Once you have a general idea of how you want your kitchen to look, it helps to make a sketch of the layout of your new kitchen. If you have a window in your kitchen, that's a good place to start. Most people center their kitchen sink under the window. You'll probably want to place the dishwasher next to the sink, so that they can use the same plumbing lines. Once you've decided on the placement of all your appliances, including the cook range and refrigerator, you are ready to start measuring.

Measure the kitchen from wall to wall and from ceiling to floor. These dimensions are for your cabinet supplier. Based on these dimensions and your sketch, you should also be able to come up with a rough estimate of the surface area of your countertops, as well as additional items, you'll need such as sinks and backsplashes. Take these measurements along with your original sketch to a DuPont retail partner. To find out which store carries the surface that you are interested in, go to the Where to Buy section of the site.

The return on your investment
If you foresee selling your home in the near future and want to make sure that you get the money you've invested in your kitchen renovation back, one rule of thumb is the 5%-15% rule.  Spend less than 5% or more than 15% and you may not see a positive return on your investment. For a high-end kitchen, this percentage may climb to 20%.  Spend beyond 20% and you may decrease the likelihood that you will get a decent return on your investment.  Please remember , this rule is only to be used as a guideline in establishing your renovation budget.

Avoiding design mistakes in your kitchen
We recommend working with a qualified architect or kitchen designer, who will create detailed drawings our certified installers can rely on when planning your countertop projects.