In this day and age, it can be tricky developing and managing a kitchen remodeling budget that covers the costs of installing new kitchen cabinets or having a contractor handle refinishing chores. You want the best quality job done within your means, securing a look and functionality that expresses your taste. If you’re sensible, conscientious, and careful in developing your budget and screening contractors, there’s no reason why you can’t have everything you need.

And that’s the rub. According to the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA), too many consumers expect too much for their money, or are tempted to over-step their savings. When it comes to kitchen remodeling, you should consider materials and designs that meet your needs, rather than chasing after grandiose dreams beyond your reach. It pays to list your priorities and know what you can afford now, what you can add later, or what is completely unreasonable given your home and budget.

Planning for New Kitchen Cabinets
Experts at Better Homes and Gardens suggest that building contingency plans on spending 10 to 20 percent more than your awarded bid on new kitchen cabinets makes for a prudent strategy. Being willing to compromise on materials can also keep down your costs.

Consumer Reports interviewed 9,000 Americans who had completed kitchen remodeling projects and found that a common error was in choosing materials that were poor fits for either their wallets or busy lifestyles. If you have heavy wear and tear in your kitchen, you may wish to reconsider overspending on top-of-the-line materials that are easily worn or damaged. Even if you’re simply refinishing kitchen cabients be sure to make a comprehensive plan that includes a spending ceiling.

You’re not done installing new kitchen cabinets until you add fresh, attractive hardware. Consider hardware the finishing bling that polishes off the entire décor. It really doesn’t matter what style you’re after, there are pulls, knobs, and handles that can enhance the entire effect. There are thousands of hardware sets in metals, woods, crystals, rock, and synthetic materials–all available in a dizzying assortment of sizes and colors.

You can have your kitchen contractor install the hardware as a finishing touch, or add it yourself. If refacing cabinets fit into your plans, new hardware can especially lend elegance and charm. It’s not difficult to install knobs and pulls with your new kitchen cabinets if you work well with drills and levels. You can make the entire process go smoothly by creating a template or jig.

Hardware and Your New Kitchen Cabinets
Locating the precise location for a pull or knob can make all the difference in how efficiently the cabinets work. Contractors who work with kitchen cabinet designs often suggest using backplates to cut down on grease and grime. It’s a matter of taste; not everyone likes that much metal on their cabinet face.

The good thing about hardware is that it can be relatively inexpensive to order several samples and styles to mount in test locations in the kitchen to evaluate the look. Lay the work out ahead of time, since new kitchen cabinets and drawers may require different lengths in wood or metal screws to affix the hardware. To avoid patching and painting, make sure that your replacement hardware matches up with the drill holes of your old pulls and handles.

Voila! A unified look for your kitchen.

There’s an embarrassment of riches when it comes to countertop materials that fit most kitchen color schemes. Concrete countertops remain an option among the pack of choices that include wood, ceramic tile, engineered stone, laminates, solid surfaces, and even metals. While concrete can be among the most expensive calls, it is strong, easy to maintain, and comes in a great selections of designs, colors, and textures.

On the distaff side, concrete can sustain chips or hairline fissures and, if not cleaned and sealed property, the countertop grout can become discolored.  If you’re selecting concrete for your kitchen countertops, home expert Bob Villa insists that you ensure that your contractor is qualified to work with the material, especially in following curing processes to a tee.

Concrete and Your Kitchen Color Schemes
Many kitchen countertop contractors carry their own standard and higher priced custom colors. Each countertop is unique, with what I call “artisan alchemy”. That means you may have textures, deliberate fractures, dyes, and watermarks that render a personalized look for your kitchen.

The pigment is added during the mixing, a process to reinforce the properties of the concrete to hold your kitchen color scheme over the years.  Speaking of reinforcement, be sure that your contractor knows how to reinforce concrete countertops, lest the slab will shrink on drying and develop unwanted shifting or thermal cracks.

Contractors may use galvanized wire or rebar in reinforcing concrete kitchen countertops.  Rebar restrains the slab of concrete under the right amount of compression, and while it may not completely protect you against cracks, it holds fissures to a minimum, and keeps them narrow enough so they won’t chip or otherwise compromise the countertop.

Many homeowners consider cabinet refacing as a good option to installing more-expensive new kitchen cabinets.  It’s a relatively quick job in replacing doors, drawer fronts, and adding new hardware, and the results can be dramatic. You may even want to try your own hand at cabinet refacing, but beware: mistakes can be costly.

Let’s look over a typical cabinet refacing effort to help you see what’s involved. When done by a skilled professional a refacing job can be done in a few days, longer if you’re coupling it with a new countertop or sink installation.  According to Kitchen Refacing.Org, if you’re working with laminates, you’ll start the cabinet refacing job by removing the doors, sanding and prepping the cabinets, lay out the glue, trim or route the excess laminate, apply and remove excess glue, complete the cleanup.

Do-It-Yourself Cabinet Refacing
Brian Simkins at Do It Yourself says you’ll need the following tools and a comfort level in working with them to complete a satisfactory cabinet refacing project:  handsaw, brad nailer, miter saw, clamps, and miter saw. If that sounds like too much, consider bringing in a contractor.

The National Association of the Remodeling Industry warns consumers that the success of a do-it-yourself new cabinet installation or refacing project depends on your ability to follow installation diagrams and instructions, the savvy to improvise or start fresh when things go wrong, and a full knowledge of local building codes that are applicable with kitchen renovations.

You might visit several home improvement stores or speak with contractors first to determine whether you’re comfortable enough with your own skills before embarking on a cabinet refacing or replacement project on your own.

Human beings are pack-rats. We swoop up gadgets, year after year, and load up our closets, cabinets, and storage bins. The kitchen is a favorite catch-all for glassware, plates, silverware, jars, bowls, small appliances, and gizmos galore. No matter how much space we own, we never seem to have enough room in the kitchen.

The National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) recommends that you have at least a total of 158” of countertop space for food preparation and storage. That’s with a depth of 24” and 15” of topside clearance. It also suggests that you incorporate two optimal heights above the floor for your work surfaces—one at one 28”– 36”, and another  at 36”– 45”—to ensure that all residents can use the kitchen. At least one corner cabinet, the NKBA adds, should contain a “functional storage device”, like a Lazy Susan.

Utilizing Cabinets and Countertops
There are plenty of organizing systems available in stock sizes out there for putting everything it its right place. The folks at Bob Villa.com suggest creating additional cabinet storage with door hangings, Lazy Susans, and pull-out accessories.

Meanwhile, the staff at This Old House suggests simple, affordable cabinet and drawer solutions such as stand-alone cabinets, pull-out towel holders,  peg-board dish holders, under-sink organizers, swiveling corner racks, and pop-up shelves.

Bolting cookware to overhead hooks can also free up countertops and cabinets. You can put in u-bolts and s-hooks, or consider a wall trellis with hooks and shelves. There’s a wide selection of can, food, and soda racks that fit neatly on a shelf, tiered stacking shelves, pull-out pot lid organizers, slide-out caddies, and over-cabinet towel racks or organizers.

Spend a little time at the home improvement store or surfing the Web for solutions that can free up your precious counter space.

If you’ve decided to hire a contractor to handle your custom cabinets, there’s work to do.  Planning your job ahead of time, measuring carefully, and evaluating several contractors before you accept a bid can mean the difference between satisfaction and pride–or recurring headaches with a haphazard cabinet job. There are plenty of people looking to do the work, so now it’s up to you to find the right one.

Home-improvement maven Bob Villa has a fine starting list of red flags to look for in evaluating custom cabinet contractors.  Be especially wary of door-to-door solicitors, contractors who only take cash for work, or who pressure you to get started immediately with a hefty down payment.  Many states or county building departments can require permits for kitchen remodeling jobs, and if your prospective contractor wants you to get the permit yourself, that can be an indicator that you’re dealing with a less-than-reputable company.

Evaluating Your Cabinet-Maker Prospects
The Council of Better Business Bureaus recommends that you measure your job before you measure your prospective kitchen cabinet contractors . You’ll need a baseline for comparing labor and materials costs. As you evaluate bids for customer cabinets, be sure to ask for a list of references.

Bob Villa suggests that you get a list of references who have had similar work done by your prospective contractor, people who won’t mind if you visit to look at the work and who will answer questions whether it was done on time, inside the budget, and completed to satisfaction.

Writers at Face Your Kitchen suggest that you insist that the cabinet contractor carries full insurance (licensing and bonding) in case of damage to your home or on-the-job injuries.

The European tradition of free-standing kitchen furniture has returned to vogue.  Even though trends in kitchen design are favoring clean, functional lines, The National Association of Realtors reports that American homeowners are adding free-standing cabinets, farmhouse sinks, and other unfitted elements that open up more room for views of windows or working counter space.

For centuries, Europeans have chosen free-standing cabinets and appliances for storage and functionality since they can pick up and move it all to a new home when it’s time to relocate.  A free-standing cabinet can also add charm to your existing kitchen design by allowing you to show off crystal or collector dishware.

The Hardwood Manufacturers Association credits English designers with the original implementation of free-standing cabinetry. It recommends buying pieces one at a time to conserve space, prevent clutter, and add workstations. You can also position a freestanding cabinet to block the view of existing cabinets or appliances that are less than attractive. Free-standing cabinets and mini-hutches or cutting surfaces can be made to roll on a tile floor for easy arrangement.

A writer at Home Improvement Adviser suggests shopping around antique stores for kitchen cabinets, however you can easily find them at today’s home improvement stores, cabinet suppliers, and custom design shops.  Many homeowners prefer to commission free-standing pieces to complement their existing cabinets and décor.

You’ll find a range of materials and costs in shopping around, from modern and light woods to maple or hickory cabinets in historical designs including Mission, Craftsman, or Shaker styles. If you have a busy kitchen, consider more portable, unfixed cabinets that can be moved into pantries or serving areas when not in use.

If you’re remodeling your kitchen, don’t forget to take advantage of energy efficient appliances. Outdated energy hogs will cost you in the long term. If you’re replacing countertops and cabinets, you might as well consider options for adding new cooktops, refrigerators, or dishwashers in your plans.

In its review of the most recent Kitchen/Bath Industry Show & Conference, The National Kitchen & Bath Association reports that efficiency along with design in appliances took center stage among the top trends in kitchen remodeling priorities among consumers.  More and more, American homeowners want compact, efficient dishwashers, ranges, ovens and cooktops.

Searching for  Efficient Designs
The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy lists a strategy for comparing efficiency in appliances in terms of low water use and energy.  The organization suggests optimal energy factors for kitchen countertop appliances (cooktops, microwaves, etc.) as well as for dishwashers and refrigerator/freezers.  In doing your homework to find long-range energy savings, there’s no reason why you should have to compromise on design and flair in your remodeling effort.

Energy Star-rated appliances are available at most home improvement and kitchen supply shops. The U.S. Department of Energy says you can save $75 annually in energy costs by selecting efficient appliances as well as heating and air-conditioning units for your newly remodeled kitchen.  Many new appliances cut back on energy use by as much as 50 percent.

Building energy consumption efficiency along with attraction and functionality in your kitchen renovation plans makes good sense. Even the  Federal Trade Commission has gotten into the act, advising consumers to consider the initial cost, the operating cost, and cost of maintenance for every kitchen appliance you add to your remodeling scheme.  Simple strategic positioning of a new refrigerator away from stoves and heat vents can make a huge difference in savings.

Although many Americans have put plans to sell their property on hold, they’re using the downturn in the economy as an opportunity to dress up, renovate, or restore their homes–especially their kitchens and baths. In the kitchen, one of the more economical ways to transform the look and function of your space is to add new cabinets or refinish existing ones. For those considering new or replacement kitchen cabinets, let’s examine some options.

There’s no need to feel reigned-in by a tight budget.  If you’re after ideas and inspiration, take a look at kitchen cabinet designs at the National Kitchen & Bath Association. Depending on your project scope, existing style, and room configurations, there’s a range of kitchen cabinets in the three major categories: stock, semi-custom and custom-made.

Cabinets by Type
Stock and semi-stock kitchen cabinets come in a wide range of prices and designs. You can also save money by choosing ready-to-assemble or pre-assembled cabinets and hardware over the option of having a completed set delivered to your door. Look over selections at your larger home-improvement centers or online. You can get some fresh ideas about stock and semi-stock kitchen cabinets from Bob Villa.

Standard base, American-made cabinets typically come in sets at 341/2-inches high and 24-inches deep, with 3/4-inch sides. You’ll have the most flexibility of price and features in semi-custom models where manufacturers and retailers adjust the cabinet bases or wall fittings, using fillers to accommodate your specifications. Home Depot also has suggestions for measuring cabinets and calculating kitchen space at its design center.

Custom or semi-custom cabinets are best installed by professionals.  Shop carefully and ask any cabinet shop how long it will take to complete your order (which can be anywhere from one to three months).

Just because the total square footage for your kitchen is small doesn’t mean your kitchen remodeling ideas should be. According to The National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA), any kitchen under 150 square feet is considered a small kitchen.  But take heart if you have one of these; there are plenty of great kitchen remodeling schemes for colors, countertops, appliances, lighting, and cabinets that can add utility and charm without building clutter and claustrophobia.

When remodeling a small kitchen, the NKBA say, consider employing ambient as well as natural lighting to give a sense of spaciousness to your existing room.  If you’re going to reface or replace cabinets, choose light colors and design them with a mind toward maximizing the full width of your countertops. If you plan on installing lights under the countertops, be sure to adjust your switching plans so that countertop lighting can be operated independently from your overhead lighting.

Handling Small Kitchen Counter Space, Storage, and Sinks
If your remodeling plans include cabinets and replacements, consider a mix of shelves and storage space that situates your least-used items at the top, with shelving for small appliances and items in heavy rotation (plates, saucers, cups) in easy reach.

Deeper counters with new countertops in sturdy and stylish materials can improve the appearance and functionality of your kitchen. And adding a larger sink can make for easy preparation and cleanup without compromising service area.

You may want to consider creating a pass-through in your remodeling plans to add light as well as create combined space between a small kitchen and a serving area or dining room. There’s less walking around that way, and the added spaciousness can completely transform your home.