When your kitchen is out of date, unattractive, or simply cramped and inefficient, it could make sense to remodel it instead of buying a new home. That way, you can enjoy modern appliances, a larger food preparation area, or a better-looking space without the hassle of buying, selling, and moving house. However, there are guidelines for such a project. Below are the dos and don'ts of kitchen remodeling.

Do:

Choose a great remodeling contractor.

Ask friends and family to recommend a company with whom they had a good experience. Check online reviews for satisfied customers, and make sure prospective contractors all have considerable experience. Check out their websites for photos of their work. Make sure you select a firm based on the value they can provide rather than because they offered the lowest bid.

Remember the Golden Triangle.

The Golden Triangle is an imaginary, three-sided polygon formed by the three points of the kitchen you use most frequently. For most people, these are the stove, the sink, and the fridge. For others, it could be the food prep counter, the fridge, and the dishwasher. When laying out your kitchen design, make the Golden Triangle the centerpiece and minimize the amount of distance—and therefore travel—between the points.

Don't:

Cut corners.

A kitchen remodeling project can be a pricy undertaking, so it makes sense that you'd be concerned about cost. However, the remodel will take some time to complete, and you'll have to live with it for as long as you own the home. Make sure the investment you make in time and money buys you a kitchen that you love.

Forget about the family.

Many people contemplating a kitchen remodel focus entirely on cooking and cleaning. However, the kitchen has become, for many people, an important center of family life. Kids eat breakfast and lunch or do homework at the counter. Friends and family members hang out to keep the cook company during meal preparation. Include comfortable areas for the family to hang out when designing your new kitchen.

If you need an experienced kitchen remodeling contractor, contact Spyglass Design in Hopewell, NJ, for help. They have served Mercer County since 1995 and bring decades of experience to every job. In addition to kitchen renovations, they also offer luxury design and custom kitchen cabinet manufacturing. View a gallery of their completed projects on their website or call (609) 466-7900 to discuss your kitchen remodeling needs.