Your kitchen is one of the rooms that gets treated the worst in the whole house. When you think about the damage that the heat, steam, and grease from cooking do to your walls, it’s no wonder the kitchen is one of the rooms in the house that seems to need a makeover the most often.
Getting a makeover in your kitchen is probably something that you will keep putting off doing for longer than you should. It’s a well-used room, and to need to prepare and cook food in a building site is far from ideal.
Picking Your Design
Kitchen fittings can be quite pricey. If you having new units fitted, you won’t want to be replacing them in a couple of years because they have gone out of style. Try and pick a design that will be timeless.
Think practicality over style, especially if you have a smaller kitchen. With an ever more vast array of kitchen utensils and appliances, our cupboards and sides rapidly fill up with all kinds of stuff. We are also living in the age of an ever-abundant food cupboard; there has never been a time when food has been so cheap and freely available. So, with that in mind, you will need plenty of storage space. You would not want to run out straight away.
You may also be able to salvage some of your older units and have them modified, or replace doors and worktops.
If you are buying new appliances to match, check out their eco-rating. Getting an up-to-date model will often mean that they will be cheaper to run and better for the environment.
Be sure and check the measurements of your kitchen when you go and order your fixtures, a mistake of even a few millimeters may end up being costly
Think About The Wall Design
It is easy to get carried away in thinking about your new fixtures and fittings, however, you should ensure that you don’t forget about the walls, floor, and ceiling. If your room is small you especially do not want to paint your walls in a dark color as it will make the room feel much smaller.
If you can, go for a bold color that will contrast against your new units. This will make the room appear more visually interesting.
If you have any empty wall space, you may want to consider getting some kitchen wall stickers to give the room some character and lift.
Working Out A Floor Plan
When it comes to working out your new floor plan, you may be tempted to go in all guns blazing and get an island unit, kitchen recycling bins or a breakfast bar fitted. This is great if you have a spacious kitchen, however, if you have only got a small one, then you will need to think about keeping everything to the sides of the room to allow you some space.
You need to be sure that your dishwasher is going to be situated next to your sink. You should also think about the distance from the oven and hob to the refrigerator. These are practical decisions which will make your kitchen function better.
You will have water and potentially gas pipes coming into your kitchen. You should leave your plumbing where it is. It can be very costly to try and move these, and it is probably an expense that you won’t want
Getting The Professionals In
If you want a great finish, then you will want to get the professionals in to help you. As great as you may think that you are at DIY, unless you work in the trade, you may find it difficult to fix any problems that you create. If you need to get someone in to undo your mess, this will cost you a considerable amount. It is far less stressful, therefore, to get somebody to do the job for you.
You’ll want someone trustworthy since they will be working inside your home, potentially unsupervised. You also need to be sure that they will do a good job. With this in mind, you will want to get some advice on who to get. Reach out to friends and family, or ask for recommendations for a kitchen fitter and decorator on Facebook. Getting somebody that comes highly recommended will give you peace of mind.
Get quotations before you start. You need to agree on a price for the entire job, as well as the time frame that it will be completed in. .
