Kitchen remodeling projects can be exciting, as old cupboards and tacky countertops give way to a new and aesthetically pleasing kitchen space. Plumbing plays a huge role in any kitchen remodeling project, and here in Olympia, WA, you have top-notch experts standing by to give you a hand. Like any other big project, kitchen remodeling takes careful planning and the more you can set up in advance, the better the project will go. Here’s some things to remember when beginning your kitchen remodeling.
Brooks Plumbing Co. Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Kitchen Remodeling’
What You Should Remember about Kitchen Remodeling
Monday, November 2nd, 2015Why You Should Hire Professional Plumbers When Conducting Kitchen Remodeling
Monday, March 30th, 2015Kitchen remodeling is a pretty intense process, involving the reconciliation of a lot of different moving parts. It’s never easy to keep track of everything that needs to get done, but it’s imperative that it all be done correctly. The last thing you want to do is turn on your new kitchen sink, only to find that the water wasn’t hooked up. To that end, it’s better to hire professionals for some of these tasks.
Read on to find out why you should hire professional plumbers when conducting kitchen remodeling.
Cost vs Benefit
Kitchen remodeling is often an expensive investment, and no one could blame you for looking into ways to save money during the process. Doing it yourself, however, is not a great idea when you don’t have the professional experience necessary to do it well. You wouldn’t start messing with your home’s electrical wiring by yourself (at least, we certainly hope you wouldn’t) so why would you try it with your plumbing? You may not get electrocuted if you do something wrong, but plumbing mistakes can lead to hundreds or even thousands of dollars in water damage. If you want to move any of your water appliances to a different location in the new kitchen, it’s going to require installing new pipe in the walls. No matter how you slice it, it just isn’t worth the trouble of going it alone just to save a few dollars.
Quality of Work
Let’s say you rely on a friend, or your own plumbing knowledge, to get through a kitchen remodel. You may be able to hook everything up correctly enough for it to work for a while. However, it is likely that you will miss something that could cause issues later. Proper plumbing maintenance is not an easy task, and if you make a mistake it could end up costing you in the long run. If you hire a professional plumber, on the other hand, you can rest assured that it will get done right the first time.
If you need plumbing work done for a kitchen remodel, call Brooks Plumbing. We provide plumbing services throughout the Olympia area.
Tips on Planning Your Kitchen Remodel
Tuesday, March 17th, 2015Remodeling your kitchen can be an exciting endeavor, but it does require a great deal of work. This is why it’s so important to hire experts you can trust for your kitchen remodeling in Olympia. Planning is the key to making your kitchen remodel a success, and when you work with a Brooks Plumbing expert from the very beginning of your remodeling process, you can rest assured that you are in good hands.
So what kinds of tips should be kept in mind when remodeling your kitchen?
Let’s take a look:
- Design traffic patterns that work – think about how people walk around your kitchen, and make sure that when you design your kitchen, you have walkways wide enough. Typically, regular walking paths should be at least 36 inches, and areas where you cook should be anywhere from 42-48 inches.
- Make sure the microwave is at the right height – it sounds like a small item, but the microwave is used very frequently and if it’s installed at an inconvenient height, it could irk you for years. Children and the cook(s) in your home factor a lot into the placement of your microwave, so make sure you include them in your planning.
- Plan for clearance – there is nothing more frustrating that having a beautiful kitchen that isn’t fully operable because of cabinets that won’t fully open because there isn’t enough clearance for the doors.
- Include “landing space” on your counters – we all need space to put our food when cooking, yet this is an oft-overlooked item when planning your kitchen. The simple rule is that there should be 15 inches of countertop space on either side of your stove and refrigerator.
- Plan for recycling – just about every town has recycling requirements at this point, so make yours easy by planning separate spaces for your garage and recycling containers.
- Make sure you have enough outlets – outlets can often be forgotten about, so make sure you have enough outlets to make your kitchen as useful as you need it.
Your kitchen remodel should be as functional as it is attractive, and when you work with a trained expert from Brooks Plumbing on your kitchen remodel, your needs will be paramount to the overall plan.
Ready for a new kitchen?
Call us today and schedule an appointment to get a kitchen remodeling for your Olympia home.
Should You Include a Garbage Disposal with Your Kitchen Remodeling?
Monday, January 26th, 2015If you’re remodeling a kitchen on a limited budget, you may look for ways that you can cut corners here and there. There are lots of ways to save money during a kitchen remodel, such as choosing an inexpensive tile, installing an energy efficient dishwasher and refrigerator, or focusing on only one area of the kitchen at a time. But one item that you cannot afford to skip over is the garbage disposal unit.
At Brooks Plumbing, we recommend you work with a contractor throughout your kitchen remodeling project so that you don’t end up missing out on any necessary plumbing equipment. Call us for your next Olympia remodeling project.
Misconceptions about the Need for Garbage Disposals
There are a couple of different misconceptions about garbage disposals that lead some homeowners—and even a few contractors—to believe that garbage disposal installation isn’t always needed. Some people think that a garbage disposal is simply unnecessary since drains seem to clog anyway or because the motor often gets stuck, but this generally happens only when you misuse the disposal.
The second misconception is that you can always install a garbage disposal later on. Attempting to save money now by leaving garbage disposal installation for another time still puts your plumbing system at risk. Even if you put in a temporary drain trap, this won’t necessarily prevent all foods from moving down the drain. Garbage disposals break up food and even some fats and oils so that you won’t end up with a serious drainage issue on your hands.
How to Properly Care for Your Garbage Disposal
If you want to make sure your garbage disposal doesn’t run into problems later on, be sure to use a professional for installation. You should also avoid dumping certain items down the drain, including fibrous foods like celery, F.O.G. (fats, oils, and grease), expandable foods like pasta and rice, and hard foods like meat bones. Run the cold water while using the disposal so that any fat and oil that does manage to move into the sink can break up more easily. Of course, you should throw non-food items in the trash, and you should always try to break large chunks of food up first.
Professional garbage installation helps to protect your plumbing and makes food preparation and cleanup much easier. Call Brooks Plumbing today to work with a plumbing specialist on your Olympia kitchen remodeling.
Kitchen Remodeling Options: Upgrading Your Fixtures
Friday, January 16th, 2015The kitchen is a room in the home that is central to your family life or for entertaining guests. People tend to gather around the kitchen to discuss the day’s events while cooking or cleaning. The kitchen is where you can prepare the healthy meals that will help you to make a major lifestyle change or where you can bake a warm dessert to relax after a long day.
Regardless of how you enjoy your kitchen, you want a space that’s welcoming, stylish, and easy to use. And the fixtures in your kitchen can help make it easier to prepare meals and make guests feel right at home. The following guide includes a few different ways you may decide to upgrade your kitchen fixtures when you decide on kitchen remodeling.
The Sink
A central decision in how your kitchen will be designed involves the look of the kitchen sink. Perhaps you want a double bowl so that you have more room for cleanup. Or maybe you’d prefer a stylish granite single bowl to allow for more counter space. Whatever your choice, make sure you work with a skilled contractor who can decide whether some plumbing fixtures need to be moved around to accommodate this new design. If you’d like more space underneath the sink for storage, for example, you may need a plumber to install some additional piping to move the sink higher up.
Under the Sink
You may also want to think about the fixtures that will go under the sink. It’s easiest to install a garbage disposal during your new sink installation than to schedule it as an afterthought, for example. And it’s also important to think about additional plumbing installations beforehand, like an under-sink water filtration system or even a built-in soap dispenser.
The Dishwasher
Finally, when you decide to upgrade your dishwasher, you should first check with the contractor to make sure that the unit fits in with the plumbing system and is in line with your new kitchen design. A contractor is able to make the proper measurements now so that you don’t end up discovering that your original design scheme isn’t going to work after you’ve already had the unit shipped.
You should always work with a trained contractor when choosing the fixtures that will fit into your new kitchen remodeling in Lacey. Call Brooks Plumbing to talk about your remodeling needs today.
Reasons to Consider Kitchen Remodeling
Friday, August 15th, 2014Undertaking a major remodeling project for your home can seem intimidating, and making the choice to remodel a central part of your home, like the kitchen, is one you shouldn’t make lightly.
However, there are some excellent reasons why choosing to have your kitchen remodeled is worthwhile. If you have an excellent contractor to assist you with the remodeling, most of your worries will be taken care of and the job should go smoothly, with reduced disruption to your daily life. If you are thinking of kitchen remodeling, call our experts at Brooks Plumbing today. We can help you plan for the right fixtures and plumbing upgrades to make your remodeling project a complete success.
Some Reasons To Remodel Your Kitchen:
- Increase its function: If you feel that your kitchen makes you work too hard, then upgrading it can help you change it into a more functional and efficient space. Multi-bowl sinks, additional room, easier access to storage, improved appliances… all of these will make your kitchen much easier to work in.
- Update the style: Perhaps your kitchen feels like a stale a lifeless space; it simply isn’t an attractive or pleasant place in which to spend time, and the passing years have made it look increasingly out-of-date. A remodel will give your kitchen a much needed face-lift to modernize it and help it reflect your personal sense of style.
- Entertainment value: Kitchens are often located near the center of a home, and you can make the room a part of the center of social activity. If you are interested in doing more entertaining in your house, expanding and upgrading the kitchen will make the job much easier and enjoyable. The basic layout of many older kitchens can make them restrictive for entertaining purposes, and a remodel will fix this.
- Raise resale value: If you think that you will eventually put your home on the market, a beautiful and effective kitchen will make the home more attractive to potential buyers. Surveys have shown that a kitchen remodeling job can return 85% of its cost in resale value alone.
- Safety: Kitchens are the space in the house where the most accidents can occur. If you have a home with young children or people with special assistance needs, it’s wise to have a kitchen designed to lessen the chance of accidents from narrow walkways and countertops at unsafe heights.
Brooks Plumbing is here to assist with the remodeling work you need. We can perform the repiping and drain upgrades to support your new appliances. For any plumbing changes that you need done to accommodate the work on your kitchen remodeling in Olympia, WA, you can place your trust our remodeling specialists. We can match your needs with our full range of service.
Types of Sinks to Consider for Your Kitchen Remodel
Friday, May 23rd, 2014The phrase “everything but the kitchen sink” implies that a kitchen sink is the last thing you include in any comprehensive list… if you even include it at all. But when it comes to remodeling a kitchen, perhaps the phrase should be amended to “everything starting with the kitchen sink.” With the amount of choices available for new sinks, from layout to mounting to materials, you can make the kitchen sink the centerpiece of a redesign. Picking the right sink means a more beautiful kitchen and also one that’s easier in which to cook and clean.
Trust to kitchen remodeling specialists for assistance with new sink selection. You want to make sure that the sink will simplify and enhance your life, and not the reverse. Brooks Plumbing has the experience with kitchen remodeling that will see you have the best work possible.
Kitchen Sink Layouts
One of the first considerations regarding a new sink is its layout. The standard sink has one bowl, but many homeowners opt for multiple bowls and sometimes multiple faucets. Although multiple bowls have many advantages, more is not necessarily better in every case. A single-bowl sink is often ideal for smaller kitchens where you need to free up space. Single bowls are also better choices when it comes to cleaning larger dishes and pans, and they cost less than multi-bowl alternatives.
Many homes today use a double-bowl layout; provided they have sufficient space for the work done in them, these layouts work for the majority of kitchens. There is a great variety of configurations for double-bowl sinks, however, so the right layout will depend on how much you plan to use the two bowls.
Kitchen Sink Materials
The material that makes up a kitchen sink has an enormous effect on durability, how easy the sink is to clean, and the look of a kitchen. There’s an array of choices, some exotic, but the most popular materials are stainless steel, cast iron, fireclay, and composites of rock and resin. Stainless steel sinks are usually the least expensive, fireclay the most damage-resistant, and cast iron the most traditionally appealing to the eye. The different ways that sink material will work with a kitchen is so varied that you need to balance out many factors when it comes to making the best choice.
At Brooks plumbing, we strive for quality in every job we take on. We offer a full range of services for remodels, starting with choosing the right fixtures. When it’s time for kitchen remodeling in Olympia, WA, call us and we’ll deliver the work that you need.
3 Factors to Consider When Remodeling Your Kitchen
Friday, May 16th, 2014A kitchen remodel can enhance your home life in significant ways. Kitchens are often at the center of a home, so even if you do not do a large amount of entertaining and cooking, the kitchen will still make up an important part of your life.
When you begin a kitchen remodeling in Olympia, WA, make sure you hire the right experienced plumbers to tackle the work. Brooks Plumbing has served the Olympia area since 1994 with services that include quality kitchen remodeling. Contact us when you are ready to start your kitchen re-design.
Here Are 3 Important Factors To Consider For A Kitchen Remodel:
1. Should You Upgrade Your Piping?
You do not need to extensively replace the plumbing in your kitchen during a remodel: the plumbers can handle adding new fixtures and faucets without replacing the pipes. However, this is an excellent opportunity to upgrade older plumbing, especially if you have plumbing that pre-dates 1970. Replacing the plumbing will also give you more design options for the kitchen and provide the remodelers with more freedom.
2. What New Features Should You Add?
The options you have during a remodel for a kitchen can include adding new appliances that will make your kitchen more efficient. Now, for example, is when you should have a garbage disposal put in if you did not have one previously. You can have low-flow faucets installed to save water, or have under the sink water filtration devices to provide cleaner water. If you have an aging dishwasher, you can consider this upgrade as well. For the sink, you can change from a single-basin model to a multi-basin one that allows you to do more tasks at one time. Consult with remodelers for other ideas that will enhance the redesign.
3. What Sort Of General Design Do You Want?
This is perhaps the most important question to ask yourself. Focus on what you hope to achieve with this new kitchen remodel, and how you want it to look when it’s done. When you talk to your remodeler, this will help guide the direction of the project and establish a budget framework early on. Do you want a more modern design with easier workflow? Are you aiming to make the kitchen a more open and friendly gathering place for your household? Or do you wish to create a retro-design that is less about function and more about enhancing the appearance of your home?
Brooks Plumbing offers a range of services for your kitchen remodeling in Olympia, WA. We are proud of the quality that we bring to every job we do, and we can help you create the kitchen you want.
Plumbing Considerations to Make During Kitchen Remodeling
Monday, March 31st, 2014The kitchen is often located at the heart of a house, and you may find that your family spends as much time gathered in the kitchen as in any other room. It’s not only an area for food storage and preparation; it’s part of your family’s daily social routine. Remodeling your kitchen, whether for a fresh surface appearance, to increase its size, to add new appliances, or for all of these reasons, will help enhance your life.
Kitchen restoration goes deeper than cabinets and countertops. The plumbing is part of the process, and you should take a few things about it into consideration when you plan for a kitchen remodel.
Brooks Plumbing can help you with the plumbing changes and upgrades when you have kitchen remodeling done in Olympia, WA. We’ve assisted homeowners with plumbing, from pipe installation to leak detection, since 1994.
What to consider during kitchen remodeling for your plumbing
- Complete repiping: If you live in an older home (usually pre-‘60s), you may have outdated pipes made from galvanized steel. Although steel is hardy and durable, it also corrodes with time. During the period that you have your pipes exposed in the kitchen for the remodeling, have plumbers perform state-of-the-art plumbing replacement to change out steel pipes for copper, CPVC, or PEX plastic pipes that will last for many years without degrading.
- Upgrade your fixtures: You need plumbers to handle adding new fixtures like sinks and faucets for your kitchen remodel. (And, if you don’t already have a garbage disposal, place this at the top of your list of priorities for new fixtures.) Skilled plumbers can help you determine which fixtures will work the best for the remodel.
- Add water filtration: During a remodel is an ideal time to put in under-sink water filtration, which will help you get higher quality water from the faucet than you would from unfiltered tap water coming from the municipal supply.
- Go “tankless” for your water heater: Another opportunity that a kitchen remodel offers is a time to take out your old storage water heater and install a tankless model that only heats up water as you need it, saving you on your utility bills each month.
Talk to expert plumbers about your remodel
When you call up Brooks Plumbing about your kitchen remodeling in Olympia, WA, we’ll lay out a plan and a timeline so you will know what work we’re doing and what other places you might want to add conveniences. Make your kitchen remodeling a chance to enhance your life in many different ways: work with experienced plumbers.
5 Ways You Can Remodel Your Kitchen
Tuesday, July 30th, 2013For most people, the kitchen is the heart of the home. It’s where food is prepared, eaten and enjoyed; where family members gather to discuss the day’s events; where friends and guests catch up. Kitchen remodeling is one of the major ways you can improve the overall comfort, value, and convenience of your home. Because the kitchen is where fine furnishings, plumbing, and major appliances come together, there are virtually limitless possibilities for your new kitchen. From installing new cabinetry to repiping the entire area to make more room for a new appliance or fixture, you need to find a contractor that can best serve your needs. At Brooks Plumbing, we offer comprehensive kitchen remodeling in Tumwater, in addition to our other plumbing services. Call us today to find out more about how we can improve your home.
Let’s take a look at 5 different ways to remodel your kitchen:
- Cabinetry. New cabinetry in the kitchen can be a relief. No more drawers that won’t close, doors that stick, or old paint chipping off into the cooking area. New cabinets with new hardware adds a great blend of functionality and design to your home.
- Countertops with back splash. There is no substitute for a new counter top. When you cook and clean, your counter top is your primary workspace, and it needs to be set-up in such a way as to be right for your needs. A back splash can add life to your kitchen walls, which are subject to water, grease, and other substances during food prep and clean-up.
- Kitchen sink. A kitchen sink is one of the most important parts of the kitchen. It’s where you wash vegetables before slicing them, and where you scrub greasy pots and pans after a big family dinner. As such, it’s incredibly important that you find one that is the correct size for your kitchen needs.
- Dishwasher.If your dishwasher is on the brink of failure, or no longer is able to clean your dishware properly, then you might want to consider installing an energy-efficient model in your new kitchen.
- New pipes. Kitchen remodeling is a great time to make sure that the piping in your kitchen area is in good, working condition. Whether you need to swap out a leaky section or you want to move the pipes around your kitchen, find a plumber who can meet your needs.
Call Brooks Plumbing today for kitchen remodeling and plumbing services in Tumwater, WA.
