So, you're taking the plunge, and you're ready to renovate your kitchen? Of course, you're excited. It's not every day you get to have your dream kitchen, right?
There are several kitchen renovating mistakes you need to consider before you get started. Making sure you avoid these pitfalls will help you have a stress-free renovation experience. It will also ensure that you don't make costly mistakes that you might just have to live with for a long time to come.
Let's see how you can make the significant investment of remodeling your kitchen something that increases the value of your home and contributes to your general well-being and that of your family.
1. Planning the Design Properly
You should have your plans looked over by a professional. Many suppliers and installers of kitchen cabinets offer a professional service that includes a projected 3D image of what your new kitchen will look like. Having an expert get involved at the planning stage will serve to point out glaring errors in your layout ideas.
To start off with, you might want to download the free planning software that some bigger names in the household furniture business offer or look for one that does 3D mock-ups. It's a way of sorting out in your mind what you don't want. And that's often just as important as deciding what you do want.
2. Flooring
In a lot of houses, you might discover that the floor tiles have been laid only where they are visible. This means that any change to the kitchen cabinet will reveal a patchy floor
If you're having new cabinets installed, it is best to ensure that your floor is all uniform color, that there are no tiles missing, and no nasty surprises in terms of stains.
You might be lucky enough to be installing a completely new flooring. At this point, it is important to ensure that the kitchen floor is level with the adjoining space or room. You might think you can handle a small step between the two, but tripping up with your hands holding a porcelain tureen of hot soup would be no joke.
Whilst on the subject of safety, a non-slip yet easy-to-clean floor is the kind you want. As with everything else that is going to make up your kitchen, searching extensively online for ideas and materials is essential.
One basic tip is that you must make sure that your floor does not clash either because of the pattern or the color with the rest of your kitchen fittings and furnishing.
3. Uncomfortable Seating
If you have an open-plan kitchen, then it is likely that you and your family spend a lot of time in this room of the house. Whether it is for a quick cereal in the morning or a sit-down meal at lunch or dinner, it is important that you have comfortable seating. Make sure the stools or chairs you choose fit under the counter neatly when not in use.
By comfortable seating, we do not mean upholstered seating. Anything in the kitchen, when food spills are more likely, should be easy to clean. You should consider having a diner-style space with a counter accessible from two sides; the living space side and the kitchen side. Accessibility is key when it comes to serving food there and removing items afterward.
We would recommend that you have a sturdy kitchen table which can be used for informal family meals. It can also double up as a place for you to sit and take a break if you're doing a bit of cook-up. During the holidays, it can also double up as a place to put things when you're doing a big cook-up.
4. Not Enough Storage
One of the most frustrating things about working in a kitchen that does not have enough storage space is that you have to struggle every time you want to remove or put back every single pot, pan, plate, or mixing bowl.
Be aware of where the storage space is. Many people make the mistake of storing dry goods such as rice and flour directly above the stovetop. This means that steam from boiling pots constantly gets into these cupboards, so storing dry goods there for any length of time is impossible.
Another storage nightmare is the height of the cupboard in relation to the various heights of the people who use the kitchen. Many people make the mistake of putting cupboards when some people in the family are in constant danger of hitting their heads or damaging their eyes when cupboard doors swing open. Avoid dangerous cupboards at all costs.
Self-closing cabinet-doors are a good idea, or cabinet doors with jumper locks, which provide a certain degree of childproofing.
5. Inadequate Counter Space
The kitchen is above all a place for food preparation. Make sure that at least two people would have sufficient space to prepare food in your kitchen. Remember, you will need enough counter space for all your favorite appliances, your favorite 4 piece set of knives, for example, and a place for chopping boards if you're not going to have a central food preparation island. All appliances need a socket nearby. Make sure you have plenty of outlets. And, of course, get the electrical wiring sorted out before you do the splashback tiling.
6. Poor Lighting - Frequent Kitchen Renovating Mistakes
Lights are either too bright or not bright enough. If you use the kitchen area for eating as well as food preparation, consider two different lighting systems. No one likes to eat under the bright glare of fluorescent tubing.
Consider energy-saving LED lighting is the way to go, both for the areas where you need bright lighting, as well as perhaps softer backlighting for those calm dinners. Consider plinth lighting (lighting near the floor), if you or your family make trips to the kitchen during the night. A soft glow means things don't go bump in the night.
7. Bad Fridge and Stove Placement
Check the building regulations regarding how close to the sink the stove can be and so on before you start any remodeling. Don't stick your fridge in a corner somewhere, or behind a door. Or on the other side of the room from the stove or food preparation area.
If it is a single-door fridge, check which way the door opens, because that could impact the position of your fridge. If you're thinking of buying a new stove or fridge or dishwasher for your kitchen, do this before installing new cabinets. Seriously. Safe yourself from making costly alterations that look strange later.
8. Poor Air Flow
Make sure you have a decent size window. Make sure you have an extractor fan for effective removal of steam and smoke. While open-plan is wonderful, make sure you have some way of ensuring that kitchen smells stay in the kitchen.
Make Lists – and Remember to Plan Your Painting
Whenever you start a remodelling project, it is a good idea to make lists. That way, you won't forget to decide on a paint color at the same time as you decide on the colors for your flooring and cabinets. Who wants to end up painting their kitchen twice because of poor planning?
And you won't forget to figure out exactly where you plan to locate the computer for your smart kitchen. The whole point about lists is to make a note of everything, then prioritize some things, delete others – and make sure you've got all your bases covered so that you don't make any costly kitchen renovating mistakes.
sIf you liked this article, why don't you check out other posts on the home and lifestyle on our site?
