Home improvement stores like Lowe's and The Home Depot, as well as independent kitchen remodeling companies, offer free kitchen design advice. Obviously, this is a way of enticing new customers to spend money with them. But the savvy homeowner interested in a full-scale kitchen renovation can use these free kitchen design services to their advantage--without necessarily going with that company.
Using these free design services is a bit like playing with fire, so keep the following tips in mind:
- Unless you are contractually obligated to proceed with the kitchen renovations with that company, then the service is free. Did you sign anything to this effect?
- Pump the kitchen designer for ideas. The main thing you want to do is work out the kinks and find solutions to problems: how does that sink fit in that corner, how can we get three cabinets in that space, can a kitchen island fit in there, etc?
- Realize that you may not get a lot of paper evidence of the kitchen layout. In other words, these free kitchen designers are not going to hand over a blueprint for free. You may get a few 3-D renderings and some dimensional drawings of your kitchen. Count yourself lucky to get these items.
- Ask for items to be emailed to you, if possible. This way, if you go to another kitchen design company, you can easily forward items to them. And they will not be bothered if the design says "Home Depot" on it. They can roll with it.
- Don't feel bad about using this free kitchen design service. These companies know that people often come to them for kitchen design advice, without the least motivation toward hiring them. That is the cost of business. But they are also smart enough to know that many homeowners who were deadset against hiring the design company eventually hire them.
- Realize that these free kitchen design services are somewhere between the work of creating your own design with kitchen design software...and the cost of using a full-service, fee-based kitchen design firm.
