A kitchen or bath remodel is attainable with just about any budget. But before you actually start crunching numbers and coming up with figures, do your homework so you can be realistic about what you can and can’t afford. Talk with a professional contractor early on to get a clear sense of the full scope of the work that may be involved. Be honest with your contractor as to what your budget is. This puts you in a good position to make informed decisions and choices.

Too many times I’ve had customers bring a long wish list of goodies and say they don’t have a budget in mind yet. Usually they walk through the showroom and inquire about all the extras they want only to find when you add them all up they’re way over their “secret budget”. If I know what your budget is, I can often find ways to get you there. We offer a full range of cabinets that can either offer incredible value or top of the line products offering every buzzer, whistle or bell. The cost of the renovation work will depend on the extent of the work to be done and of course the products you choose. The materials you choose will have the greatest impact on your new kitchen’s price tag. Typically, cabinets account for the largest portion of the total cost, followed by the costs of other major design elements (countertops, flooring, appliances, sinks and faucets).

A good budget checklist will help you to develop a realistic cost for the project before you start. You will want to factor in a contingency amount that’s roughly 10-20 percent of your ideal budget. Later, if there’s a feature you forgot or a luxury you’d like to indulge, you won’t feel so bad for going over.

In addition to the hard and soft costs associated with your cabinetry, some other potential expenses that factor into the overall scope of the project are:
 Design changes
 Structural considerations
 Fixtures and appliances
 Floor and wall finishes
 Plumbing and electrical problems
 Permit and inspection costs
 Waste disposal
 Meal costs incurred while kitchen is under construction
Once, you’ve come up with a budget, it’s time to pick a contractor. Next week we’ll talk about how to pick the right company to remodel your home.

Red wine stains can be very difficult to remove from your carpet. If you wait until the next day to attempt to remove the stain, the stain may have already set. Here are some tips for removing a red stain.

1. Do not allow the stain to dry
2. Saturate the carpet with the Accutech Spot remover.
3. Allow the Spot remover to dwell for about 10-15 minutes.
4. Take the first terry cloth towel and blot the carpet. Do not scrub the carpet, this can cause the stain to set even deeper, just lightly blot. Keep using clean areas of the towel until you see less and less red appearing. If this gets all of the stain out, stop here. If not, move on to step 5.
5. Next, turn on the iron to the medium heat setting. The iron will be used to transfer the stain from the carpet to the terry cloth towel.
6. Take the second terry cloth towel, saturate the towel with water, wring it out, and then fold it in half.
7. Place the terry cloth towel over the red stuff stain.
8. Place the iron on the towel and leave it there for about 20 seconds. (Do not place the iron on the carpet for more than 20 seconds, most of today’s carpets are made of synthetic materials, and yes, given too much heat they will melt like the plastic they are made from.)

What little was left of the stain after the blotting should have been transferred to the white terry cloth towel.