Kitchen Remodeling Tips

The kitchen is often thought of as the heart of the home. It’s where families gather, conversations happen, and lives are planned. And with families spending so much time in their kitchen, they will need it to be functional, as well as beautiful.

If you’re looking around and thinking that your kitchen needs a bit of help, it may be time to start planning that fantastic kitchen remodel. Don’t let your home’s previous owners dictate your kitchen style. Keep up to date on current home renovation trends. Buy those high-end appliances you’ve always wanted. It’s time to dig deep to give yourself that gorgeous, remodeled kitchen you’ve always wanted.

Here are some tips to keep you on the path of the kitchen remodeling project of your dreams.

Choose a remodel scope, and stick to it
Are you thinking of ripping out your entire kitchen for a total makeover, or just putting on a new coat of paint? At the beginning of any project, it’s important to identify the scope of that project, and then stick to it. There is always the possibility of going overboard with any home remodel, and kitchen remodeling can be one of the worst offenders. Choose wisely about where to start and end with your remodel, or you could end up with a half-completed kitchen that is not functional for a lot longer than you imagined.

Discover your kitchen style
Are you sleek and modern? Classic country? Shabby chic? How do you want your kitchen to identify with your own personal style? How will your new kitchen design reflect the best you that you can be? It’s time to load up on renovation and remodeling magazines, subscribe to kitchen design blogs and watch a lot of design television for inspiration. Keep an inspiration board or journal to track your ideas, favorite color combinations and uses of quality material. This will help you organize your thoughts and create a kitchen that matches your lifestyle and personality perfectly.

Need more ideas? Check out our recent kitchen and bath remodels in our new Gallery!

Research the best appliances
Along with choosing your kitchen style, you’ll want to choose which appliances would fit your home best. Are you a chef who loves high-end, professional appliances? Or do you just want and oven that is reliable enough to cook at an even temperature, and a refrigerator that doesn’t freeze your milk? Once you know how you want to use your appliances, start looking at the designs. There are plenty of options available, from sleek lines to decorative knobs. Keep the appliances functional, but fitting to your personal style, for an efficient kitchen that cooks just as good as it looks.

Find the right materials
Kitchen remodeling isn’t as simple as saying you want new cabinets and counter tops. There are many options to choose from when picking out materials for your renovation. For your cabinets, do you want pine or oak wood? What color stain do you want on them? What type of handles and knobs? For your counter tops, do you want marble or granite? Any specific color pattern? Do you want the material in tile form or a full slab? And how about your floors and walls? There is a lot to choose from, but when you get your color and material combinations right, your kitchen will shine.

Settle on a budget
One of the biggest items to take into consideration for your kitchen remodeling project is the budget. You need to think long and hard about how much you want to spend on your kitchen. Remodels can happen for a very little amount of money, but can cost upwards of a million dollars as well. If possible, do some research and break your budget down to the material level. Knowing you want to spend can really help when it comes to choosing what goes in your kitchen.

Call the kitchen remodeling professionals at Signature Design Centers
The kitchen remodeling professionals at Signature Design Center in Orange County are available to help you. We’ve got full-time designers ready to help turn your imagination into reality. We’ll give you a digital tour of your new kitchen before we even sign on the dotted line. We’ll help you create the kitchen you’re always dreamed of!

Remodel Your Kitchen to Increase Your Home’s Value!

Kitchen remodeling might cost a lot, depending on the size of the kitchen and the complexity of the chosen design. But it is worth doing it to increase the value of your house. Besides, your kitchen is the room where all the food is handled and prepared: an important part for you and your family. Discuss among family member whether to do a full kitchen remodel or just installing new cabinet and new appliances to give a newer look with the same bones. You can get design ideas for your kitchen remodeling project by looking at photos or pictures in magazines and sites, visiting home design or decoration stores, and looking for inspiration for designs in other areas. Make sure that you get helps from professional. Here below, we try to provide some pictures of inspirited kitchendesign.

Here are some recent remodels we did that came out great!

Considering how much time is spent in the kitchen, shouldn’t it be the most gorgeous room in the house, with the most sumptuous materials, finishes, and fixtures? Well, that’s becoming the case with modern kitchens. Many of today’s showcase kitchens boast fine cabinetry that rivals the furniture in an English castle and flooring as intricate and durable as that in an Italian church. Even the everyday kitchen is evolving into a high-tech and highly aesthetic space.

Read More Here!

We want our kitchens to work well and we also want them to look good, but the beauty of a kitchen depends on more than just the finishing touches. Consider the bare bones of the kitchen, and make a space that’s bright, well proportioned, and, above all, comfortable and easy to use. So, set your kitchen style: a traditional kitchen, modern-style kitchen, or eclectic kitchen? Here, we will provide a brief explanation about kitchen style.

13 Easy Bathroom Upgrades to Improve Your Home’s Value

Here at Signature Design, we’re always amazed at what a difference a simple upgrade can make, especially when it comes to bathrooms. A freshly tiled floor or a shiny chrome faucet can suddenly make a blase bathroom feel brand new. Here are 13 weekend-worthy ideas sure to make a big impact. Here are some great tips from This Old House and instructions for each on how to improve your existing bathrooms and get the most for your money!

#1. Build a Vintage Dresser Vanity

Before indoor plumbing, there was the wash-basin, and the look is just as stylish now as it was then. Learn how to create your own vintage-inspired bathroom vanity (complete with modern-day plumbing of course) in How to Build a Vintage-look Dresser Vanity.

#2. Install a Pedestal Sink

Nothing says “elegance” like a porcelain pedestal sink, not to mention it’s space-saving attributes. Got the chops to take on the job yourself? Don’t forget to consult How to Install a Pedestal Sink for all the dos and don’ts.

#3. Anchor a Towel Bar

A towel may not seem that heavy, but you’d be surprised what a sopping wet one can do to a cavalierly installed towel bar. Goodbye towel bar—hello wall damage. How to Anchor a Towel Bar will help you ensure that your bar stays secure and your towels stay off the floor.

#4. Install a Shower Door

Just because you need a shower doesn’t mean your bathroom does too. Unfortunately, keeping water where it belongs can be tricky, especially when you’re dealing with a flimsy shower curtain. How to Install a Shower Door will show you how to seal up your shower for good. Your bathroom floor will thank you.

#5. Tile Around a Tub

Whether you want water resistance, stain-resistance or just a fresh pop of color, tiling around your tub is a great way to spruce up your bathroom. And it’s easier than you might think. See How to Tile Around a Tub for all the details.

#6. Install a Medicine Cabinet

Tired of knocking your toothbrush, deodorant and Advil into the sink every time you wash your hands? It may be time to consider a storage upgrade, also known as a medicine cabinet. Check out How to Install a Medicine Cabinet for a step-by-step guide.

#7. Make a Vintage Towel Rack

Traditional towel racks and standard wall shelving can be, well, boring. Ditch the shrink-wrapped plastic bar for a vintage-inspired bathroom wall fixture perfect for hanging and storing towels. TOH’s How to Make a Towel Rack with Vintage Taps is all you need to get started.

#8. Install a Bathroom Vent Fan

Steamy showers make for stuffy bathrooms and eventually moldy walls. How to Install a Bathroom Vent Fan will show you how to prevent moisture mayhem and enjoy a fog-free mirror to boot.

#9. Replace a Bathroom Faucet

You deserve to wash your hands and brush your teeth without cringing at a crusty old leaker of a faucet from the ’80s. For a full spigot upgrade, all you need is a couple of hours, a shiny new fixture and How to Replace a Bathroom Faucet

#10. Install a Soap Dish

The shower can be refreshing retreat, but a missing or misplaced soap dish can seriously dampen the experience. Avoid soggy bar soap by strategically and securely positioning your suds station in your shower. This Old House shows you the right steps in How to Install a Soap Dish

#11. Caulk Around a Tub

Brown, cracked, and mildewy. If this is an accurate description of your bathtub caulking, it may be time for a re-sealing. Be sure to consult How to Caulk Around a Tub for a step-by-step lesson.

#12. Tile a Floor

A freshly-tiled floor can brighten your bathroom and your mood, and if you tackle the job yourself, it can brighten your bank account as well. Read How to Tile a Floor for more.

#13. Install a New Toilet

Has your bathroom throne become a royal eyesore? Spring for a new fast-flushing toilet for a functional upgrade that’s also easy on the eyes. Do it yourself with a little help from TOH: How to Install a Toilet

Learn More Here

Happy News: Major OC Job Growth Projected!

While we’ve been busy working on bathroom remodeling, kitchen renovations and installing gorgeous new hardwood flooring through ought Orange County other industries have slowed during the recession of the past few years. But the Orange County Register posted today that Orange County is poised for major job growth with local employers expected to add more than 100,000 workers to payrolls over the next three years, according to a 2011 economic forecast released today by Cal State Long Beach.

The forecast predicts Orange County will lead the region in hiring, adding a modest 19,000 new workers this year after losing that many in 2010. Next year, however, hiring is expected to more than double to 39,000 new positions and then grow by another 43,000 in 2013.

While a healthy turnabout from the job losses of the last four years, Long Beach’s forecast for 2013 still would leave Orange County employment 64,000 below the peak of 1.5 million in 2006.

Grobar said Orange County and the region are finally getting back in sync with the national economy after taking greater hit from the mortgage meltdown and real estate slump.

The forecast predicts the U.S. gross domestic product to increase 2.7 percent this year and that employers will hire an average 200,000 new workers a month nationwide.

Manufacturing in Orange County is one of the sectors getting a particular boost from the lower dollar and an increased appetite overseas for electronics and transportation equipment and metal and machinery manufacturing. The forecast predicts local manufacturers will add 9,500 workers in the next three years.

Another strong sector will be business and professional services. The forecast estimates nearly 27,000 new jobs will be created in that sector.Grobar said a lot of the growth has been in professional, scientific and technical services. Orange County’s tourist industry, which has shown strength, will continue to grow, adding nearly 16,000 jobs over the next three years.

The forecast expects even the hard-hit construction sector to make a comeback with 1,800 jobs this year, 1,300 in 2012 then 8,700 in 2013.

Lagging sectors will include retail, information, which is hurt by the declining telecom employment, and government.

CSULB’s Orange County forecast had the advantage of more recent data than the four other major outlooks, which were prepared well before the run-up in gasoline prices, the Japanese earthquake and tsunami and the unrest in the Middle East.

The Long Beach forecast placed it in the middle of the pack for this year’s employment outlook.

The Los Angeles Economic Development Corp. had the least optimistic Orange County job outlook this year, predicting 15,600 new jobs. UCLA was the highest with 24,000. Chapman University was close behind with a forecast of 23,000.

Cal State Long Beach forecast Orange County employers will add 19,000 jobs this year, placing it in the middle of the pack for this year’s employment outlook.

Read More Here

Compare the forecasts

2011 forecast	Cal State Long Beach (May 2011)	LAEDC (Feb. 2011)	Chapman University (Dec. 2010)	Cal State Fullerton (Oct. 2010)	UCLA (Oct. 2010)
O.C. job growth	19,167	15,600	23,000	18,300	24,000
O.C. unemployment rate	n/a	9.2%	n/a	8.6%	8.6%
O.C. personal income growth	n/a	4.1%	3.6%	3.6%	4.8%
O.C. building permits	2,465	3,600	3,933	5,000	3,500
U.S. GDP	2.7%	3.1%	3.3%	2.6%	2%
10-year Treasury note	n/a	3.5%	3.3%	n/a	3.0%