A kitchen renovation is a great way to add value to your property and completely transform the look and feel of your home.
However, if you’ve never renovated a kitchen before, you could probably benefit from a few tips and tricks that will ensure your kitchen reno is everything you want it to be and more.
Before you kick off your kitchen renovation, here are five things you can do to ensure the project is a success:
1. Visit a Kitchen Showroom
Every kitchen renovation starts with a concept, and regardless of whether you need some inspiration to help you refine your ideas or you already have very specific ideas about what you want to achieve, it’s always smart to visit a couple of kitchen showrooms.
Places like these kitchen showrooms are ideal, as you can walk around a few different kitchen spaces, see and touch the various material options and sample a range of innovative additions and fittings you might want to incorporate into your kitchen renovation.
It’s a great way to see what styles most jump out at you and you might even get a few nifty ideas you hadn’t thought of!
2. Design It Around Your Lifestyle
Everyone’s different and your kitchen design should reflect the way you like to live and entertain.
A kitchen renovation is something you only want to do once, so it’s worth investing the time to think through all the finer details about how you and your family like to operate on a daily basis.
From the size of your family, to the style of your home, the location of your kitchen in relation to your living room or outdoor space, there are plenty of kitchen design options you use to tailor your kitchen to suit your lifestyle.
3. Always Put Functionality First
It’s easy to get carried away with the stylistic elements of your kitchen design, but while a kitchen should always be beautiful, above all it needs to be practical.
While features like open shelving may make an excellent style statement unless you’re very neat and organized they can fast become messy and disorganized.
Ideally, you want to select a cabinetry combination that is designed around your personal collection of kitchen items, with designated spaces to house cookware, crockery, small appliances, cutlery and utensils, ensuring everything can be accommodated comfortably.
It’s also important to consider how you like to cook and where the various zones of the kitchen are in relation to each other.
Is the trash within easy reach of the sink? Can you easily stack items into the dishwasher? Where is the counter space in relation to the stove? Can people access the fridge without having to walk through the kitchen?
Considering these factors early on will ensure you don’t find yourself feeling disappointed or frustrated down the track when you realize your beautiful kitchen simply isn’t functional.
4. Focus On the ‘End Goal’
Kitchen renovations can cost big money.
Between the appliances, cabinetry, countertops, tiles, fittings and fixtures, costs can quickly escalate out of control, but ensuring you remain focused on the end goal can help you to keep your budget in check.
While you might want to splash out on a kitchen renovation for your ‘forever home’, if you’re renovating the kitchen in a ‘just for now’ home or an investment property, it’s important not to overcapitalize.
While premium materials and appliances would be nice, they’re only worth the investment if you plan to live in the property for a long time or if the home is situated in an upmarket location.
5. Use a Contractor
Unless you’re a tradesperson or you have plenty of experience working on similar projects, it’s generally best to avoid DIY jobs, instead opting to use a contractor for your kitchen renovation.
Using a contractor will ensure any potential issues with your design can be picked up early in the process.
They will also make sure that your kitchen is properly installed and that the project is appropriately managed from beginning to end—just make sure you use a contractor that holds all the appropriate licenses and insurances.
Comments are closed.