We’ve seen some great kitchen makeovers lately and wanted to take this opportunity to share some of them with you. In particular, two websites have some impressive collections of before-and-after photos, makeover slideshows and watch-it-unfold videos that take you inside for a good look at these remodeling projects.

A post from AOL.com’s ShelterPop blog has a nice slideshow of their top 7 remarkable kitchen makeovers. They include some serious drab-to-fab overhauls, like this one:

For an even more impressive collection, head over to HGTV’s FrontDoor.com. In their guide to home staging — preparing a home for sale, making it look its best to fetch the most — they have a series of before-and-after comparisons, slideshows and videos that are sure to get your wheels spinning. These kitchen makeovers are great, but if you’re looking for something beyond that, they have similar collections for bathrooms, living rooms, bedrooms, patios and more.

Have you seen any impressive makeovers lately? Done one yourself? Share some details in the comments!

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With a faltering economy and a slow-recovering housing market, more and more homeowners are choosing to upgrade their existing homes rather than make a move to larger or newer home. Whether they’re trying to increase the value or make the home more livable, one sure fix for a homeowner is a new or renovated kitchen.

Your kitchen is the centerpiece of your home. It’s the room that sees the most traffic and, more often than not, becomes the gathering ground for your family and friends. With that in mind, here are a few tips for planning and smooth and effective kitchen remodeling project.

Plan a budget and stick to it

You should always be aware of the potential return on investment of your kitchen project. No other project in your home will be as effective when it comes to adding value, but if you let things get out of hand, you will be losing money fast. Do some research on the big-ticket items like flooring, cabinets, countertops, windows and appliances.

You might have to make some decisions on where your “luxury” dollars where be spent and where you might have to make some sacrifices. The folks at HGTV have some great ideas here about how to manage your money.

Be thorough in the design process

Hire a designer if you’re not sure of how the whole thing should be put together. Elements to consider include lighting, where your appliances and water service will be located, layout of the cabinets and countertops, energy efficiency in heating and insulation, window treatments and the natural lighting of the room. Since your kitchen was last done, there have been huge advances in energy efficiency and other design elements. Take advantage of these advances to make your kitchen easier on your wallet in the long run.

Who’s going to do the work?

Most homeowners will choose to work with a contractor who has experience in kitchen remodeling, who will therefore have a list of subcontractors he or she uses and works well with. If you make the right choice in a contractor, you should end up with a well-oiled machine that works efficiently enough to get your job done on time and on budget.

Never, ever get just one bid on the job from one contractor. Do your due diligence to avoid trouble down the road. Here is the best advice we can find for you on hiring a contractor, courtesy of your federal government, no less!

Go green! Be energy efficient!

There is no shortage of ways to be energy efficient and be a green consumer when remodeling a kitchen. Start with windows and insulation. Depending on the age of your home, your level of insulation in the walls and windows can probably stand to be seriously upgraded. Your contractor will likely take care of the insulation issue for you, and there are plenty of resources for you to use when it comes to choosing a window. Keep in mind that you won’t have to sacrifice design when it comes to window efficiency, so have a little fun and make your windows pop!

When it comes to appliances, you can also have a little fun. There are seemingly endless design and functionality options with kitchen appliances, and today most of them are designed for energy efficiency in mind. One word of warning: Kitchen appliances can be real budget-busters, so keep an eye on the bottom line when you’re choosing your oven, stove and refrigerator.

One other tip for energy efficiency: Consider a heating system under your floor treatment. Whether you choose vinyl, tile, or wood, a heated floor can save you money and feels great on a cold winter morning!

The finishing touches: Cabinets, countertops and flooring

Like every choice you’ve made, the options for these final touches are almost limitless. In fact, there are far too many to mention here, so take a look at a couple of these links to help you come up with some ideas:

• http://www.calfinder.com/library/kitchen/cabinet/material
• http://www.calfinder.com/library/kitchen/countertops
• http://www.calfinder.com/ideas/kitchen/kitchen-flooring

Patience is a virtue

Unless there are TV cameras around, a kitchen remodel is almost never finished overnight. There will be dust and there may not be running water. You might have a microwave but not a conventional oven. You’ll have to deal with your home being turned upside down, but if you keep your eyes on the prize, stay on budget, and keep your contractor moving to stay on time, you’ll make it through and come out on the other side with a beautiful, functional, and energy efficient kitchen that you and your family will enjoy for years to come!

Photo courtesy of Susan Serra, CKD