If your go-to excuse for postponing all the do-it-yourself projects you've been meaning to tackle is "I'm never home," you might be changing your tune these days. Have some extra time on your hands and feel like putting it to good use? Then some minor renovating, rearranging or reorganizing could be just the ticket.

It's important to be honest with yourself about space needs, expectations, lifestyle and budget when looking to upgrade or renovate your small kitchen.

Both Steve Francis, owner of Aspire Renovations, and Karen Allbright, owner of organizational design company Calm Order, agree homeowners must plan well to ensure changes to the kitchen improve its function.

Everything was overflowing everywhere, Jodie Tilley says, as she stands in the open-concept main floor of her 2,500-square-foot duplex in Richmond-Knob Hill.

"My life was unmanageable in this house," she said. "My dining table was a dumping ground, and lots of the house was unusable because of the clutter. It didn't feel like a home I could welcome people into."