Your kitchen and your bathrooms are some of the most-used rooms in your home. They see the most traffic from you, your family, and guests. With so much daily use, they can quickly become dated or dysfunctional. When the time comes, how do you decide where to throw your remodeling budget? Do you prioritize the area where you cook dinner every night or where you and the kids get ready each morning?

We want to start by saying: the room that looks worse is not necessarily the room you should remodel first. That may initially sound backwards, but let’s talk about why.

Start With the Room That Causes the Most Daily Frustration

Have you ever heard the phrase, “if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it?” Function usually matters more than appearance when deciding which project should come first.

When you walk into your kitchen, what frustrates you? Do you find yourself wishing you had more pantry or counter space? Do you wish your refrigerator or sink were in a different spot to make your cooking workflow easier? Or do you simply wish the space felt brighter and more updated with new cabinet colors or better organization?

Now, go through the same thought process for your bathroom. Do you have enough storage? Does your toilet stick out like a sore thumb? Are you needing to turn your sink into a double vanity? These types of upgrades can change the look and feel of your bathroom while making it much easier to use day in and day out. Especially if there are multiple people using one bathroom!

Look Beyond What is Simply Outdated

What we are really saying here about choosing a kitchen vs bathroom remodel is this: there is a difference between something you want to update and something that is actively making the home less functional.

An old kitchen countertop may be outdated and unattractive after a while. However, it is still perfectly usable. On the other hand, a bathroom with a poor layout, deteriorating materials, or too little usable space may deserve attention first.

So, you shouldn’t ask which room looks older? Instead, ask: which room is creating the biggest problem for me right now? How does my household use these spaces?

Think About the Scope of Each Remodel

A full overhaul of the main parts of your home can be more than you may have budgeted for. Once you determine which space is causing the bigger problem, consider tackling that project first. If you’re feeling overwhelmed trying to sort through your options, consider calling a professional home remodeler to take some of the guesswork out of the process and start visualizing what your kitchen and/or bathrooms could be.

Calling in a team like Clean ‘N Brite can also help you anticipate parts of the remodel process that you wouldn’t normally anticipate. For example, before you plan to knock out a wall, we can help you understand what the project may involve so there are fewer hidden surprises along the way. This ultimately will help you better budget for your remodel than if you went in without a plan or tried to DIY everything!

Still Torn Between the Kitchen and Bathroom? Start With a Plan

In the end, you should choose to remodel the space whose problems have the greatest impact on how you live in your home. If you are still considering a kitchen and bathroom remodel, an experienced remodeling contractor can help homeowners understand what’s possible in each room, what each project may involve, and which makes the most sense to tackle first.

Clean ‘N Brite Home Improvement works with homeowners throughout Augusta and the CSRA on kitchen and bathroom remodeling projects, from initial design and layout decisions through completion. If you are ready to improve your home but aren’t sure where to start, contact our team to discuss your remodeling plans and determine which project makes sense to tackle first.