The Heart of The Home
When it comes to home renovations there are two areas that are big investments; the bathroom and the kitchen. Launching into one of these projects can be stressful as they can cost a lot of money and involve a lot of disruption so we want to make sure we get it right first time. Today we’re talking about kitchens, how to go about a kitchen remodel, what you need to know and how to avoid the common pitfalls.
A new kitchen, whilst costing a big chunk of change, is a worthwhile investment for your home as they add aesthetic and functional value but it’s important to remember the details, things like where your bin will go or how you like to cook – do you prefer more space for preparing ingredients or is storage the most important element for you?
Do I need a builder?
Whether or not you need a builder for your remodel depends on the scope of the project. A full scale remodel, with all new cabinets, fixtures and fittings will likely require the specialist skills and experience of a builder, this is especially true if walls are being knocked down or moved. If it’s just a case of changing your cabinet and drawer fronts or retiling, it’s certainly possible to undertake this work yourself. It’s also possible to wrap your worktops and cabinets with very high-quality vinyl coverings that look good and are a great way to achieve a very custom finish.
Planning Your Kitchen
When you’re planning your new kitchen, it’s important to ask yourself some questions.
How will the kitchen function? What will your new kitchen be used for, is it just somewhere to cook and grab a snack or is it somewhere that the whole family will congregate? Will the kids be doing their homework there? If you’re going to be entertaining is it important for you to be able to interact with your guests while you’re preparing food? All these questions will inform the functionality of your new space.
What are your must-haves, your would-be-nices and your do-not-wants? Get yourself onto Pinterest and start a dream kitchen board to give you a good feel for what you like and what you don’t. Have a really good think about what you like in these images, really zero in on what works for you.
Check whether you need to consider building regulations If you’re having new appliances fitted, especially if you didn’t have one before then you might need additional services or waste pipes for them. Some appliances like gas cookers need to be installed by a Gas Safe Registered Engineer and all new kitchens must have a means of extraction ventilation.
Timetables Think about how you’re going to manage whilst the work is being undertaken, you’ll probably have access to running water but certainly cooking is going to be out of the question. There is also the dust and noise factor to consider. It is also worth being in mind that sometimes schedules overrun so be prepared!
Trends Keep in mind that your kitchen isn’t something that you’ll be replacing often so you’ll want to go for a style that you can live with for a few years - those millennial pink cabinets might be calling to you now but will they still tug at your heartstrings in 6 months time?
Consider the rest of the house Whenever you’re approaching any kind of design project it’s important to think of your home as a whole entity, you want your new kitchen to reflect the style of the rest of the house. Having a minimal Japandi scheme throughout the rest of the house is going to jar with a super modern or a shaker style kitchen.
