--- title: 4 Ways to End Up Hating Your Chicago Kitchen Remodel description: Keeping these 4 things in mind when remodeling your Chicago kitchen will help ensure that you don't end up hating your new kitchen when it's completed image: https://www.kitchensbathsunlimited.com/hs-fs/file-2409510397-jpg/Gallery/Album/10878/DSC_6832Web.jpg --- [![KBU-brighter-blue](https://www.kitchensbathsunlimited.com/hubfs/KBU_May2019/logos/KBU-brighter-blue.png "KBU-brighter-blue")](https://www.kitchensbathsunlimited.com) [![CONTACT US](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/265052/7bd3552a-d2ef-4ec1-bf75-cd56b7181b8f.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/265052/7bd3552a-d2ef-4ec1-bf75-cd56b7181b8f) ![Portfolio](https://www.kitchensbathsunlimited.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Portfolio.png?width=1920&name=Portfolio.png "Portfolio") Blog # 4 Ways to End Up Hating Your Chicago Kitchen Remodel [Ron Nanberg](https://www.kitchensbathsunlimited.com/blog/author/ron-nanberg) | Mon, May 4, 2015 | [Kitchen Remodeling](https://www.kitchensbathsunlimited.com/blog/topic/kitchen-remodeling) ![Chicago Kitchen Remodel](https://www.kitchensbathsunlimited.com/hs-fs/file-2409510397-jpg/Gallery/Album/10878/DSC_6832Web.jpg?width=450&name=DSC_6832Web.jpg "Chicago Kitchen Remodel")You want a Chicago kitchen remodel you'll love. Unfortunately, it's easier than you think to end up with a kitchen remodel you hate without a conscientious approach to the process. Many times, our clients come in with their priorities atwitter over countertop and cabinet selections. While these are certainly important decisions, they are actually a smaller piece of the process. # **4 Things That Can Ruin a Beautiful Chicago Kitchen Renovation** If you aren't in the business of remodeling, it's easy to go in with a nearsighted perspective - focusing on the smaller picture first and then considering the bigger picture - - after it's too late. The best remodeling projects are done in reverse, using a macroscopic approach to start and then moving inward to the more micro-choices and details. Thus, the following four actions can ruin a perfectly good remodel faster than we can say [Grabill Custom Cabinetry](https://www.kitchensbathsunlimited.com/blog/chicago-custom-cabinets-introducting-grabill-custom-cabinetry). 1. **Not assessing the kitchen's role in your life**. Each room is like a character in your life. What role does *your *kitchen play? Is it the food prep area for a family of three or a family of ten? Is a member of your house [a gourmet chef](https://www.kitchensbathsunlimited.com/blog/bid/393470/Designing-a-Gourmet-Style-Kitchen-Remodel) or are 90% of your meals heated up in the microwave with the remaining 10% eaten at restaurants? Is homework done there? Do you [set up your home office](https://www.kitchensbathsunlimited.com/blog/chicago-kitchen-design-ideas-adding-message-center-to-your-layout) on the eat-in bar? By making a detailed assessment of how you use your kitchen, how you *wish *you could use your kitchen and who does what, where, we can design a kitchen unique to your household's needs and with an efficient layout to match. 2. **Not understanding your options**. In the classic movie, *Ferris Bueller's Day Off*, the movie's namesake poignantly states, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." The same is true for kitchen renovating and technology. [Kitchen remodeling trends](https://www.kitchensbathsunlimited.com/blog/chicago-area-kitchen-design-trends-for-2015) are constantly in flux. That appliance you've been pining for over the past five years has probably made way for a new and better option. Make an appointment with a reputable Chicago kitchen design and build team and visit their showroom to see what's trending now and to understand the wide scope of options available to you. 3. **Neglecting the lighting plan**. We've yet to have clients sit down and say, "We just can't WAIT to get started on the lighting plan for our new kitchen," and yet [lighting plans are crucial](https://www.kitchensbathsunlimited.com/blog/bid/278141/Kitchen-Remodeling-Selecting-Light-Fixtures-for-Your-Kitchen) to the way your kitchen looks and feels. You must strike a balance between natural and artificial, task and ambient lighting in order to have a kitchen that can put on its best face any time of day. 4. **Not creating a budget and/or neglecting the contingency fund**. Unless money is no object for you, [a kitchen remodeling budget is a must](https://www.kitchensbathsunlimited.com/blog/bid/339427/Clueless-on-How-to-Budget-for-Your-Kitchen-Remodel). It sets clear boundaries for you and your designers. Make sure to allot at least 10% to 15% (ideal) as a contingency fund to account for inevitable obstacles and "emergencies." There's only one way to guarantee you don't make these same four mistakes in renovating your Chicago kitchen; [schedule a consultation with Kitchens & Baths Unlimited](https://www.kitchensbathsunlimited.com/request-a-free-consultation-chicago-north-shore-kitchen-bath-and-home-remodeling) and design a kitchen remodel you'll love. 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