Most homeowners planning a kitchen remodel or renovation can easily find themselves wanting a 20-karat upgrade on a 2-karat budget. Given the fact that the national average cost of a complete kitchen remodel is approximately $40,000, it’s easy for those looking for an upgrade to realize how quickly the expenses add up to $40,000. However, many kitchen remodels don’t even come close to that figure. Most families in today’s economic climate may not have millions and millions of dollars available to spend on a kitchen remodel. However, it is quite common to obtain a small home equity loan for these types of home improvement projects.

Creating a new kitchen design is not as simple as you might expect. There are basic industry standard heights, distances and depths that must be observed when placing cabinets, lighting, ventilation, outlets, doors and much more. Each county within each state has its own particular building codes to follow based on the geographic location of the county. Because of this, it is important to retain the services of an experienced professional builder who speaks to local and state building codes.

Unless the homeowner is exceptionally skilled and knowledgeable about kitchen renovations and building codes, a do-it-yourself approach will involve inordinate amounts of time, frustration, patience, and most likely multiple cuts, nicks, and bruises. In itself, researching kitchen styles and materials, from countertops and cabinet hardware to range hoods and appliances, can be a daunting task. Then the really hard work begins.

Demolition, cleanup, and preparation, if done by the homeowner, can take weeks. Demolition and removal of fixtures must be done carefully and safely to minimize any damage to floors and walls. If a professional construction and remodeling company is used, what may require weeks of work for the owner can be reduced to just one or two days.

The easy decision to choose a reputable home builder and remodeler instead of having the kitchen upgrade done by the owner is how long the kitchen remodel will take. A realistic time estimate for a do-it-yourself kitchen remodel can easily be 4-8 months, depending on the extent of the remodel. A professional kitchen remodel can take 3-5 weeks. The time savings with the use of a professional company are evident and the owner will never have to be injured.