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Planning a New Kitchen

Planning a New Kitchen

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Planning is the most important stage as you are going to have to live with the kitchen for many years to come, so it is important that it suits your lifestyle and even your future lifestyle like growing family for instance .To make it easy we have broken it down into three stages.

RESEARCH 

PRACTICALITIES

DRAWING

Research: Research sounds very obvious and but it is vital. It is very important that you ask two questions and write down the answers.

Q1. what do you like about your current kitchen? what works and what would continue to keep?

Q2.what do you hate about your current kitchen?what really drives you mad or what are the dangerous because of not enough lighting. No enough amount of storage or is the fridge too far away from the oven?

Once you write down the answers to these questions it will help you to crystallize what you want in your new kitchen. Let us know if you need any help at this stage, the team at ACI Constructions would love to help you out.

Collect some pictures from the internet, go through various magazines and show those pictures to one for our design consultants or builders to discuss the possibilities and budget topics.It is important to look through styles, colours, and layout.

Most obvious matter to consider is the budget.You are going to have an idea of what you are going to spend. Remember it’s not just buying the kitchen but also the installation.If you are worried about the budget, talk to one of our project managers or design consultants and get them to give you a bit of steer because you will be actually amazed on just how much you will be able to afford. ACI has its own kitchen manufacturing unit enabling us to provide the highest quality kitchens at affordable prices to our clients.

Our project manager can help you with every step of your kitchen process from planning/designing to installation.

Practicalities 

Now let’s discuss  a bit about the practicalities of planning your kitchen and it important that you think about two things

Layout: Where do the doors come into the kitchen. You don’t want to put the fridge right behind the door and then think about electrical sockets.

where do you want your toaster or kettle?

Do you want a tv in the kitchen?

you might want to put the sink underneath the windows, so when you’re washing up,you’re not staring at a blank wall and of course you’re going to need to check that your plumbing can reach.

The same applies with electrics. These can all be easily moved but you will need to plan ahead by consulting your designer or builder.

Now one tried and tested method for planning the kitchen is to put the oven, the fridge, and the sink in what we call the working triangle. This give you easy access for all your appliances when you are cooking and preparing your food.

Lighting: This is the part where almost everybody leaves it to the last but it is very important to get it right at the start.Think about task lighting.For example under the cabinet lights, so when your are chopping and preparing food you can see what you are doing. At the end of a long hard day maybe you’d like to dim the lights. So, Think about ambient lighting and finally, we need to think about storage especially in smaller kitchens.  Feel free walk into our store and have a look at some of our brochures and display kitchens models to get some really handy storage solutions. Planning these things in the beginning stage will help you to get a clear idea on budget.

Drawing

Visualize your ideas and get your plan across to your design consultant or to your builder, it’s best to get everything down on paper. Don’t panic,it doesn’t have to be perfect. All you need to do is get a peice of paper and just make a rough outline and start plotting where you’d like your things to be.

If you would prefer you could always contact us and our project manager will be happy to assist you in the process.Don’t forget to discuss the about the things you written down before of what you like and don’t like about your current kitchen along with your mood board any swatches and sources of inspiration.

Remember your design consultant is not a mind reader and the more information you can give about your dream kitchen the closer you get to achieving it.

Now with all this information, our designers at ACI will prodcue a 3d image of your kitchen to help see if all your practical and desing considerations have been taken care of within your budget specifications.

With Project managers, design consultants, tradesmen, and our very manufacturing units we provide you the best and the highest quality kitchens, just the way you visualized it.

Major steps to consider while Building a New Home

Major steps to consider while Building a New Home

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Major steps to consider while building a New Home that is 100% you

Breaking ground on a new home is more than exciting. It’s a chance for you to make every last cabinet, closet, and paint color speak to you. It’s also something that might make you feel in over your head if you’re not aware of the building steps and stages. We at ACI, work with We work with architects, engineers, designers and clients  create the property just how you want it – quickly, efficiently and reliably.

Depending on square footage, weather conditions, the availability of workers and supplies, and more, construction of a new home can take anywhere from three months to over a year. You’ll need to be prepared to make important decisions along the way and to experience setbacks. The truth is, whether you’re building a simple starter home or the ultimate abode, most homeowners find the home construction process a bit overwhelming.

That’s where we come in. We’ve put together an easy to understand home building timeline that demystifies the home building process. From shopping for a lot to move-in day, read on to learn about the major steps you’ll encounter while building a home.

Designing Your Home

Before you do anything, you’ll need to find a pre-designed plan or architect to design your home. This is where you’ll begin to see our architects and projects managers  years of experience and expertise come into play with your decision on what it will take to make your dreams come true.

In this stage, figure out answers to questions like, “How many square feet do we want/need?”, “Should the master bedroom face east or west?”, and, “Do we want all bedrooms on the Ground or First floor?” Hammer out all of these details in this phase to set yourself up for satisfaction in your new home.

Now is also the time to talk to an interior designer if you don’t plan on doing the decorating yourself. Our Designers   at ACI will be able to tell you about prints, textures, finishes, and more that will make your home come together.

Purchasing a Lot

No matter if you’re going for a lot that’s in a housing development or a piece of property secluded on 100 acres, you’ll need to purchase land before you can build. This can happen during the home design process or before. It’s just important that you allocate part of your budget to your land purchase.

In order to budget wisely, shop around for lots. See what the going rate is per acre and by neighborhood. Make sure the house design you’re working on will fit properly and is zoned to fit on a certain sized property.

These are all great conversations to have with our architects and project managers at ACI,who know the zoning laws and building height restrictions of nearby areas and can point you in the right direction.

Site Preparation

Once this stage starts, you can pass the torch to the experts. Everything will be set in stone as far as the look and construction of your home and that barren plot of land you’ve purchased will be prepped and ready to become the site of your new home.

Expect a lot of back hoes and heavy equipment to come with this stage. Workers will be busy clearing, excavating, and leveling the lot according to your architect’s plan. Then, they’ll outline the footprint of your home with stakes. It’ll be the first time that you’ll be able to see the rough shape of your home on your property and can be exhilarating.

The “Three Fs”

The “three Fs” stand for footings, foundation, and framing. You’ll hear your project managers at ACI, talk about “pouring the footers” and that entails pouring concrete to support your home’s foundation. Once footers are in place and have passed inspection, the workers will pour the concrete slab of your foundation. Then, your home will have a stable structure for framing.

As the name implies, the floors, walls, and roof will be “framed” out with wood or concrete depending on the design. You can think of this as the skeleton of your home. Once framing is complete, our quality managers  will come out again to verify that everything has been done to code. After that, exterior finishes like plywood and house wrap will be applied to seal off the inside from the outside.

This stage requires major structural work. Keep in mind that delays might happen if the weather is too wet for concrete to set or failed inspections lead to longer construction time.

The Guts

Now that your home has its basic structure, workers can begin filling it with the things that make it function and look like a home. Experts will install important mechanicals like heating and cooling units, plumbing lines, and electrical systems. Once that work is done, walls will begin to close up too with insulation and drywall. The next time you walk into your home, it’ll look much cleaner. In most cases, the drywall will be sanded and primed, but it might also be painted.

If you’re interested in a home security system, solar panels, or other special infrastructure, this is the time to incorporate them. We usually recommend to talk about this with your project managers in before hand so,that we can prewire your home for a security system.

Flooring and Paint

Up until this point, all you’ll see on your home building site is a lot of concrete, wood, insulation, drywall, and wires. This is the phase where your home will start to look more like one. Flooring will be going in, cabinets will be hung, and the pretty stuff like trim and mouldings will be installed during this period. Most homeowners will smile at this stage since the site will finally look like the drawings one of our architect showed you months ago.

Choosing flooring is one of the bigger decisions you’ll make for this stage. Determining your lifestyle, style, and budget will help guide you. For instance, genuine hardwood floors are gorgeous, but are prone to scratching, staining, and come with a large price tag. If you like the look, but need better durability, then engineered hardwood or tile might be a better bet. There are also funky solutions like dyed concrete that add an artistic and industrial flare to homes. This is all up to you, but consider all flooring materials before you pick one. It’ll be much harder to change your mind once everything is moved in!

Fixtures and Appliances

Delivery trucks will make frequent stops at your home during this end stage. That’s because now is the time when  our tradesmen and refurbishment experts install faucets, countertops, light fixtures, plugs, and appliances. The front of your yard will also be undergoing massive transformation with the on going landscaping work.

Final step

The last stages of your home building dream will be a whirlwind of emotion and small details. You’ll be excited, but probably will want to know if it will all come together in time for closing.

Although you’ll be anxious to occupy your home, be absolutely sure all of your questions and concerns have been addressed before you head to settlement by your project manager. That way, loose ends will be tied up, the small details of your home will be completed, and your home will be cleaned in anticipation of your arrival.

Closing

The moment you’ve been waiting for, closing, will be the best. There are just a couple things you’ll need to do before you formally close and move in.

After your home is complete, do a “walk through” of the home with your project manager with plans given by architects and interior designers. . Walk the property and view the home through the lens of a burglar, meet your neighbors, and determine where you need better lighting and the security systems they have been using. Once you’re done with all of this, you can close, get the keys to your new home, and enjoy every last detail.

Now that you’ve gotten a better idea of the home building process,contact us today to speak to one of our project managers to get an estimate and starting building a home that is 100% you.

We’ll leave you with one piece of advice: One of the best ways to stay on track with your home building timeline is to communicate your needs and wants clearly from the start with our project managers. Before you build, consider if you’d like your home wired for a security system or want to have one installed post-construction.