By Daniel C. Brown
Remodeling a kitchen doesn’t have to send the owner to Fort Knox for a loan, according to real estate agents in suburban Chicago.
To give the home its highest resale value, a kitchen remodel must have a well-themed appearance, says Bryce Fuller, a RE/MAX realtor from Northbrook, Ill. "If you replace the cabinets and countertops but you have old appliances or an old floor, it won’t work and it won’t sell," says Bryce. "It’s the kiss of death if it feels like the kitchen was remodeled in several stages that were decades apart. A kitchen needs to have a flow to it."
Bryce recommends against moving the locations of major appliances, as long as the kitchen's layout works well for the homeowners. "Just use the existing layout, because that way you can use most of the existing wiring, the plumbing, and gas lines," says Bryce. "They’re all there; just use them."
That’s basically true, but with one caution, warns Coldwell Banker Realtor Dan Cartalucca, Park Ridge, Ill. Old houses often need some new horizontal pipes and valves to speed up sink drainage. "If it’s a 25-year-old or older house, a buyer’s inspector (when selling the home) will spot that the drains are still slow because they didn’t replace the plumbing," says Dan. "A remodeler has the place torn up anyway, and with an open basement it’s not a big deal to replace some plumbing."
Depending on the age of the house, the wiring and even the circuit board may need to be upgraded to accommodate newer codes and the demands of additional appliances. In fact, it's a good idea to carefully assess the possible need for such work in homes more than 25 years old.
Big impact for small investment
In Boise, Idaho, remodeler Jim Strite, CR, says that it's easy to do an economical kitchen-remodeling project if you don't replace the cabinets. In fact, his company recently completed a job that proves it. "We just painted and glazed the cabinets," says Jim, who is president of Strite Design + Remodel. "It used to be called antiquing. You can take a relatively inexpensive set of cabinetry and make it look very attractive."
Painters also offer a crackled finish that creates an antique appearance for a reasonable sum, says Rob Sower, ASID, an interior designer with Strite. "Any type of refinishing of the cabinets offers a big difference in your kitchen," says Rob.
Two easy elements in upgrading a kitchen economically would be to replace the cabinet doors and drawer fronts and install new countertops. "Then when you add new hardware to the cabinets and drawers, you change the entire look of the kitchen," says Jim. His company often uses Decore-ative Specialties, which offers custom cabinet doors in more than 250 standard styles.
High-end effects from lighting
Lighting is also very important, adds Rob, and offers a big design bang for the buck. "I think new lighting is one of the most valuable design features that a remodeler can offer," he says. "But you have to be good at it. Every type of lighting has a color rendering index, a CRI number. If you have a low CRI number, the lighting won’t render the color as it actually is."
Rob prefers to use combinations of light sources that put the light where it’s needed. "Switching flexibility is huge," he says. Under-counter lights should be switched separately from overhead lights. Pendant lights can be used over the bar or work areas, to provide task lighting--or simply to accent an area where people gather. It’s important that kitchen lighting be able to change to fit the purpose or to change a mood.
Today's kitchens are like living rooms today, notes Rob. They’re a main entertaining area, so it’s important to do them correctly–even on a small budget.
| 
)
