Planning Your Perfect Kitchen

The kitchen can truly be the heart of the home, and planning a kitchen renovation is an exciting time. However, there’s a lot to be considered in planning a kitchen project – and living without it as the job is being completed can cause huge disruption. You may be tempted to jump feet first into buying a new kitchen but don’t: proper planning and project management is really key to a successful and stress-free renovation. Read on for our top tips for your new room.

What Should you Consider 

What do you need from your new kitchen and what do you want? The difference can be marked, and should be factored in. The most obvious considerations are quite often the least actually considered. Think about who needs access to the kitchen, the type of meals being cooked (and therefore type of equipment and appliances required), how often the kitchen will be used for entertaining and whether separate spaces are needed for laundry and dining. Is your existing space sufficient, or would you benefit from an extension? Use a kitchen renovation as an opportunity to take on everything your current kitchen is restricting you from doing – and enjoy it!

Set a Budget

Ensure that you have a clear picture of your budget and know your upper limit! Within this, reduce it by a small percentage to factor in the unexpected – so that if things do go wrong, you don’t have to halt work altogether. Make a list of all elements to account for and then shop backwards to work out how to make your build your desired design bit by bit. When you work with us, our Refresh Renovation Specialists can help you do this but you can also do some of it yourself as long as you’re willing to plan, shop about, and not just buy a whole solution off-the-shelf. It’s not uncommon for homeowners to forget to include plumbing, electrics and labour into their budget – so make sure this is upfront and centre from the off!

Work out Layouts – around Plumbing and Heating

If your existing plumbing will suffice for sinks and appliances, you may not need to rejig your existing kitchen layout; but if it doesn’t, you need to plan more. Working out where you’ll place appliances big and small can help you factor in where to put power points, and common sense will need to be used in locating some things near others (such as the washing machine and dishwasher nearby to the sink). Although many kitchens in British homes aren’t large enough to be heated, underfloor heating is fast becoming a popular option. This can be laid fairly easily but will need to be installed before the floor and the rest of the room is.

Consider Design

Of course, in all the planning of how much to spend and where to put what, it’s important not to lose sight of how you want things to look! Creating a moodboard using magazine sheets and printed images or on Pinterest and other styling social media platforms can help with inspiration. Use this as a wish list to begin with before comparing what’s actually achievable against your budget and desired layout. Don’t forget – you don’t need to buy things in the colour you’d like them in and you don’t have to buy everything brand new… finishing touches can be added in later and sourced secondhand or antique!

Call in the Pros

For most people, there’s only so much of a kitchen reno that can be achieved as a DIY job. Consulting our specialists will help you maximise and optimise the space available as well as provide you with lots of fresh ideas that you may otherwise never have considered. Before you can jump into the building phase of your kitchen renovation, it is essential to design and plan out the project. As part of our process Refresh’s design specialists work with you to create digital 3D renderings of your renovation idea before moving on to creating detailed architectural concepts. 
During the design phase, you can make as many changes as possible. Only once you’re completely satisfied with the concept, should you move forward with the build phase. These concepts are also used to determine the feasibility of your project, help with providing an accurate cost estimate to formulate a budget, and can be built upon to create working drawings. We will then work with the best contractor team to install your new room and make your dream a reality.

Prepare for Disruption

It’s important that you understand the impact of being without a kitchen and how long it’ll be for. If you’re able to move a microwave, mini fridge and/or any other small appliances into another room, at least you’ll have some kind of cooking facilities available. The renovation works may get noisy and dusty, so you may also need to consider whether to move any home working or spaces that could be nearby but that need to be quiet. Having a total back-up plan in case of the worst possible scenario to stay elsewhere should you need to is often a wise idea – although of course hopefully never needed.

Sit Back and Go with the Flow

Renovation projects of any type are rarely straightforward and the journeys rarely linear. There’s really no better policy for tackling your new kitchen dreams than to roll with the punches and deal with issues head on as they arise. Factoring in time delays and cost increases right from the beginning will help dealing with the unexpected easier and provided you’re able to stay open-minded and calm, all should be fine. Maintaining clear communication with your project manager is key and will help ease progress throughout.

Plan a Party!

Once the reno is done and you’re all settled in, show off your new space! Planning a drinks or dinner party gives a great opportunity to show everyone around, so grab some fun recipes (for food or cocktails) and get working on that all important guest list! 

Get in touch!

Refresh Renovations have the experience to ensure your kitchen makeover looks fantastic - and is delivered on time and on budget. To find out more, get in touch today for a free no obligation chat!