Tips to Consider During a Kitchen Renovation
Written by Artisan Contracting on October 25, 2023
Renovating your kitchen is usually a pretty hefty task and one that can make a big difference to your day-to-day life. It can also be costly if you plan on making major changes such as the fitting or re-positioning of features such as sinks, washing machines and dish washers. And not to mention the disruption. So it is important that you get it right.
When you renovate your kitchen, it’s almost as if you have a blank slate, and you can do (almost) anything that you like with it.
Getting Started: How to Plan a Kitchen Renovation
Planning and designing a custom kitchen renovation is a mixture of hard work, a slight nervousness and, of course, the excitement of having a new kitchen to cook, eat or even pass the day in. If you’re planning on a custom kitchen renovation, you probably have some sort of idea of what you want in your head, or in a magazine. But what things should you be considering before getting a kitchen renovation?
- Visualize – The first thing that you need to think about is how you want your new kitchen to look. Visualize the space, think about what you want to use it for, what you want to have in it and what you want the overall look and style to be like. For example, do you want your kitchen to be a room where all the family can be together, and eat together, or small and compact just for cooking? Do you want it to be rustic or modern in style? Do you need a lot of storage space? It might help to collect pictures from the internet or magazines – especially if you are planning on using a renovation company or designer.
- Appliances – Think about what appliances you will want in your new kitchen. Try to go for the best quality appliances that your budget will allow, as they can be expensive and annoying to replace. You can guarantee that they will be used almost daily, and of course, can add value to your home if you intend to sell it.
- Budget – It is important that you set yourself a budget and try to stick to it. A kitchen renovation can quickly spiral out of control as you get excited about new or extra aspects of it. Some people choose to enlist the help of a professional who can help you to price all of the different parts of your renovation, as well as run the project keeping you as close to budget as possible.
- Materials – You should also aim to get the best quality materials to work with. Kitchens usually have a lot going on and a large amount of people passing though, so try to get materials such as flooring at the best quality that is possible.
- Disruption – Remember that a kitchen renovation can be disruptive, and can mean that in some cases, you might need to go some time without the use of it. You also might have to spend some hours at a time with the water turned off. Depending on the person or family you are, you might want to think about staying with friends or family for a few days.
Now Consider These Kitchen Renovation Tips
Outlets
If you have an older home, chances are that you often find yourself struggling to find outlets for all your appliances. During a kitchen renovation when everything is coming apart, why not use this is as a time to install more outlets along the backsplash of your kitchen. You could even put in a charging station complete with USB and standard outlets. Now you’ll never struggle to find a close outlet when you’re cooking or entertaining guests.
Colours
Avoid painting your kitchen a darker colour as it can make your kitchen feel and look small. Instead, choose light and bright colours to make your kitchen look larger. If you do not plan on replacing cabinets during your renovations, consider cabinet re-facing. By taking the doors off, sanding and painting your current cabinets, it will look as if you have brand new cabinets.
Islands
Do you have an island in your kitchen? Do you want one? If you do end up incorporating an island, it’s important to determine its function. Is it primarily for meal prep and cooking? Is it for eating? No matter what you want to use the island for, you’ll have to plan space accordingly. For those who want to use the area for both meal preparation and eating, you will likely need more space so that the prep area is separate from the eating area. Thinking ahead to what you want to use the space for will help to determine how you should design the space and what you’ll need.
Landing Spaces
This term refers to the area of the countertop on either side of appliances like a fridge or a stove. This area of space allows for you, and your family, to work comfortably around an appliance without having too much going on in that area. It also allows somewhere for you to place items quickly.
Easy Reach Areas
If you have children in your home who are old enough to get their snacks or even help prepare meals, then this will make sense for you. Having a drawer (or two) that kids can reach filled with the items they use most: snacks, juice boxes, their own plates and utensils will help to keep them away from the areas you don’t want them around (like a hot stove) but still allow them to help out in the kitchen and keep them involved in cooking or baking as a family activity.
Work With a Professional Today
Planning a new custom kitchen is an exciting yet daunting prospect, yet one that shouldn’t be taken lightly. It means that you will get a lovely, new, sparkling kitchen that will last for years to come.
For more help on designing your new customer kitchen, Contact Artisan Contracting right now!
