The kitchen is one of the most important rooms in the home; it can serve numerous purposes and is often the scene of important moments so having a kitchen that you truly love can really make your home complete. However, if you have a tired, old or poorly designed kitchen then the cost of kitchen renovations might put you off the thought of trying to improve and update it.
Don’t let this define your choices, a kitchen renovation is an expensive thing to do, but it doesn’t have to be so expensive that it is impossible. Sure, a top level designer kitchen could run into the realms of $100,000 or more, but unless you have that kind of money, why worry about spending it. Aim your refurbishment at your budget and make sure that your ambition doesn’t outweigh your financial capabilities and ensure the following things have been considered before beginning.
Structural costs
This might not apply to your situation, but if you plan on changing the shape of your kitchen by adding to it, removing or erecting partition walls or replacing the floor or ceiling, then you need to take this cost into account before any other. The structural aspects of a renovation need to come first, as without these the rest of your planned changes cannot go ahead.
Fixtures and fittings
It’s easy to think of a kitchen as the cupboard units and doors with a few extra bits, but the truth is whilst the cupboards provide the structure, the other aspects such as worktops and appliances bring the real cost. Cupboard doors and handles alone can rack up a surprising bill, but the worktops can easily become a significant chunk of your overall costs by themselves. Depending on if you are reusing your old appliances, you also need to make sure that you budget in every last part of the fittings, from the fridge and oven right down to the light bulbs and plug sockets.
Cost of fitting
One of the biggest surprise costs of a kitchen renovation can be the cost of the actual fitting. This can sometimes cost more than a budget kitchen would and really catches people off guard. This is why it is important to shop around and make certain that you compare prices from trades people with larger companies such as Kitchen Essence, as sometimes the price differences can be significant.
Planning is everything
This is a simple rule that many will forget in their eagerness or excitement, but never put a single cent down for anything until you have thoroughly planned the entire job. Just because you have found a good price on a builder or an appliance doesn’t mean that you should start splashing the cash, you need to make sure that you have considered all aspects of the renovation in your budget and prepared for a little overspill. Sticking to the budget is one of the hardest aspects of any project, but in something as grand in scale as a kitchen renovation, mismanaging your budget could be disastrous.
