Everyone can have a luxury kitchen they love to come home to — a room that reflects their tastes, fits their lifestyle and budget, and meets their everyday needs.
EW Kitchens and Extraordinary Works, our luxury kitchen division, is a complete kitchen and bath resource, offering innovative design, gorgeous cabinetry, top-of-the-line appliances, countertops, lighting, hardware, and installation services.
Builders, designers, and homeowners have trusted EW Kitchens with their new kitchen and remodeling projects for more than 60 years.
Our showrooms in Wixom, Troy, and Shelby Township feature a large selection cabinetry, design ideas, and materials to spark your inspiration.
Budgeting for your Kitchen Remodel:
Almost without exception, when a client begins to plan a kitchen remodeling project the first question asked is, “How much will it cost?” Although this is a very important question, realistically, in a highly specialized industry like kitchen remodeling, the sky is the limit. A better question to ask is, “How much can we afford to spend?” To determine this, use the following guidelines. Industry experts recommend investing 10 to 25 percent of the home’s value for a kitchen remodel; that would equate to between $25,000 and $62,500 for a home valued at $250,000. Of this amount, you can expect to spend 40 percent on the cabinetry, which is the most visual and heavily used area within your home. About 35 percent of the budget should be allocated for appliances, countertops, flooring, and fixtures like lighting and plumbing. The remaining 25 percent includes the costs of labor, supervision, design, contracting services, and permit fees. For most homeowners, remodeling a kitchen is a once-in-a-lifetime project. Educating the homeowner about the many products, design features, and nuances of the remodeling project is Extraordinary Works/EW Kitchens’ specialty. The following is a breakdown of the factors involved in determining a remodeling budget.
Got to Have It:
In every remodeling project, there are things that are “musthaves.” Identifying those items in your budget — and maybe including a little extra money for the must-haves you are going to discover during the process — is important. For some people, having a large, commercial-style range is the only critically important component at the outset — but along the way, they realize that spectacular hutch, which would fit perfectly into the nook in the kitchen, is another “must-have.”
If You Fail to Plan, You Plan to Fail:
Making all of your decisions before you remove the first nail is always the preferred method. Accurate measurements, functional design, and well-detailed drawings are the starting points for success. This will ensure a more accurate cost estimate prior to the construction, and will expedite the project once it’s under way. When construction begins, the wheels are in motion and decisions that have been “put off until later” — like countertops, hardware, plumbing fixtures, floor tile, etc. — become critical to the deadline, and pressure is placed upon the client to decide right now or risk delaying the completion of the job. The best plan is to make these decisions, in consultation with your designer, prior to beginning construction. Prepare a plan, and follow it!
The Dreaded “Unknown Extras”:
Until we develop X-ray vision to look through walls, floors, and ceilings, there will be the possibility of encountering the dreaded “unknown extra.” The best approach to this situation is to build in a contingency of 10 to 15 percent of the construction cost. Most unknown extras will turn up within the first week of the construction. Once this week is completed, the likelihood of encountering problems requiring extra expenses is greatly reduced.
“Scope Creep”
Many homeowners ask us, “While you’re here, could you…?” or they suggest, “While we’re making a little dust, maybe we should…” If you find yourself in this trap, don’t be surprised if you go over your budget. It has been our experience that the extra work homeowners would like us to complete would cost no more money if it were done at a later date. The idea that contractors are going to charge less because they’re already “set up” is false. If your bathtub drain is leaking into the middle of your kitchen ceiling, fixing it before you finish the cabinetry installation is the correct choice. If you don’t like the look of the baseboard, shoe molding, and casing in the family room, handling that project down the road makes more sense.
Everything is Not a “Got to Have”
At some point the line must be drawn and a tradeoff may need to be made concerning wants and needs. For instance, eliminating the Sub Zero fridge for a counter-depth refrigerator, or substituting a Moen faucet for the Grohe model, can still produce the same functionality. Perhaps you, the homeowner, could do your own painting instead of hiring a professional. There are a lot of areas where money can be saved without sacrificing the overall aesthetics of the room. Developing a sincere, realistic, and trustworthy relationship with your kitchen designer will lead to a successful project.
Making sure your project is designed correctly, constructed accurately, and kept on budget is the goal of Extraordinary Works/EW Kitchens. If these steps are followed, you can expect your kitchen to add substantial value to your home and create space that you will enjoy for years to come.
EW Kitchens Showroom & Main Office
(One mile west of Twelve Oaks Mall)
29750 Anthony Drive
Wixom, MI 48393
248-669-1300
Extraordinary Works at the Michigan Design Center
(Open to the public; enter through north entrance)
1700 Stutz Drive, Suite 93
Troy, MI 48084
248-649-0500
EW Kitchens at the Shelby Design Center
(North of 22 Mile Road)
50178 Van Dyke
Shelby Twp., MI 48317
586-739-9100
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