6 Essential Kitchen Renovation Tips Which Every Homeowner Must Know

A well-planned kitchen will result in significant cost-savings in maintaining the kitchen, improved time management and even lesser injuries for homeowners using the facility. However, remodeling your kitchen is a major project with a lot of considerations.

Therefore, to avoid these common designs and remodel mistakes, aside from the 5 things homeowners wished they knew before they renovate the kitchen, I have listed 6 essential tips you have to know before you kick-start your kitchen renovation journey!

#1. Understand your cooking habits

Your cooking habits will significantly impact the scope and complexity of kitchens requirements. In fact, this is one of the most important considerations before you remodel your kitchen. Hence, ask yourself; what is your frequency of cooking and the favorite cooking method?

If you are a regular cook, your kitchen need to be able to with the demands of regular cooking. However, it should also be easy to clean and maintain. Furthermore, if your favorite cooking method is deep frying and baking, you should consider having an built in deep fryer or oven to keep your counter-top clutter free. Also, do consider in investing in a heavy duty exhaust hood to catch and vent smoke and stale cooking smells out of the kitchen.

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#2. Get clever with your storage needs

Avid and active home cooks usually have a stash of pots and specialized cooking equipment which require more storage space than the regular ones. Therefore, aside from the kitchen cabinets and existing counter-top, you should look for solutions that squeeze every ounce of space from your kitchen. These solutions include customised pantry stores, appliance nooks, rolling kitchen island cum cabinet, movable appliance cart, pull-out counter tops and even overhead cabinet suspended from the ceiling.

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#3. Safety features are a must

The kitchen is an inherently dangerous place for accidents to take place since this is where the flames, hot stoves, sharp objects and wet slippery surfaces are. In fact, in most countries, kitchens are one of the most frequent sources of house fires and injuries. Therefore, ensure that you have covered the safety aspects during the renovation aspects. For instance, you should keep electrical switches and lighting fixtures away from water sources. Furthermore, choose rounded profile edge for the corners of the countertops for islands and peninsulas. Also, movable islands and carts should have brakes installed to prevent accidental movement. In addition, use slip-resistant tiles or non-slip mats. Lastly, remember to set aside a location for a fire extinguisher too.

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#4. Incorporate ergonomic features

An ergonomically designed kitchen can help minimise safety hazards and also relieve the tension caused when you have to bend to cook or stretch for various food supplies. The objective of an ergonomically designed kitchen is for you to perform cooking tasks easily without straining yourself.

For instance, you should consider incorporating more pull-out drawers in your cabinet since you can pull the drawers all the way out to reach items in the back without having to reach all the way inside. Customized counter height to your needs so that you do not have to stoop or stretch while working at the counter to prepare your meals. Invest in pull-down shelves so that you can reach items in the top cabinets easily without using a step stool.

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#5. Select appropriate materials for various kitchen surfaces

Kitchen cabinets should be a marriage of form and function. Stainless steel metal kitchen cabinets are suitable for a kitchen that is heavily used since they are very durable and rust and stain resistant. In fact, many commercial kitchens are outfitted with stainless steel cabinets since they are easy to clean and last longer. If you are using Thermofoil for the kitchen cabinet, make sure that the Thermofoil finish is of good quality and sealed properly so that water would not seep in. In addition, Thermofoil cabinets are very susceptible to heat and thus a heat shield should be installed if you intend to use ovens and stoves next to the cabinets.  However, if you are using laminates, remember to use high-pressure laminates  since low-pressure laminates, also known as melamine, are less impact-resistant.

For the kitchen backsplash, a general guideline is to avoid using tiles since the tile grout traps the grease and dirt easily.

For the kitchen countertop, aside from  Granite, Quartz is a suitable material for kitchen countertop if you need something that is heavy duty yet low maintenance.

Lastly, you should use a satin or semi-gloss paint finish for the kitchen walls in order to make cleaning of these surfaces much easier.

#6. Uncover hidden renovation costs

You should be prepared and not be caught off guard by the hidden, unexpected costs incurred when you are doing the kitchen renovation. The hidden kitchen renovation costs may stem from the following areas; relocation costs involved in shifting the electrical points and moving the kitchen sink plumbing. As for the cabinet, ABS trimming to smooth out the sharp edges, cabinet hinges which have soft close features, to prevent cabinets from slamming, and hydraulic arms are much more expensive. In addition, varying materials are priced differently, thus do not waste the money on top grade materials if you are not a heavy kitchen user.

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