At Smart Kitchen , we understand that a kitchen renovation can seem like quite a daunting task. Between planning the new design, ordering all the materials, and organising all the necessary trades, there’s a lot to do. And, just to add extra stress, mistakes can be quite costly – both in time and money.
The good news is the renovation process is fairly straightforward once you know what’s involved. The sequence of steps is actually quite logical, and most activities lead easily onto the next. There’s also a lot of support available if you know where to look!
Here we take a look at exactly what’s involved in renovating a kitchen. We outline the key steps, in order, and call out some of the main watchpoints. We also share some of our top tips on taking the stress out of the process.
The kitchen renovation process
While many factors influence the exact scope of work, the high-level steps will largely be the same for every renovation. These are:
- Measuring your space: The devil is in the details and in the planning stages. It’s important to measure the space to ensure everything will fit in place, minimise errors and help in the planning phase. We have developed a helpful guide on how to measure your space.
- Developing your new design: Before you start any of the actual renovation work, you need to know what you want to achieve. This includes style of cabinetry, type of benchtops, kitchen accessories and your appliances for your space. This is usually one of the most enjoyable parts, so take your time and make sure you think everything through. At this point it would be good to visit showrooms to touch and feel the products to make sure you know what you want at the price you can afford.
- Design: This step is critical to visualise your space, ensure all the elements tie together and ensure your kitchen meets all your functional requirements such as better floor, more storage, more bench space. This phase will also help you visualis the final design to make sure you are happy with the final kitchen.
- Ordering your new kitchen: Once you’ve finalised your layout and chosen your finishes, you can order the materials. The lead time for these – and particularly your cabinets – will guide your overall renovation timeline.
- Removing your existing kitchen: Once you know when your new cabinets will be delivered, you can plan the actual renovation work. The first step will be to remove all of the existing fittings that are no longer required. This shouldn’t take longer than a day or two. We encourage the use of our Recommended Installers so their kitchen is installed correctly by experts. They have trades such as plumbing and electrical to assist. You can remove your existing kitchen to save $s.
- Doing the initial building work: We would never recommend structural work to be done by yourself. Always use a qualified builder for any structural work especially walls they are not allowed to remove in case it is load bearing.l. Depending on the scale of your renovation, this could include installing or removing windows and walls and roughing in plumbing and electrical changes. Generally, this work should only take a couple of days.
- Installing your new cabinets: Now, you can begin installing your new kitchen, starting with the cabinets. Depending on the size of your kitchen, this will usually take between one and three days. If you want to speed up this process, consider using a professional installer.
- Installing the new benchtop: With a little planning, you should be able to install your new benchtop as soon as the cabinets are in if you have selected a laminate benchtop. However, if you’ve chosen stone, template measurements will be required and cut to size back at the benchtop factory before they return to fit 10-14 days later.it’ll need to be measured and cut to size, which can take up to 10 days.
- Connecting the plumbing and electrical: With most of your new kitchen’s structure now in place, you can install all the appliances. This needs to be done by a licensed tradesperson who should let you know how long the work will take.
- Installing the splashback: Once your new benchtops are in place, you can start work on the splashback. If you’ve chosen tile, this can be installed straight away. If you’ve chosen glass or stone, this will need to be measured and cut to size, which can take up to 10 days.
- Laying the flooring: While some people say new flooring should be installed early in the process, the downside of this is that there is some potential for your flooring to be damaged due to traffic from tradespeople and renovation works. The good news is that there are some good floor protection options that can be laid prior to renovation to prevent damage. That being said, if you’ve chosen cement floors, these will need to be poured before installing your new cabinets. Laying the flooring earlier will mean that if you even do decide to change your kitchen layout, the flooring may still be able to be used with a new layout.
- Painting the walls: Once your new kitchen is in place, you can finish the look with a new coat of paint. Avoid marks and damage by making sure your new kitchen fixtures are well-protected before you start painting.
- Making the most of the space: With your renovation now complete, you can officially start using your new kitchen. And what better way to christen it than inviting friends and family around for a celebratory meal!
Need help planning your kitchen renovation?
If you’re thinking about renovating your kitchen but still aren’t sure where to start, contact Smart Kitchen . We can help you plan your whole renovation project, from coming up with the design to the finishing touches. We can also help you get the most from your renovation budget, recommending cost-effective ways to bring your dream kitchen to life.