Renovating a kitchen can be daunting. It is a complex task and is by no means an easy project to tackle. The kitchen is the hub of home life so it’s important to think through all your needs and requirements to help decide on the most appropriate kitchen design for you and your family. 

Renovating your kitchen plays a major role in improving the aesthetic appeal of your home and involves a great deal of creativity and proper planning. Taking the time to plan ahead will save you time and money, and ensure you are prepared to take on the task at hand. 

Before you undertake a kitchen renovation project, you have numerous things, beyond style and layout, to consider. While there is no one secret to kitchen renovation success, we hope these practical tips will help give you the confidence to take the next step to creating the perfect kitchen space for your home - one that you will enjoy with family and friends for years to come.

Robert Fonti, Director Balnei & Colina

 

Image credit: The English Tapware Company

1. Lifestyle and Use

Taking into account your lifestyle as well as how you use your kitchen the key to a successful renovation outcome. Take the time to think about how you use your kitchen now. Do you cook often or only once or twice a week? Is your kitchen a gathering place for friends and family when you entertain? 

A custom kitchen designer can help identify and solve any problems you have in your current kitchen layout. Take some time to reflect on the limitations you see in your current kitchen. Do you struggle with inadequate counter space? Are your appliances ready for an upgrade? Do you need a bar counter or a breakfast table for your family to gather in the mornings? Do you have adequate storage? Will you need a butlers pantry? All of these questions need to be considered when meeting with your kitchen designer.

Design Tip: To help determine how much storage you’ll need in your new kitchen be sure to do an audit of all your kitchen items including small electrical appliances. Think about where you’d like to store them within easy access. For example, are you going to store small electrical appliances on your benchtop, or allocate a cupboard for them. 

Photo by Maree Homer

 

2. Structural Changes

A kitchen renovation also provides an opportunity to make practical improvements to your home, so decide if any structural changes need to be made in the planning phase. 

It is important to think about adjacent rooms and how your kitchen integrates with your remaining home. This way, you can determine whether you need to change the layout of your kitchen as well as thinking about any structural changes.

Note down the structural changes you would like to make including

• Knock down walls
• Additional Windows or skylights

Design Tip: Factors like, how long do you plan to live in your current home should be considered when deciding whether or not to make structural changes as these can add substantial costs to your kitchen renovation.

Permits and approval should also be considered at this time. Ascertain whether you need to seek approvals from council or strata to complete your renovation and the costs involved.

Image credit: Fair Haven Homes

 

Image credit: Rycon Building Group

3. Set A budget

Setting a budget from the outset is vital in ensuring you achieve your kitchen renovation goals. A budget can also help you make important design decisions. 

Determine how much you are willing to spend on your renovation and stick to it. Figure out how much of your budget you want to allocate to various components of your build for example, appliances, benchtops, and accessories like tapware and lighting. Your kitchen contractor or designer can help by providing a cost estimate to ensure you don’t underestimate or overlook renovation costs and can educate on any hidden costs of renovating you may not have thought of.

Design Tip: Setting a budget at the start of the planning phase will assist your kitchen designer to plan and design the kitchen to suit your predetermined budget.

Image credit: Homes to Love NZ

 

Image credit: ESNY

4. Know your design style

Take the time to visualise how you want your finished kitchen project to look like. Collect designs and ideas from useful resources like magazines, books and the internet for inspiration. Start a file to store your favourite images and look for recurring trends in your selections. Pick one or two key items and build your design choices around them.

Design Tip: Balnei & Colina’s Facebook and Instagram pages is a good source of inspiration.

Image credit: Martha Stewart

 

Image credit: Newcastle Design

5. Determine your appliance preferences

Understanding your appliance preferences in advance will also help devise a kitchen design that best suits the way you work in your kitchen. Ask yourself, how much time do you spend cooking and how do you cook? Do you mainly use an oven or primarily cook on a stove or is a slow cooker your go to for meals. Do you have a large family or entertain often? Do you bulk buy or shop everyday? The answers to these questions will help you make the right choice when it comes to selecting kitchen appliances.

Your kitchen designer can assist and provide advice on the best appliances to suit you and your family’s needs but it’s important to have researched these yourself prior to your design consultation.

Tip: One of the most common questions our clients ask is - "How much should I spend on my appliances?" While there are no set rules as a general guide, allow 20% of your overall renovation budget for appliances.

Image credit: Studio MK27

 

 

Image credit: Tonka Andjelkovic Design

6. Set a timeframe

It’s important to think about when you’d like to start and complete your project.

Setting a timeframe for the completion of your project will ensure you stay organised as you have a deadline to meet.

Image credit: Victoria Stone Gallery

 

The reason why your renovating, the type of kitchen your aspiring to create together with your preferred timeframe form the basis for your scope of work. This can then be used to engage a suitable kitchen and bathroom contractor to complete your project.

 

Image credit: The West Australian

7. Get expert help

A kitchen renovation is one of the most complex rooms to renovate in a home and is best left to the experts. Schedule an initial consultation with a kitchen design expert. They will evaluate your space and suggest the best design options with respect to kitchen layout, flooring, cabinetry components and appliances to name a few.

 

Image credit: Balnei & Colina

Choosing a contractor

One of the most important aspects of kitchen renovation and one that will determine the end result is selecting the right kitchen contractor to complete your kitchen renovation. This takes time, but the key things to consider when selecting a business to complete your project include: 

A) Expertise-how long has the kitchen designer/contractor been operating and what are their qualifications? Do they have evidence of successfully completed kitchen renovation projects and can they provide testimonials of satisfied clients? 

B) Do you feel comfortable with them?-Your kitchen renovator will be working with you on your project for a substantial period of time. They will be in your home and to an extent your personal space so you want feel comfortable with them. 

C) Are they up to standard? Is the business fully licensed? They must have relevant insurances for example Home Warranty. If they don’t have appropriate insurances like Home Warranty or follow the minimum standards required by NSW Housing Law or they don’t have contractual terms it may be time to look for an alternative kitchen contractor who can professionally complete your project.

D) Do they provide documentation?A professional kitchen contractor will be able to provide you with plans, drawings and specifications for your project as well as itemised quotes, contracts, terms and conditions. 

 

An expert kitchen contractor will also be able to help with the following: 

How and which of the latest kitchen trends to incorporate? 

A kitchen design professional will be up to date with the latest in kitchen design trends including appliances, fittings and cabinetry finishes. Your kitchen designer can advise you on which trends to incorporate into your new kitchen design. Ensuring your kitchen is on trend will mean it’s less likely to date over time. And, making sure you don’t incorporate fleeting trends is just as important in ensuring your final kitchen design remains timeless. Examples include new steam ovens and the latest fingerprint free cabinetry technology. 

Optimising your kitchen layout. 

Ensuring your kitchen layout meets your unique needs, is efficient, maximises workflow and creating design that’s aesthetically pleasing is the job of every accredited designer. Your chosen kitchen designer/contractor will tailor the design to the way you work in your kitchen and can advise you on things like, layout changes, ways to best maximise storage and the best location for your appliances and PC items. 

Image credit: WB Homes

 

 

Image credit: Janelle Hearne Design

8. Get ready to renovate

Finally, it’s important to think about logistics. Plan where you and your family will cook whilst your kitchen is being renovated, where you will eat and how you will prepare meals. It’s important to plan ahead to ensure the renovation has as minimal impact as possible on your daily routines.

Allocate a temporary food preparation area, food storage area and dishwashing station in your home that will cover the weeks to completion of your project.

 

A kitchen renovation can seem overwhelming, and is best left to the experts. Book a design consultation today with one of our kitchen experts on 1300 450 320, contact us via balneiandcolina.com.au or email info@balneiandcolina.com.au.

If you’re looking for further inspiration and ideas for your next kitchen renovation, signup to our newsletter or connect with us on Instagram and Facebook to stay up to date with the latest design trends.