Why Hire A Kitchen Designer: Part 1

Building or renovating a kitchen is one of the most important investments you will make in your home and should be approached with care and consideration. Kitchen renovations call for careful planning,  extensive research, and building knowledge.

One of the primary reasons a homeowner turns to a  Kitchen and Bath Designer is to translate your vision — and often your unstated or unrealized needs — into a design that maximizes the functional use of space, desired resources, and budget. Experienced kitchen designers hear it over and over from their clients: “I never knew that was even an option to consider.”

The Benefits of Hiring a Kitchen Designer

On the dusty, messy journey called kitchen remodeling, there are advantages to having a professional designer as a guide. The pros can help you budget wisely, avoid mistakes, make the space beautiful, and functional, and open doors to new and specialized resources. 

“They love designing kitchens, and they’re super educated about how to make the most of the space and about what’s safe,” says Angela Lawrence, a certified master kitchen and bath designer (CMKBD) and member of the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) in Aurora, Colorado.

The kitchen demands a specialist, says Denise Dick, a CMKBD and NKBA member in Carrollton, Texas. “Just like you go to a doctor specializing in a part of the body,” she says, “the specialist for that part of the home is the kitchen designer. We understand how it all fits together and why the parts are necessary. You’re going to do it right the first time with a designer.”

Instead, you can save yourself time and stress by hiring a professional designer. There are three big advantages to hiring a professional designer for your kitchen redesign:

Less Stress

First, it takes the general contractor’s responsibility off of the homeowner. You won’t be responsible for finding and talking with vendors and contractors, accepting a myriad of deliveries, scheduling tradespeople, or any of the other issues that professional designers are used to managing. They have longstanding working relationships with manufacturers, suppliers, and tradespeople that a homeowner will never have. They’ll also be responsible for the completion of your project and any punch lists– the list of minor tasks that need to be finished towards the end of the project to wrap it up and finish on a timely basis.

The Best Quality

Second, a professional designer will make sure that you’re going to get the best long-lasting value from your remodeled kitchen, in terms of aesthetics, function, and style. Your designer will help you avoid expensive mistakes and misgivings by exploring all of the options and coming up with the best combination of floor plan, design, and materials.  They’ll have your best interests at heart and help you determine how to make the space function and look as you had hoped – with no guesswork, just a bit of your input and faith.  And, they know the real estate marketplace and what types of design and products stand the test of time in terms of resale value.

The Best Investment for Your Money

Finally, your designer will help you make sure that the products you’re getting and the materials you’re using are the best for your investment, helping you sort through your ideas and goals and come up with the perfect plan and execution based on expert information and informed decisions.  If you’re redesigning your kitchen on a budget (and who isn’t?), your designer can guide you through all of the options and make recommendations in a series of meetings and keep it all prioritized and organized for you – making it a less stressful and worrisome endeavor.  

Sure, you can splurge here and there if you wish, but knowing what will provide the best bang for your buck can keep the costs down, yet still make your new kitchen look like a million bucks.  

The Cons of Take on a Kitchen Remodel On Your Own

On the flip side, running your own kitchen renovation has several disadvantages that may have you thinking twice.

You Have to be the General Contractor

For example, as mentioned above, you’ll have to act as your own general contractor. You’ll have to be available at all times during the installation and will bear the brunt of scheduling and overseeing the work, and solving any problems in real-time. It’s a full-time job and an enormous amount of work for one individual to learn on the fly.  Besides, what is your time worth?

Communicating with the Installers

You may also be at a loss in communicating with the installers or if there is a problem. Kitchen designers are well-versed in how contractors think because they’re used to working closely together, as many have a long-standing relationships with their crews.  Homeowners, on the other hand, may not know all the nuances of construction and engineering requirements for a job

Your Remodel Will Take More Time

Your kitchen remodeling process will probably last twice as long as it needs to without help from a professional kitchen designer- every homeowner’s worst nightmare! The homeowner will have to coordinate all the scheduling, get the plumber in when the electrician isn’t there, and figure out how long the flooring will have to cure before the cabinets can be installed- it’s a headache, and the process will end up being far longer, more confusing, and a very painful memory if it does not go as you had hoped.

The bottom line is that you can’t underestimate the complexity of a kitchen remodel- it’s a lot to do! Instead of stressing and spending all of your time and money hoping it goes as you had planned, hire the professionals and let them do what they’re best at!