The Most Effective Ways to Remodel Your Dining Room

There has been a wave of interest in making the kitchen a dual-purpose room, which involves opening up the traditional kitchen space and creating a dining room within it. In fact, this design is often referred to as an “open concept kitchen,” but it’s heavy on typical dining room amenities.

The open concept has grown in popularity in modern home design, so it’s no wonder that people with older homes would embrace something similar in their kitchens and dining rooms. It’s an opportunity to work with the flow and aesthetic of the home, creating something fresh and new that revitalizes the home.

This type of design not only modernizes a home, it provides functional space, which can be a far more cost-effective option than adding on to a home, though that is also an option for homes that can use the extra space.

Knocking down walls

Older homes are known for their compartmentalization. Walls are everywhere, and the focus of the designer was creating pockets of space, each with its own specific intended use. The evolution of technology, art, architecture and style has led to a movement toward opening up spaces, including the kitchen/dining room.

Families want to congregate together, and small rooms with four walls stifle that need/want. If the matriarch of the family was solely in charge of meal preparation in decades past, that task has now become an acceptable and somewhat popular part of the daily routine for family members young and old, regardless of it’s mom, dad, brother or sister. With more chefs in the kitchen, it only makes sense to break down the walls and expand the traditional dining room into the kitchen or vice versa.

Entertain the masses

A remodeled dining room that fits the open concept design is less formal. It’s become a casual setting (though depending taste, can be a more formal design) where couches and comfortable chairs are the norm. There can still be a table, but it doesn’t have to be stacked with upright chairs and chandelier hanging over the top of it.

Today’s dining rooms are frequently built with an island or a bar-style countertop. Televisions and audio-visual equipment are part of the scene, as these areas have also become entertainment centers for the entire family.

Tips on approaching your dining room remodel budget

If you’ve established a list of amenities you want to see in your new dining room, you can have a basis for what it will cost to realize the room of your dreams. However, you can start by asking yourself whether you’re looking to upgrade an existing room without tearing out walls and going with an open concept? Giving it an aesthetic overhaul can still be as expensive as a complete demolition of existing structures, which means you have to plan carefully if you’re going to stay on budget.

You want your remodel to make economic sense, which means you don’t want to go all out and lavish on something that has no chance of providing a return on investment in your neighborhood, so ask what typical renovation costs are in your area.

Some of the more common remodel targets are fixtures, paint, carpeting/flooring and new furniture. What’s your priority? Do you want to spend extra on new furniture and make fixtures less of an expense? Do you want to keep the carpet or achieve a new look with hardwoods or laminate? Hardwoods are a premium, so keep these things in mind as you put together your wish list.

You also have factor permits into your project, especially if it involves carpentry, electrical and plumbing work.

Adding on to the home

In some cases the homeowner is just dead set on adding on to the home to get the dining room of their dreams without compromising the existing rooms. A little more elbowroom can be an excellent perk for a growing family. You have to decide if you’re going to build out or up.

Adding height to a home is usually seen as a more aggressive approach, because it involves reinforcing the existing structure and could produce mess that you’ll have to live with while the project goes through its various phases to completion. However, if there is no room to go outward, going up is the go-to option.

When you work with the right design and build contractor, you are presented with many, many options for building up or out, or knock down walls to make use of existing space.

Finding the right contractor

As mentioned earlier, working with a design and build contractor has a number of advantages. A design and build contractor has every part of the team under the same roof. For example, they have designers who can walk you through every aspect of the plan and listen to your wants and needs along the way. The team also includes an expert build squad, including carpenters, electricians, plumbers – everything you need for your dining room remodel.

At New Concept 180, we have the experience and knowhow you need to tackle every aspect of your dining room remodel. We’ve worked with just about every possible scenario, building up and out, knocking down walls and opening up the home to new possibilities – our designers and builders are ready to assist you with your project. Contact us today and let’s discuss what you want, what you need and how we can deliver that for you.