When it comes to vacation homes, people want to own property that is easy to maintain and use on a moment’s notice. One of the easiest ways to make a kitchen in a vacation home functional for a client is to design it to look similar to the kitchen he has at his full-time home, explains Versatile Improvements & Remodeling, Inc. owner Paul Verga, a general contractor who regularly handles kitchen remodeling projects in Port St. Lucie, Florida.
More important than the aesthetic design in many vacation home kitchens are the appliances inside. Homeowners oftentimes tell Verga that they don’t have the time or the inclination to learn how to use new kitchen appliances, which is why many prefer to have the same brands installed in their vacation house kitchens as they have installed at home.
After all, as Verga explains, one of the major benefits to buying a vacation home rather than renting is being able to customize the property to fit your needs and wants. Rather than spending your summer vacation trying to use a stove that you hate, Verga says it’s better to buy a stove that you like and already know how to use.
When a new client in Port St. Lucie calls Verga and inquires about a kitchen remodeling project, the first step in the process is to get on the same page as far as what the client wants. Oftentimes, the client will point Verga in the right direction by describing what he or she is looking for, or by showing him pictures pulled out of magazines. In other instances, clients may print out photographs that they have taken of friends’ homes that they have liked over the years.
Verga says that both magazine photos and personal photos can give a general contractor in Port St. Lucie a great jumping off point in a kitchen remodeling project. Although many people know what it is that they want to see in their kitchens, other people aren’t as sure. For these people, tearing out photos can help point them in the right direction.
For the owners of vacation homes who do not have quite as much money to spend, Verga says it is common for people to choose between new appliances or new cabinetry—rather than both at the same time. Verga explains that changing out the cabinetry can have a huge impact on a kitchen’s appearance.
What makes a kitchen remodeling project more expensive is when a homeowner wants to have the appliances within the kitchen moved around. In extreme cases, Verga says that the costs associated with moving around plumbing and wiring can add up very quickly.
Nonetheless, he says that a contractor should be able to do these major projects for clients quite easily just as long as they realize the prices involved. Moving the plumbing and electrical lines in a kitchen is going to make the overall cost much more expensive than simply changing the cabinets or putting a new stove into the same spot where the old stove sat.
Verga explains that cost is something that the owners of vacation homes do need to take into consideration very early on in their projects, since many people want things that they just can’t afford to pay for. This is why Verga goes over all of the costs involved in his kitchen remodeling projects with his Port St. Lucie clients.