Two of the most beautiful words in the English language are kitchen makeover. (And most terrifying.) It's a huge undertaking, but the results are usually well worth it.

According to Forbes.com, a kitchen makeover can vary from $2,000 for a simple paint-and-hardware refresh to $50,000 or more if you're remodeling with expensive countertops, cabinets and luxury appliances.

Hiring a designer may save you money in the long run, but be sure to find out how they charge. If you have to order everything through them and pay a markup, it could get pricey. If a designer is not in your budget, take advantage of free advice through home improvement centers.

CMK Construction, Inc. specializes in kitchen, bathroom residential and commercial remodeling in Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties, with recently remodeling showroom in Oldsmar. Manny Kavouklis is president of CMK, which has been in business since 2004 and has an A+ Rating from the Better Business Bureau.

Kavouklis encourages customers to "have a basic layout of what you want, and research your contractor. Check to make sure they're licensed with the state of Florida and check their online reviews" He also says it's important to realize you're not going to have a kitchen for a few weeks.

Some of the biggest trends Kavouklis is seeing are white or grey shaker cabinets. "Quartz is also very popular" for countertops because it is more stain resistant and overall a harder surface.

In flooring, Kavouklis said the trend is for larger plank tiles that look like wood or marble. Another is the "large format tiles that may be 24"x 48" or even larger." Both of these options often have very narrow grout joints, so that in some cases, "you may even realize there is grout between them."

Kavouklis gave one final word of advice: when comparing price quotes, "make sure you're seeing an apples-to-apples comparison as far as what products you're getting- like your countertops and cabinets."