The kitchen is the heart if your home, its where your feed your family, fuel your day, host meals to family and friends, and find comfort in a home cooked meal. However you use the space, whether the room you eat take out in or a space full of equipment and tools to create a gourmet meal, the kitchen is perhaps the most important room in your house. But over time it will wear down and need some maintenance.
Maybe you need to do a full replacement, or maybe its just a face lift, the first step is determining the type of renovation that is needed. A kitchen facelift, a kitchen remove and replace or are you going to totally reinvent the space!
One way to help determine which approach is best for you, the space, your budget, needs and timeline, is to meet with either an interior designer, kitchen designer or renovator who specializes in kitchen renovations. Working with a professional will help you find the best approach based on a variety of parameters set by you and the site conditions.
Why do a kitchen facelift?
- There are many reasons why doing a simple (or complex) facelift to your existing kitchen would be the best choice. Here are just three common reasons we often see;
- Prepping to sell, in today’s market you don’t need to do much as it is a seller’s market, but if your prepping for future sale and want to be ready for things to go back to a more normal situation, doing a face lift to your kitchen is a great way to “update the kitchen” on a smaller budget.
- The cabinets a great quality and the layout is just fine, BUT its old and dated, you want to update the look.
- You have bought a new construction home, but want to add some upgrades and personalize the look after you have moved in.
- A facelift allows you to simply personalize a kitchen with some personal touches with the addition of a backsplash, or an upgrade of countertops, or improvement of lighting. It can also breath nee life into an old and dated kitchen with new countertops, backsplash, hardware, colours and flooring.
- Whether you do just a little to it or a whole lot, if the bones are good, you can save time and money on the renovation while also keeping something that still has many years of use and life in it out of a landfill!
- A Kitchen reface will take anywhere from a couple of days to a couple of weeks, and could cost you between $5000-$30,000 depending on the size of the space the materials you choose and how much you are doing to it.
When is a Remove and replace the best renovation for you?
Like a face-lift, there are many situations when doing a full removal and replacement of your kitchen is an ideal choice;
- Your cabinets are falling apart, the storage isn’t what you want and need and the colours and finishes are not up to snuff anymore, but the space overall works.
- The old kitchen isn’t terrible, but what is there doesn’t have the conveniences you want and need and/or you are making some minor changes to the layout like removing a desk area and adding a pantry, or changing from a peninsula or an island. You have a good budget, but like most of us, you have a limit to what you can and want to spend on the renovation.
- A remove and replace is when the overall footprint is staying the same, you are doing exactly what it sounds like, taking out what’s there and replacing it in somewhat the same layout, some minor changes may occur, but overall it’s the same space, just 100 times better! New cabinets means you can have all the modern accessories and conveniences, the most current door-styles and trims, and everything is clean, shiny and new. If the old kitchen is still good we can have it recycled, sometimes we repurpose it into a basement renovation, it gets used for a work-shop in your garage, or it is sold for a bargain price and the money donated to charity.
- You could expend to spend between $15,000-$80,000 on such a renovation depending on the size of the space, the materials and finishes you are choosing and the extent of the overall renovation.
When you choose to do a complete Kitchen Renovation…
Maybe you bought a fixer upper, maybe you have been in your home for years and years and how you use it has evolved, or its just time! You want a bigger, more open concept space. The reasons to do a full kitchen renovation are endless. You need a bigger budget for the this, but if well planned it will be a rewarding experience. With a full renovation a major transformation is happening. Walls removed, rearranging of layout, the opportunities are endless to create your dream kitchen. These renovations usually have the most extreme before and after changes, they offer the most possibilities, and you’re not just transforming the one room, you’re making a major change to your home!
Doing a full overhaul to your kitchen will take several weeks to several months and cost you anywhere from $50,000 and up depending on the extent of the project and your taste in materials, fixtures and finishes. Some examples of expenses you can expect;
- Engineering and permits if you are making structural changes to your home and relocating plumbing.
- Larger Plumbing and electrical costs.
- ESA permit cost
- Design and project management fees, if you want to have help and guidance or be completely hands off about the project.
- Accommodations and meals, you may have to live somewhere else, maybe only a night or two, maybe a couple of months, depending on the size of the renovation, + you will eat out more often as the kitchen will be out of commission the longest with this style of renovation.
Regardless of the type of renovation your are doing to the kitchen, you will be improving your home. Working with an Interior Designer, Interior Decorator or a Kitchen Design specialist is the best first step, whether you plan to DIY or be hands off, a design professional can help you decide the best way to approach the kitchen renovations to best fit your space, needs, timeline and budget to give you a Functional Space with Style!