Kitchen Remodeling  – Time

The third most important element in remodeling a kitchen (or any other space for that matter)  is time. t is essential from three points of view – the time you want to spend on remodeling, the time want it to last and the time you will spend there..

If you’re redecorating because you want to sell your home – a good looking and well functioning kitchen can add value to your property. However, there is no need to invest in top quality appliances and materials as you will not get back the extra cost when it comes to selling your home. This doesn’t mean that you should remodel as cheaply as possible – remember, generally cheap looks cheap. You just have to be a bit more creative – buy kitchen cabinets from DIY Stores or Ikea, go for medium range built-in appliances, engineered wooden floor, bamboo floor or ceramic tiles. Wooden or stainless steel worktops are also reasonably priced these days – and they do look sophisticated.

If you’re remodeling a kitchen to last at least ten years – choose quality units, granite, glass or Corian worktops, hardwood or stone flooring and good quality appliances. These materials are timeless and look better with age. You may also consider commissioning a local kitchen-cabinet maker to make your cabinets. If you do, ask them to create something timeless – not something that is fashionable now (like the retro look) but something eternally modern. The Shaker style or simple no-fuss wooden doors fit this criterion. Choose simple door-handles and other fittings – again, only use now-trendy hardware if they can be easily replaced in the future – i.e. it’s best to have handles that only require a single hole through the cabinet doors – with two holes you’ll be restricted to similar designs. Also, consider your lifestyle  – if you don’t spend much time in the kitchen – there is no point of spending huge amounts of money on the latest appliances and gadgets.

Another time factor you should consider is how long you want to spend on the remodeling project. Time is money. The more customised your project is, the more it will cost you. If you decide to do the fitting (or even the making) of the cabinets, measure your time in money and consider your budget. We talked about this in the first article, with an unlimited budget anything is possible. The same applies to time – if you have all the time in the world, your kitchen can look top notch. But is it worth it? Furthermore, the bespoke kitchen normally takes more time to make, more time to install and costs more than high-street or diy store kitchens. Again, you’ll need to consider your budget.

Lastly, the third element  – space  – also relates to time. You might assume that the bigger the space the more time the remodeling  needs – actually small kitchens are more time-consuming because the detailing is more complicated; spatial arrangements have to be spot on; clever adjustments & customising is needed  in the majority of cases.

So, to sum up – when decide to remodel your kitchen and before you get the sledgehammer or your wallet out consider the three essential elements of time, space & budget!