Are you currently agonizing over whether or not to splash out on a new kitchen? The kitchen is said to be the heart of the home, and naturally you want yours to look good and be practical to work in. However, a new fitted kitchen can be a major undertaking that can cost thousands and leave your life in chaos for a few weeks while the work is completed. If you really want to give your kitchen a new look there may be ways to go about it that will be less intensive, however there are some situations where the only option is a full remodel. Here are some points to consider if you’re not sure whether to move on that new kitchen or make some more superficial changes instead:
How Do You Feel About the Layout?
The layout in the kitchen in the one thing you can’t really change without a refit, and if you have counters in places you don’t want them or a breakfast bar or other fixed area you would rather not have to deal with then there really isn’t any way to get around the need for a professional remodel. However, if what you want to do is add something to the layout (for example you’d like to add an additional work surface or a place to eat), then you may be able to do this with non fitted furniture. Think about the ideal layout of your kitchen, and whether getting there can be achieved without removing anything that is currently there.
Are the Things You Don’t Like Down to Appearance or Age?
If you simply don’t like the look of your counters or cupboards, you can often change them without changing the fitted parts. New fronts for drawers and cupboards can be ordered to size, giving you the look people go for with custom kitchens while also keeping the foundations of your existing kitchen structure. You can also get new counter tops. You can often install things like this yourself or use a local handyman or casual builder rather than needing to pay the kind of money you’d pay for the work on a new fitted kitchen.
However, if it is the appliances that are old and unpleasant to you now, and they are built in to the fitted kitchen, you may have to go for the remodel option. Some kitchens have appliances that can be easily replaced, however with a lot of modern styles you have things like stove tops built in to counters, and this can make it difficult.
Is There Damage?
If parts of the original kitchen are damaged or have aged to the point where they are hard to keep clean, a refit is going to be inevitable in the near future to rectify things. You may be able to spruce up the kitchen with some superficial changes in the short term but broken cabinets and counters will ultimately need to be replaced properly, so you might as well take the plunge now if you can afford to. Damage caused by things like floods absolutely must be addressed immediately, however in most cases you’ll get help with this from your insurer.
Featured images:
- License: Creative Commons image source
- License: Creative Commons image source
- License: Creative Commons image source
- License: Creative Commons image source
The author of this post, Gary Mint, is an experienced interior designing consultant. He likes writing and is always shares his creative ideas with others through his blogs. Every weekend he goes for camping and likes being close to nature.