A flatpack kitchen designed to your space is a great choice when renovating your kitchen for so many reasons. It let’s you plan what you want, and get the elements and features that you want, without breaking the budget. And with Smart Kitchen , your fully assembled flatpack kitchen arrives at your door, ready to be installed.
But there are also some common pitfalls and hurdles that you’ll want to avoid – after all, renovating is satisfying, but it’s never fun to have to do it twice or spend more than you’ve budgeted.
Here’s our quick list of tips and tricks of things to watch out for when you’re putting together your DIY kitchen.
Setting Your Kitchen Up To Become Outdated
Unless you are looking for a traditional or period-type kitchen renovation, most people want a modern kitchen. But we caution you about being too avant-garde in your plans and choices. Your kitchen can be one of the most costly rooms of your home to renovate, so when selecting major finishes like the cabinetry, benchtops, and tiles, it’s always best to take a conservative approach. You can let your creative flair shine with accessories, tiles, small appliances, wall paint, and bar stools. In doing so, you can change these elements as your tastes change, and if and when you decide to sell, your kitchen will appeal to a broader group of buyers.
Layout Deficiencies
A lot of kitchens in design magazines and online are professionally photographed in studios or warehouses, not homes. That means that they are optimised for their looks, not their practicality. In reality, the main workbench might be across from the sink diagonally, or a cupboard might get in the way of the fridge door when opened. Ensure your kitchen layout is going to make the most sense for when it’s actually being used, not just what looks great in a wide-angle photo.
Layout and design mistakes can often include no deep drawers for pots, insufficient drawers for utensils, and not enough power points where you need them for the like of kettles, toasters, coffee makers, juicers, electric knives, microwaves, and USB device charging.
A space for garbage is often forgotten, and if you don’t provide for this in your design, your bin might end up being exposed and unsightly, or too far away from where it’s needed most. An incorrectly placed garbage bin can add create a messy food prep area and cumbersome cleanups.
Measuring Tape Fails
This is a short one, but one that causes an unbelievable amount of headaches. A simple wrong measurement can mean that entire days are lost, and expensive corrections have to be made. In the worst cases, it means that fridges or dishwashers don’t fit anymore. As the old saying goes, “measure twice, cut once”. We might even suggest measuring three times to be sure – it doesn’t take long and doesn’t cost anything to be overcautious in this instance.
A DIY kitchen project gives your entire home a huge lift, and Smart Kitchen has been helping renovators and DIY kitchen designers for years. You can download our DIY Guide here or get in contact with one of our showrooms in Preston, Maribyrnong, Moorabbin and Kilsyth. Give us a call today to have a chat to our friendly, experienced team about how our products can make your kitchen renovation simpler and less taxing on your budget.