Kitchen Remodeling

Your kitchen is generally the most travelled and used room in your home.
Let’s make it more beautiful and functional!

Your kitchen is the literal breadbasket and heartbeat of your home. Not only is it the crossroads of the traffic in your living space but it is also the place where you spend a lot of your time nourishing, and interacting with, your family. So when you decide to upgrade or remodel this area it’s a big deal!

Our team at Westrock Contractors, the premier general contracting and remodeling company in Central Texas and the Highland Lakes Area, understands and respects that. So how do we get started?

First off, like any major remodeling project, proper designing and planning is critical to completing the project on time, within your budget and, most importantly, to your complete satisfaction.

Take your time thinking about not only how you want your beautifully renovated kitchen to look, but also its functionality. Quite often, if you’re happy with the basic layout of your kitchen, a full blown “strip it down to the walls and start over” project might not be necessary. You may be able to simply remodel and upgrade or replace your cabinets, fixtures, appliances, countertops and flooring. But if you want to make major changes, you may need to take it down to the walls and start with a blank slate. Based on your vision and budget, this is probably the first major question that needs to be considered in your kitchen remodeling plan.

Kitchen Renovation Styles

If you’re ready to start remodeling your kitchen you probably have a pretty good idea of what look or style you want. If not, here’s a few suggestions. Here are some recognized styles to consider:

Contemporary Style Kitchen

Modern or contemporary style kitchens are very popular. When remodeling a kitchen, whether for resale or your own use and enjoyment, the contemporary style is appealing and functional. Some highlights of a contemporary style kitchen remodel are:

Artificial Materials – Modern kitchens use a variety of artificial man-made materials such as glass, plastic, concrete, stainless steel, and tile or stone, to create a sleek, clean, streamlined appearance.
Monochromatic Cabinets – Black or white cabinetry gives a kitchen a very modern look keeping with the contemporary style.
Chrome Hardware and Fixtures – Cabinet knobs, hinges, pulls, latches, and faucets add even more of a modern and sleek look to a contemporary style kitchen renovation.
Floating Shelves – Freestyle floating shelving, in place of full box cabinets, are becoming a popular contemporary style accent.
Smart Appliances – Refrigerators, ovens, dishwashers and all manner of appliances have become quite modern with sleek stainless steel looks and wi-fi capabilities are all the rage in modern style kitchens.

Traditional Style Kitchen

Even though traditional style kitchens bring styling back to the basics, it certainly doesn’t mean that they have to be boring! A traditional kitchen is emphasized by a warm, comfortable style featuring quality cabinets and stone countertops. Common elements of a traditional style kitchen are:

Neutral Colors – Traditional style kitchens have walls and backsplashes of mostly whites, blacks, greys and browns.
Wood Cabinets – The neutral walls are complemented by cabinets of warm woods like cherry, birch and walnut, which are highlighted with high quality millwork like raised panel doors, decorative moldings, and even corbels and appliques.
Masonry Countertops – A modern style kitchen is usually highlighted by a hard surface countertop of quartz, granite or marble.
Tile Backsplashes – Common choices for countertop backsplash in a traditional style kitchen are ceramic or masonry tiles in neutral colors.
Homey Decor – A traditional kitchen area will feature familiar, comfortable items like wine racks, cookie jars, baskets and wall photos. Traditional kitchens live up to their name!

French Style Kitchen

This category of kitchen really encompasses more varied European styles but since the beautiful and romantic elements of French designs seem to touch them all, they are commonly known as French Style. Whether inspired by the beautiful coastal areas of the Mediterranean, or the rolling hills and valleys of rural France, a remodeled kitchen dominated by charming European accents would be an amazing upgrade to any home. Here are a few design elements of French style kitchens:

Colors – European kitchens are known for their warm, rich, and varied colors! Deep and colorful darker earth tones like browns, bronzes, magentas and even cobalt blues tend to dominate. Incorporating these colors into either the cabinets and countertops, or the accessories like tablecloths, tables and chairs will make your newly remodeled kitchen distinct and beautiful.
Cabinetry – No French style kitchen worth its “salt” would be complete without beautiful wooden cabinets! Solid, distinctive, heavy grained woods like mahogany, cherry, or birch fit well with this style and when highlighted by strong edging and trim they really add a feel of old world craftsmanship to any modern kitchen.
Hardware and Fixtures – No Euro-style kitchen would be complete without beautiful darker toned metalwork. Bronze and matte black cabinet pulls and handles are the perfect compliment to strong cabinetry, and faucets and fixtures in oil-rubbed bronze, copper or even gold really add the finishing touches to the kitchen hardware.
Flooring – Flooring choices are a big part of any French style kitchen. The old world look of the space is complemented by flooring of wood or stone, especially if it looks a bit worn. Modern materials like stone tile, engineered hardwoods or even stamped concrete can be used to give the flooring that look, while having modern wear-resistance and ease of maintenance.
Countertops – Keeping with the bold, natural style of materials, countertops of stone or tile are the right match for these kitchens. Adding a bold and intricate edge to them, like ogee or double ogee, really give them a crafted look.
Appliances – Everyone wants modern appliances in their kitchen for ease of use. However, it can be tricky to incorporate them into old world style kitchens. Stainless Steel, the predominant facing material of most kitchen appliances these days, wasn’t even a material back then! Luckily, many modern kitchen appliances like refrigerators, dishwashers, wine coolers, and trash compactors, are available that can accommodate custom wood panels, matching your cabinetry, on their front faces. These give them a look that blends with the cabinetry to allow the appliances to be there for use, but without the stark contrast of out of place looking modern units. Appliances manufacturers like Fisher & Paykel, ILVE, and La Cornue offer ovens in rich European style colors to keep them in the style as well.
Hanging Accessories – Yes! Kitchens in the French style are made for cooking, so having cookery like pots, pans, and tools within easy reach are a must. These cooking spaces often feature beautiful and intricate ironwork hanging racks over islands or cooking areas, for storing these items at arms reach for the chef.

Coastal Style Kitchen

Whether on the East Coast, West Coast or Gulf Coast, coastal style kitchens all seem to have the same look. Cool colors and materials give the feeling of peaceful serenity that fits right in with coastal living. If you’re looking for this feel in your kitchen, you can’t go wrong with the coastal style, even if your home is right here in Central Texas! Coastal style kitchens have these elements:

Colors – Cool, pastels and light earthy colors dominate this style kitchen; bases of off whites and cream colors are highlighted by beautiful accent colors of seafoam greens, pastel blues, golds, and even some yellows. You’ll be able to feel the ocean breeze when you’re standing in your gorgeous newly remodeled coastal kitchen!
Floor Plan – Coastal homes embrace the free and easy lifestyle so their kitchens are usually open and functional. Spaces open to the main area of the home, with bar style islands in the kitchen, are quite common.
Cabinets and Countertops – Keeping with the light and airy style, these food preparation and storage spaces are best served by lighter materials and colors. Whites and creams are the most common cabinet colors, with a complimentary tile or stone countertop in an accent tone or color. A decorative backsplash with coastal designs can really add some pop to pull it all together!
Accessories – Coastal kitchens are classy but fun too! Accessories like furniture, creative and decorative lighting, and decor items, finish off the space and give it that full, entertaining feel.

Commercial/Chef Style Kitchen

Some kitchens are meant mostly for function and food preparation and are considered commercial or restaurant style. If you are upgrading your home kitchen and are all about entertaining in your home and nurturing your “inner chef” then this may be the style for you! This doesn’t make it the most aesthetically pleasing space, as it is mostly about function. But with well designed accents and accessories a chef style kitchen can still incorporate more traditional or contemporary elements to make it more pleasing to look at and fit within the overall style of your home. Creative planning is the key here. And of course, if you’re upgrading or building a real commercial kitchen for a restaurant, we can do that too! A few features of commercial or chef style kitchens are:

Function Over All – The most important feature of this style kitchen is that it is functional for preparing very large meals. Open spaces, functionality of cooking and prep spaces and storage of cookery is key. Keep it open and think first of how well it “works” and think of aesthetics secondarily.
Colors – Monochrome colors are the most common whether lots of either darker or lighter black or white bases, or a combination. A clean, functional look is the most desired.
Stainless Steel Everywhere! – In a kitchen that will be used as much as this, durability and ease of clean up are number one on the list of kitchen design elements! High quality stainless steel is the best material for a commercial style kitchen. Appliances and even countertops and backsplashes can all be made of stainless steel.
Work Surfaces – Commercial style kitchens are all about the work, so the spaces for it are critical. Open spaces with hard surfaces like stone or stainless steel are needed for food preparation and serving. This part of a chef style kitchen is pretty much all functional and not as stylish, but totally needed.
Accessories – A fun way to make a chef style kitchen more pleasing to the eye is by incorporating accessories like furniture, carts, shelves, and even standalone cabinets or pantries, built of natural timber woods or with accent metalwork. They fit with the overall style but break up the stark look of all the stainless steel and tile in the actual workspace.

Once you’ve decided on a style for your kitchen project, the next step is to design and plan how to achieve it. And of course budget usually plays a hand in your decision making as well!

Picking the right contractor to build your project is probably the most important aspect of it. Kitchen remodels can be stressful! The main working and feeding area of your home will be torn up and non-functional for a while. Unlike a bathroom remodel where you can use another bathroom in the home until the completion of your project, you probably don’t have a second kitchen to use! Things might be a little chaotic as a mess is created (no way around that really) and workers are coming in and out creating dust and noise.

So working with a general contractor that you’re comfortable and confident with lowers the stress level and hassle factor. Some things to consider when picking a company to complete your project are:

Reputation – A good contractor will have a proven track record of work in your local area, with good references from satisfied clients to back them up. These days you can check their online reputation on their Google Business Profile, Yelp, Houzz, or other outlets. Look closely at their reviews and how they respond to them.

Trustworthiness – First, make sure they are a licensed company and are bonded and/or insured. You can ask the contractor directly to prove this to you. Don’t be timid. Make them earn your business. This is a big project and once you start it’s pretty hard to change horses mid-stream! Do your homework. At Westrock Contractors, we’re confident in our team and our reputation. We prefer that you make us earn your business!

Comfort – When you meet with a contractor or their representative, are you comfortable with them? Do they communicate with you? Do you feel they have a sincere interest in your project and vision? They will be collaborating on a BIG project with you and you should be 100% comfortable with them and their previous work.

Detailed – After meeting with them, does the contractor provide you a detailed plan with the scope of the job, a satisfactory budget and timeline estimate, and a satisfaction guarantee? A contractor that doesn’t give detail upfront may not be detailed in the execution either. Be confident in them before you agree to hire them.

Any kitchen remodeling project, whether a minor refacing or upgrade, or a full blown demolition and remodel, is a major disruption in your day to day life and should be approached with that in mind. At Westrock Contractors we totally understand and respect that. We are committed to you from start to finish, to complete the best possible work in the least possible time, within your budget and with the quality and care that you deserve. We are honored to have the opportunity to improve the most important asset in your life, your home. Give us a call or click here to request a meeting with us. Let’s get to work!