If you’ve decided to take the plunge and opt for a DIY kitchen renovation, congratulations! Not only will you get to pick every last detail from the benchtop to the taps and splashback, but you’ll also get a quality kitchen, save a lot of money, get a well-earned sense of satisfaction and pride at the end of the job.
But before you get to that stage, there are plenty of things to consider. As experts in DIY kitchen design, and with years of experience, we think we’re pretty well-placed to offer a few handy tips and suggestions for planning and designing your DIY kitchen.
Measure Twice, Cut Once
This saying was meant to apply to clothes, but it’s even more relevant when it comes to your kitchen. Measure every dimension of your space accurately, not just once but twice. The best practice is to have someone else do exactly the same exercise as you to make sure that the numbers agree with one another – and if they don’t, it’s better to figure out why now, rather than later!
Planning Activities
This step involves being realistic about how you want to use your kitchen. Is it going to be a space where multiple school lunches are made? Or one where food is mostly cooked in bulk and reheated? Will you entertain often, or do you want extra storage space for your many appliances? These sorts of questions help you figure out the big decisions like how much space to allocate to benches, appliances, and storage.
Locate Your Services
Knowing where your gas, power points, and waste pipes are will help you make decisions that you can actually put into action when it comes to putting in the cabinets and sinks.
Bank the Costs
Now you know what your big spending areas are, it’s time to get out the spreadsheet and calculator. This can help you see where you’re spending the most cash, and where you can afford to reallocate some funds to improve a part of the kitchen that isn’t getting much attention.
Also, consider alternative budgets where you have your “must-have” list and your “nice to have” kitchen list as this will help guide you in the right financial choices. Conversely, get some tips on how to save on your kitchen renovation.
Knowing How You Work
An old-timer’s tip for kitchen planning is knowing how to draw the “kitchen triangle” between the sink, the cooktop, and the fridge.
This is because it allows for efficient use of space and for the “cook” to minimise steps when working in the kitchen.
These days though, with many apartments having a single kitchen wall and many homes having a lot more appliances than the sink, fridge and cooktop, the concept of the triangle is a little out of date.
Therefore, it’s important to know how you use the kitchen, which appliances you use the most in order to move freely around the kitchen while minimising the number of steps it takes to cook your meals.
Sample Space
Just like paint swatches and cards help people understand how colours will look in certain rooms, tiles, benchtop, and splashback samples can help understand how certain surfaces and finishes will look together. Visit one of our showrooms and get as many samples as you can. Once you have your samples and check the combinations in your own home before deciding on any.
If you’re ready to take the next steps in your DIY kitchen renovation, then we’d love to help you make the right choices to deliver a well-planned kitchen in your home that is within your budget. Our friendly, experienced staff located across our showrooms in Preston, Maribyrnong, and Kilsyth who are ready to be of service!