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Go to Source: The home kitchen?

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By taking a few simple precautions, you can make some great savings and avoid any hidden costs. Firstly decide whether you want to work with some or most of what you’ve already got, or whether you’d prefer to start from scratch. Look at your current layout and the ways in which it could be improved.

To work well, the fridge, cooker and sink should be in a triangle so you can move easily between the three. Avoid any wasted space and consider where utensils can be stored. Also, leave yourself enough surface space to prepare meals.

The colour scheme is very important. If you have a small space, opt for light tones to make the room appear bigger. While fitting tiles above kitchen counters can make cleaning and wiping the area much easier too.

See the light

The choice of lighting will also have a considerable impact on the room. Install a spotlight above the cooker, so you can execute dishes with military precision.

If you’re lost for ideas, DIY stores, kitchen showrooms, magazines and home improvement TV shows can be a great source of inspiration. Speak to shop assistants and ask for their advice. You could even create a scrap book of images and colour charts.

Clever spending

Take measurements, make a list of the utilities already in place, and work out a budget. Your units, appliances, tiles and worktops are likely to make up the bulk of the cost… but don’t forget the flooring, lighting, paint and/or wallpaper, handles, taps, kickboard, end panels, pelmet, etc. All of these things will add to your budget and the length and complexity of the project.

Some more affordable kitchens are available to take away that day from DIY stores, but most need to be ordered and this can take weeks, even months, so plan your project accordingly. The higher spec the kitchen, the longer it’s likely to take.

Cook off!

Now, think about actually installing the kitchen. Doing it yourself will help keep costs down, but do you have the right DIY skills? Professionals should be called in to do all the electrical and gas work, and only experienced DIYers should tackle the plumbing.

Good tradespeople tend to be busy, so it’s worth getting quotes well in advance.

Remember, as with any building work, there are always risks of damage – so make sure your home insurance is up to date and you’ve got the right level of cover by comparing different quotes with Confused.com, for more advice, read our article Got the Builders In? Make Sure You Don’t Invalidate Your Home Insurance. In addition, don’t forget to update your buildings and contents insurance to reflect any interior changes you’ve made… You don’t want to be left underinsured.

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Confused.com compares home insurance from 54 of the UK’s leading home cover providers. Find out how much you cana save by visiting http://www.confused.com/home-insurance

Article Source: Populate.net
Go to Source: Planning for a New Kitchen

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Go to Source: Pro-Quality Sinks and Ovens

The choice of worktops on the market is vast. There are so many different materials out there deciding which to use can be ultimately befuddling and confounding. Worktops will vary in cost depending upon the material used; this does not necessarily have to be the most important consideration however. Aesthetics should also be considered when redesigning a kitchen. Here are some of the most commonly used materials in the construction of worktops and surfaces.

An extremely en vogue material at the moment is granite. It is extremely expensive but when buying slabs of stone you are paying for quality. Predominantly its biggest benefit is strength, although as a design feature it is also appealing. As well as granite there are a variety of composite stones that have become available since manufacturing techniques have been improved. Composite worktops can be extremely attractive utilising gloss sheen, glittering sediment and vivacious colours.

Stone is not the only option however and in some kitchens can look out of place. Wood should always be considered for worktops due to its durability and beauty. In addition wooden surfaces can also be fitted easily, reducing costs further.

Oak has been used in construction for centuries, its classical look is a powerful draw for many designers and the fact that it ages so well, makes it the ideal long term material.

Walnut is a popular choice because of its immensely prominent grain. The grain of walnut is so strong that it can dominate a kitchen and ultimately should be used sparingly. For a country kitchen however, walnut can be considered perfect.

Cherry has increasingly been used in kitchen design over the last decade because of its unique colouration and sublime grain. As a dark wood it is strong but also ages well and will only add to the aesthetic appeal over time.

Beech on the other hand is a light wood that can create a contemporary, light and airy kitchen. It is warm and welcoming and once again suits those who are trying to achieve the ‘country kitchen’ look.

For the most contemporary designers however, iroko is rapidly becoming the wood of choice. Described by many as the African teak it has a sumptuous darkness about it that oozes class and style.

Naturally finding a supplier that can supply your worktops at an affordable price is advisable but care should be taken to ensure only quality materials are used. While stone has few maintenance issues, wood requires a concerted effort to keep it in good condition. After instillation stains and treatments should be applied to ensure that the wood is protected from damp and hot items. This process will most probably have to be repeated on an annual basis so wooden worktops can be considered an investment of both time and money.

Whether changing the kitchen worktops to increase the value of a property or just to update a tired looking culinary area, the choices are seemingly endless. Hopefully this information on the most popular woods and stones used should help in making a decision. Ultimately the choice is yours, but remember that quality is essential for elegant work surfaces.

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Interior design expert Thomas Pretty looks into the types of materials used in the manufacture of kitchen worktops and the benefits of each.

Article Source: Populate.net

Keep electrical switches, plugs and lighting fixtures away from water sources and wet hands. Building codes require that every electrical receptacle be grounded and protected with ground-fault circuit interrupters, which shut off the room’s electric current if there is a power surge or moisture is present.

Think about traffic flow. If your kitchen is anything like mine, there will be a lot of foot traffic flowing through your kitchen. With that in mind, it is important place key appliances in areas where that foot traffic will not interfere with your cooking. Locate microwaves conveniently above the floor to avoid reaching to retrieve food. Slide-out trays and bins in base cabinets make storage items more accessible and eliminate bending. Avoid putting a range near an entrance or exit. And lastly, avoid sharp corners on the ends of countertops, especially islands and peninsulas, by having them rounded.

Regulate water temperatures. This is particularly important if you are going to have children using the faucets in the kitchen. Install faucets with anti-scald devices that prevent water temperature from rising to dangerous levels, or buy pressure-balanced valves that equalize hot and cold water. Faucets are also available that can be pre-programmed to your desired temperature setting.

Use proper lighting. Good general lighting, supplemented with proper task lighting that’s clearly focused on a work surface, can greatly decrease your chance of injury while preparing a meal. Also, the lighting should not produce any glare or shadows on the surface.

Keep a fire extinguisher within reach. While it is best to have a fire extinguisher within plain site, it is not always going to fit in with your decor. If that is not an option, keep it under the sink or in a pantry that is easily accessible from every point in the room. Never store an extinguisher near or under a cooktop or range. If a fire is to occur, those areas will likely be the cause and make an extinguisher stored in that area unreachable.

Find a safe cooktop. Avoid being scalded by steam from a boiling pot by staggering burners on your cooktop or have one straight row of burners. Choose a unit with controls along the side or in the front. When children are around, it is also important to install knob guards on the stove to prevent a child from accidentally turning on a burner and severely burning themselves, or even worse.

Use slip-resistant flooring. The dangers of slipping and falling, especially when you may be carrying hot food, is pretty obvious. A slip-resistant material on your floor, such as matte-finished wood or laminate, textured vinyl or a soft-glazed ceramic tile, will do the trick. If you select tile or another smooth surface, try using a throw rug with a non-skid backing as an added precaution, especially around areas that get wet.

The codes vary from state to state and in some cases, city to city, so it is important to consult a professional if you are not 100% sure of the building codes. There are many free resources out there that can guide you through some of the industry standards if you do a quick search on the internet.

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Find out where the experts go to get all of their kitchen cabinets and accessories. Learn how to save thousand on kitchen cabinets by buying them where contractors and builders shop.

Article Source: Populate.net

The key to saving time in the kitchen is to plan your meals. It’s important to schedule out your meals for the week. If you feel strange having “Spaghetti Mondays” or other specific meals tied to specific days, at least take the time to plan out seven separate dinners and make sure that you have all of the ingredients for those meals. When you’re in the middle of preparing something and you find that you don’t have an essential ingredient, it’s very tempting to go out to eat. Instead, make sure you have everything you need.

Before you start preparing a meal, get all of your ingredients and measuring equipment out at the start. Television chefs do this on their shows because it saves time. Also get your sink full of warm soapy water so you can drop utensils and other cooking items in once you’re done with them. That half cup you used to measure honey will be a lot easier to clean once it has soaked for a while.

On this same note, clean as you go. If you need to chop vegetables and then boil them, use the time you have while waiting for the water to wipe down the cutting board. Keeping your work surface clean and orderly will allow you to save time.

Try baking and using your crock pot more often. While it’s not possible to use the slow cooker or your oven for everything, you’ll be surprised by how much you can cook in these places in your kitchen. The great part about a crock pot or oven is that your meal can be “set it and forget it.” Once you’ve done the prep work, you can walk away and let the meal take care of itself. This is even more true with a crock pot. It’s worth it to invest in this appliance, as long as you put it to good use.

You can also save yourself cooking time each week by cooking in bulk. At the start of the week, grill several chicken breasts that can be used in later meals. A large package of chicken breasts can be used in sandwiches, as main dishes, in salads and in burritos. A few pounds of ground beef prepared at the beginning of the week can be used in chili, spaghetti and tacos throughout the week. You can follow the same process with shredded cheese or chopped vegetables. Do a lot of it once and then you streamline your kitchen time later on.

With these tips, you’ll be able to cook faster and actually enjoy the process. If you’ve been spending too much money dining out, you may want to give this a try. Once you make cooking easier, you’ll wonder why you didn’t do more of it earlier.

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Jamie Jefferson writes for Momscape.com and Susies-Coupons.com, where you can find coupons for cooking essentials as well as restaurant coupons.

Article Source: Populate.net

We tend to spend time on equipment for our kitchen rather than concentrating on the overall feel of the room. I must admit I used to hate spending time in the kitchen because it looked so drab and I would often prepare meals in the fastest possible time just so I didn’t have to stay in the kitchen for a moment longer than I absolutely had to! Then I thought to myself that it was about time I made the kitchen a great place to be. Now what could I do to my kitchen, without spending a fortune on expensive accessories, to brighten the place up?

The first thing I looked at was the lighting. Yes, I know it sounds obvious, but one of the main reasons that my kitchen felt dull was because it WAS dull! I took a look at the hideous fluorescent tube lighting that I had and decided to look for some more innovative ways to shine a spotlight on my kitchen work surface. The answer was right there – get some spotlights. No, I don’t mean the huge ones that you see outside the movie awards, just simple small spotlights that could be set to different directions to light up even the gloomiest corners of my kitchen.

Now I had a bit of light on the subject I could instantly see which area of the kitchen I should tackle next. This was the boring, plain walls that had a predictably neutral shade of cream. I hate wallpapering so I decided to paint the walls, just to freshen them up. I wasn’t going to leave it there as I was merely replacing one plain colour with another. I wanted to have some fun so I asked my kids to cut out pictures from magazines to do with food and we made a collage on one wall of the kitchen. It may not be to everyone’s taste but it certainly livens the kitchen up.

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S. Stammberger is editor of Kitchen Center. Make your kitchen remodeling project a complete success. Find out how, successfully design and remodel your kitchen.

Article Source: Populate.net