8 things you need to know before starting a kitchen renovation

Kitchen looking a little tired? Has your family outgrown your pantry? Or does your kitchen just fall short of meeting your MasterChef needs? It may be time to renovate. But to make sure it goes smoothly and you come out it with the kitchen of your dreams, there are a few things to think about first. Here are 8 things you need to know before starting a kitchen renovation.

Set your budget

Money is an obvious place to start. You need an idea of how much your project is going to cost. Unfortunately it’s a bit like asking how long is a piece of string – there’s no one right answer. The cost of your kitchen renovation depends on a lot of factors like where you live, what you want and what you need to do. But as ballpark, you can expect to be spending between $15,000 and $45,000.

Secure your finance

Once you’ve got a rough idea of costs, you obviously need to work out how you’re going to pay for it. If you’re considering finance, there are a few different options. You may be able to use your equity, refinance your home, get a building and construction loan or get a personal loan. RenoNow specialise in renovation loans designed for home renovation projects like kitchens.

Design your dream space (and get quotes)

Now here’s the fun part – designing the space of your dreams. Dream big but also remember the practical things.

• Look at the space and think about what style of kitchen would work best. It could be galley style, L-shaped or an island bench.
• Decide what you want. There are certain must-haves, like a sink, oven, cooktop and fridge space, but the rest is up for grabs. Butler’s pantry? Espresso machine? Wine fridge? It’s up to you.
• Think about how it will all fit together so that your kitchen has a good flow. You want it to be a comfortable space you enjoy using.
•  Consider your lifestyle and how you’re going to use your kitchen. Will you have lots of space for entertaining? Will the kids have space to snack at the bench while you’re getting dinner ready. Make sure it works for you.
• Remember to allow for plenty of storage, especially if you like your kitchen gadgets or you’re planning to upgrade those mismatched pots and pans and want them on display.
• Also keep your budget in mind. Changing the footprint of the existing space, structural work and moving things like plumbing and electricals will cost more.

Once you’ve decided what you want, draw up a floor plan and get quotes. A kitchen design company may provide a design as part of their quote.

Order your appliances

It’s important to choose and order your appliances first. You want to make sure they fit your space and that you can get what you want. You don’t want to be caught out having to change your design or move cabinets later because you couldn’t get what you had planned for.

Measure up

You might have heard the saying ‘measure twice, cut once’. That’s because when it comes to building, measurements are everything. Cabinets, bench tops and appliances all need to fit together. There’s nothing worse than finding out that your cabinets are too low to fit your fridge or your bench top is too short and leaves a gap. In fact, measuring is so important, you should probably get the professionals to do it.

Get the floors down first (if you need)

Another trap home renovators fall into is installing the floors at the wrong time. The right time to install the flooring depends on the type of floor. Typically, for fixed tiles or solid hardwood timber floor, you install the floor first so the cabinetry can go on top. For engineered timber, floating floors or loose tiling, you can do the cabinetry first. These kind of floors may not be rated to take the weight of cabinetry. But hold off on installing the kickboard until after the floor is done – it then goes on top of the floor to cover the ends.

Get the timings right

Remember, a kitchen renovation is a project with a lot of moving parts. You’ll likely have several tradies involved, but they won’t all necessarily be there at the same time. It’s important that you book in their work in the right order and line it up with when anything that you’ve ordered will be available. Work with your tradies and suppliers to line up their time and minimise down time.

Don’t forget to connect the services

Once you’ve got your sparkling new kitchen, you’ll be itching to use it. Remember to get your power and water reconnected when you need it.

RenoNow specialise in renovation loans designed for home renovation projects like kitchens. Apply for a RenoNow renovation loan in under 5 minutes.