I am in the very early stages of planning a kitchen renovation. I have no idea where to start with what will need to be done and what we should choose.
We will hire a company to design and install the kitchen but before we get to that stage I want to know what type of things I want so we know whether it’s going to be a $25k or $75k renovation!
What tips do you have for choosing materials, design etc? Would you have done or chosen anything differently in hindsight? What things can we do to save on costs without jeapordising the quality?
Renovating kitchen tips
Renovating kitchen tips
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Life Lessons, Sisterhood Stories, Money
4 Replies
I’d join the Facebook group ‘mums who renovate’ they have ALL the knowledge!
A kitchen renovation cost can vary on what specs you choose.
Get at least 3 quotes, but I’d get more than that for a kitchen.
Go into some showrooms that will give you a guide about what a new kitchen costs, but that won’t include removing the old kitchen.
From a cleaners point of view, who has cleaned many kitchens, don't get any splashbacks or tiles in a gloss finish as they are not ideal to clean grease from. You will forever be trying to get it clean. The best splashbacks are brushed stainless steel. Make your high cupboards go all the way to the ceiling so you don't get grease and dust sitting on top of cupboards. Don't have gaps between the floor and cupboards/oven/ dishwasher or bits of food will end up under there. Rangehoods are better than ceiling exhaust fans because they are easier to clean.
From personal use of kitchens, don't put your stove top in the middle of a bench, more to the end of it, there's nothing worse than having heaps of kitchen but not enough bench space. Have one cupboard that is designed for pots and pans in mind, I have always struggled with my pots and pans cupboard and I know clients of mine have too with them spread out over several cupboards and drawers.
I'm a bit jealous, we want to put in a new kitchen but probably won't happen for another 3 years so I will follow for tips and keep dreaming 😂.
One thing I love about my kitchen is the island has massive drawers built in on one side and shallow shelves on the other. The big drawers hold frying pans, saucepans, mixing bowls, pasta colander, baking trays, cake tins etc. The shallow cupboards on the other side hold spices, sauces, salt and pepper etc in one and coffee cups, water bottles and my extensive herbal tea collection in the other.
After getting cheap counter tops I'll get stone for sure next time. It still looks great 10 years later but it's getting a few scratches and has a chip out of it.
One thing on my wishlist is a second exhaust fan above a bench space. It could be used for the deep fryer, the steamer or the thermomix.
We renovated our kitchen 2 years ago, we have no cupboards only draws and they are amazing you are able to fit so much more in. Our pantry is the same with pull out draws. We have a glass splash back installed and it's very easy to clean compared to tiles. We also had a granite sink installed as I hate how the steel sinks stain and scratch easily. Before you start the reno cook and store meals in your freezer to make life easier. Our kitchen took 2 weeks from removal to finished as we also got a stone bench that was custom and needed to be measured after the cupboard are in. Best of luck it's was a fun experience and it's a way to get creative with lights, colours and texture.