Kitchen Renovation in 10 Easy Steps

From go to whoa – follow our simple step by step process for a successful kitchen renovation.

You don’t need to be a professional tradesperson to knock over a killer kitchen renovation. And you don’t need to have a huge renovation budget either. But it is critical to have a well-thought out plan.

So, before you use a sledgehammer against the kitchen cabinets, ready yourself with a milder tool instead. Our recommended weapon of choice – a pen and paper!

Establishing your kitchen renovation plan

The first steps of a kitchen renovation are preparation.

 

Plan and research

1. Design

Take the time to shop around for kitchen renovation designs. Look for styles that will suit your home and satisfy your personal style preferences. Home magazines, design home expos, and even Pinterest are great for generating creative concepts.

Is there a design theme in your home that you want to follow or start over? Hamptons-style, country chic, shaker-style, French Provincial, etc. Take note of the colours and design elements that will suit.

 

2. Layout

Consider how your kitchen is already laid out before getting too deep into kitchen renovation design plans.

• Where is the existing plumbing for the sink, and the gas or electricity connections for the stove?
• Does your fridge need plumbing for a water dispenser? Will this work with a new location?
• Does the kitchen triangle already work well or could this be changed up to increase efficiency?
• Do you need more bench space or food prep area?
• Is storage an issue?
• Do you have the space available, or the demand for, a butler’s pantry?
• Do you need additional dining space for the family?

Ponder over what already works well and whether you have the budget available in your kitchen renovation for extra electrical work or re-connections needed to move items around.

And, that gets us to number three on the planning list – budget.

* Tip: for more tips on how to make your kitchen more efficient, check out our recent blog here.

 

3. Budget

All successful renovations revolve around a budget. A budget is important if you want to keep ahead of expenses and on track of funds. Kitchen renovations can include some fairly big-ticket items, particularly if you are replacing major appliances like fridges and cooking equipment.

To get more of an idea on the cost of new items, you could check stores like Mitre 10, Bunnings, and IKEA who stock kitchen items. Or – go straight to kitchen renovation specialists like Harrington Kitchens.

Specialised kitchen renovation experts have intimate knowledge and experience required of the entire project. They know achieve a look and functionable result within budget, without wasting any time.  

* Tip: while you are planning your new kitchen renovation – check out our tips for an organised kitchen. There is no harm in planning ahead!

 

4. Measure the area

If you are planning on knocking out cabinets or adding another permanent feature like a benchtop in your new kitchen, you will need to know the appropriate space is available to do so.

If you are not the best with measuring up, it is probably a good idea to get a kitchen renovation consultant to help you with it.

 

5. Draft the design

This step involves putting pen to paper and drafting a scaled version of your new kitchen design. We highly recommend getting a kitchen designer to draw this up to scale for you. Some companies also offer 3D plans to present a real feel of your kitchen renovation – and a very good chance to change anything that doesn’t look quite right.

 

6. Arrange supplies

Once your kitchen renovation plans are done and dusted, you can shop around for items such as kitchen cabinets, tapware, sink, tiles, paint, appliances, flooring, and lighting fixtures all in advance. Get them delivered on site so they are ready to go.

 

Now get jiggy with it…!

7. Knock em down

Here’s where a lot of people feel like unleashing the beast of frustration and getting into smashing up a storm. But, it’s often not the best way to go about a kitchen renovation demolition.

Before getting carried away we suggest a few things to make the job at hand a little easier (and less bruising on the muscles):

• remove cabinet doors
• if possible, take cabinet carcasses off the wall by removing the screws which hold them there. Have someone to help with the weight of the cabinets as you do so
• if you are removing plasterboard from the walls, start by making a small hole with a hammer and using a crowbar to lift the remainder off

* Tip: When applying brute force with a sledgehammer, be careful not to hit any studs in the walls as they can be costly to repair. Some studs may also be load-bearing, which means they help to hold up the ceiling and other structural elements.

 

8. Build em up

Once the demolition is complete, the kitchen renovation comes to life. Depending whether you decide to DIY or hire professionals to do the installation jobs, you will work with various trades to finalise the project.

Trades which are generally involved in a kitchen renovation include:

• plumber – replacing, upgrading, or changing the location of plumbing for a sink, dishwasher, or fridge with water dispenser
• electrician – adding/removing electrical power outlets, changing light fittings, adding a dedicated circuit breaker for large appliances, wiring the oven, garbage disposal, rangehood and dishwasher, and adding additional lighting including features like under cabinet strip lighting
• plasterer – to hang new sheeting
• painter – to paint the walls and add colour features to a kitchen renovation
• cabinet maker – for installation of kitchen cabinets, benches and kickboards
• tiler – other than tiled floors, a tiler might also install your kitchen splashback

 

9. Decorate

Putting the finesse to your kitchen renovation – it is time to decorate!

Taking into account the style you settled on, decorating a new kitchen can be just as challenging as the renovation itself. But a well-planned kitchen renovation will mean you have this already in the bag.

Don’t forget to plan for storage items and organisational feature in your pantry as part of your decorating plan too.

 

10. Enjoy

With all the hard work behind, you can now sit back and enjoy the finished kitchen renovation.

* Tip: For more handy kitchen renovation reading – check out our kitchen design tips from the experts.

 

Overwhelmed just by thinking about a kitchen renovation? Get our kitchen renovation team to tackle the challenge for you instead. Contact our gurus here.