a lot of use and if you follow me then you know I also take local TV segments from my kitchen (hence the need to spruce up). Let me hear from you! Share your experiences below or on my Facebook page.
Find Cliqstudios online here:
http://www.pinterest.com/cliqstudios/
google.com/+Cliqstudios-Kitchen-Cabinets
https://twitter.com/cliqstudios @cliqstudios
https://www.facebook.com/CliqStudios
http://www.houzz.com/pro/cliqstudios
http://www.hometalk.com/cliqstudioscom1
I produced this post in partnership with Cliqstudios.com and all opinions and stories are my own. I mean- I have a HOLE in my wall and a backsplash that is falling down. Cabinets that need new faces and a countertop that has more waves that the ocean. I clearly need help!
