Good remodeling jobs require good planning. To get the most of your remodeling dollar, be sure to follow the steps below to keep your home improvement projects on track and within budget. The better you prepare, manage those variables and stick to the original plan, the more likely you are to be satisfied with the project and complete it within your cost and timeline budgets.

Hire a professional - Good architects, designers and contractors will add to the initial cost of the project, but can save you money and frustration in the long run. Their experience will help you find design problems early that can cause budget and timeline problems later.

Design Fees and Contractor Costs - Most major remodeling projects will require the services of a professional contractor. Make sure that your bid includes details covering the entire scope of the work, any subcontractors they intend to use, and the timeframe for the completion of the work. Compare bids among other professional contractors as well as their services. Some contractor’s bids may include oversight charges or project management charges that you can do yourself.

Adequate planning is very important - Like any significant project, proper planning is the key to success. Spend the quality time needed to make informed decisions ahead of time before starting the project. Be sure to adequately review bids from contractors and don't select a contractor just because they are the lowest cost provider or are available immediately. Have your contractor draw up detailed plans for your review. Choose the design materials carefully to avoid costly changes later.

Budget and timeline goals - Develop cost and timeline goals and stick to them as much as possible. Breaking the remodeling project down into smaller elements makes it easier to estimate the costs and manage the timeline later.

Stay involved - Stay involved as much as you can. By removing old fixtures, cabinets or doing other clean-up work you can save on the overall remodeling project. If you are capable, do some of the final finishing work yourself to also drive down the costs. Painting, installing faucets or other fixtures yourself can keep you within budget and give you the satisfaction of knowing you did some of the work yourself.

Stay the course - Don't let yourself get side tracked. It is very tempting to change your mind and suddenly think of other projects when working on your current project. Think about other additional projects and schedule it for another weekend or at least when the current project is finished. If your remodeling projects stick to the original plan, most will finish on time and within budget.

Design Choices and Customizations - Using custom cabinetry, windows, doors or other products can quickly drive the costs up for any home improvement project. This is one of the areas where you can exercise a great deal of control over the costs. Custom windows, doors, or cabinets cost can double in price compared to that of a standard product.  Some elements of the project will need custom designs and products but most products such as windows, doors, and cabinets have a wide variety of choices.


Below you’ll find all 40 of the National Kitchen and Bath Association’s guidelines. This great checklist to ensure you planned your project perfectly:

Traffic and Workflow

• 1a. Doorways at least 32” wide and not more than 24” deep in direction of travel
• 1b. Walkways at least 36” wide
• 1c. Work aisles at least 42” wide for one cook; at least 48” wide in multicook kitchens
• 2. Work triangle 26’ or less, with no single leg shorter than 4’ nor longer than 9’
• 3. No major traffic patterns crossing through work triangle
• 4. No entry, appliance, or cabinet doors interfering with one another
• 5. In seating area, 36” of clearance from counter/table edge to wall/obstruction if no traffic passes behind seated diners; 65” of clearance for walkway behind seated diners

Cabinets and Storage

• 6. Kitchens under 150 sq. ft.: 144” of wall cabinet frontage, with cabinets at least 12” deep and 30” high with adjustable shelving Kitchens over 150 sq. ft.: 186” of wall cabinet frontage, with cabinets at least 12” deep and 30” high with adjustable shelving
• 7. At least 60” of wall cabinet frontage within 72” of primary sink’s centerline
• 8. Kitchens under 150 sq. ft.: 156” of base cabinet frontage with cabinets at least 21” deep Kitchens over 150 sq. ft.: 192” of base cabinet frontage with cabinets at least 21” deep
• 9. Kitchens under 150 sq. ft.: at least 120” of drawer or rollout shelf frontage Kitchens over 150 sq. ft.: at least 165” of drawer or rollout shelf frontage
• 10. At least five storage/organizing items 15” to 48” above finished floor
• 11. At least one corner storage unit
• 12. At least two waste receptacles: one for garbage and one for recyclables

Appliance Placement and Use

• 13. Knee space below or adjacent to sinks, cooktops, ranges, and ovens at a minimum of 27” high by 30” wide by 19” deep
• 14. Clear floor space of 30” x 48” at sink, dishwasher, cooktop, oven, and refrigerator
• 15. Minimum of 21” clear floor space between edge of dishwasher and any object placed at right angle to dishwasher
• 16. Edge of primary dishwasher within 36” of one sink edge
• 17. Primary sink between or across from cooking surface preparation area or refrigerator
• 18. At least 24” of clearance between cooking surface and protected surface above or 30” of clearance between cooking surface and unprotected surface above
• 19. Ventilation system with a fan rated at a minimum of 150 CFM for major surface cooking appliances
• 20. No cooking surface below operable window unless window 3” or more behind appliance and more than 24” above it
• 21. Bottom of microwave ovens 24” to 48” above floor

Counter Surface and Landing Space

• 22. At least two work counter heights: one at 28” to 36” above finished floor and one at 36” to 45” above finished floor
• 23. Kitchens under 150 sq. ft.: at least 132” of usable counter frontage Kitchens over 150 sq. ft.: at least 198” of usable counter frontage
• 24. At least 24” of counter frontage to one side of primary sink and 18” on other with 24” space at same height as sink
• 25. At least 3” of counter frontage on one side of secondary sink and 18” on other with 18” space at same height as sink
• 26. At least 15” of landing space (minimum 16” deep) above, below, or adjacent to microwave oven
• 27. Open-ended kitchen: at least 9” counter space on one side of cooking surface and 15” on other, at same height as appliance
  Enclosed kitchen: at least 3” of clearance space at an end wall protected by flame retardant material and 15” on other side at same counter height as appliance
• 28. At least 15” of counter space on latch side of refrigerator or on either side of a side-by-side or at least 15” of counter space no more than 48” across from refrigerator
• 29. At least 15” of landing space (minimum 16” deep) next to or above oven if it opens into primary traffic pattern; if it does not open into traffic, 15” x 16” landing space needed
• 30. Continuous countertop 36” long and at least 16” deep for preparation center; prep center located by water source
• 31. For two adjacent work centers, a minimum counter frontage equal to the longest of the two required counter lengths plus 12”
• 32. No two primary work centers separated by full-height, full-depth tall tower unit (i.e. pantry or refrigerator)
• 33. Minimum clearances for seating areas:
• 30” high table/counter: 30” wide x 19” deep table/counter for each seated diner with 19” clear knee space
• 36” high counter: 24” wide x 15” deep counter space for each seated diner with 15” clear knee space
• 42” high counter: 24” wide x 12” deep counter space for each seated diner with 12” of clear knee space
• 34. No sharp counter edges

Room, Appliance, and Equipment Controls

• 35. Controls, handles, and door and drawer pulls operational with one hand
• 36. Wall-mounted room controls 15” to 48” above finished floor
• 37. Ground fault circuit interrupters specified on all outlets
• 38. Fire extinguisher visibly located in kitchen away from cooking gear and 15” to 48” above floor
• 39. Window/skylight area covering at least 10 percent of total square footage of kitchen or total living space that includes kitchen
• 40. Every work surface well-illuminated by appropriate task and/or general lighting