Please welcome guest writer, Niv Orlian.
6 Ways a Kitchen Update Can Benefit Your Home
If you have been on the fence about a kitchen update, that’s perfectly understandable. For starters, it’s a pretty big expense. Even the most budget-conscious among us will still easily be looking at a five-figure price tag. Beyond the price, there’s also the inconvenience and stress that comes along with a large renovation project like this. For several months, you will have workers coming in and out of your home, considerable construction noise, and the chaos that comes with not having a functional kitchen.
It’s a lot to consider, and quite honestly the scope of the project can sometimes scare homeowners off altogether. However, the kitchen update can also benefit your home in ways you might not have considered.
As with all things, there are pros and cons. To help balance out a pessimistic view, let’s take a look at six of the pros:
Add Extra Storage
There isn’t a kitchen in the world that couldn’t use more storage. If you have outdated kitchen cabinets, you are probably playing a constant rearranging game to get everything to fit. Stock standard cabinets from 30 years ago simply don’t cut it anymore today. Even today’s standard cabinets offer better ergonomic design and smarter storage solutions.
Ideally, you should be able to see everything in your cabinets with very little rummaging, and you should be able to reach things in your cabinets without having to dismantle a tower of pots and pans. If this isn’t the case, sounds like you need better storage and more of it.
Expand the Space
A kitchen renovation is a good time to change the “footprint” of your kitchen. Some houses, especially those built around the 50s and 60s, have very small kitchens. They are not at all suited for the demands of modern life, and many homeowners look for ways to expand their kitchen space during a renovation.
Whenever you talk about knocking down walls there are two main pieces of advice: be prepared to spend a lot more money than you would if you were building within the existing space, and get a professional involved. Demolition is a much larger job than many people realize. Yes, nearly anyone can take a crowbar to a wall. Not everyone knows how to handle the pipes and wires they encounter in that wall, or whether or not the wall is load-bearing.
A professional can also help you design the space efficiently, so any square footage you gain in this renovation can be put to the best possible use.
Create a Better Layout
If your galley or one-wall kitchen is driving you crazy, a renovation would be the time to change that. Chances are pretty good that your existing kitchen either has builder grade materials or was set up to meet the needs of the prior owner, not you. However it happened, there is an ideal layout for your unique situation, and your renovation is the opportunity to find it.
Changing the layout can allow more space for a dining area, expand countertops, situate appliances better, and improve traffic flow through the kitchen. If you have always wanted to add in an island, this would be the best time to do it.
Fix Underlying or Existing Problems
It’s true that many underlying issues can be discovered during a kitchen renovation, but this is also a good time to fix the problems that you already know about. Honestly, the kitchen cabinets cost might be offset if you’re able to find and fix a problem before it becomes a huge issue.
If your plumbing has been giving you issues, there’s no better time to replace it all than during the renovation. Same goes for the electrical wiring – if that is in need of updating either for safety reasons or simply to keep up with the capacity of your use, include it as part of your upgrades.
Modernize
You can spot an old kitchen in seconds. If your kitchen is stuck in a prior decade while the rest of the world has moved on, this is your opportunity to bring it up to date. Many popular modern upgrades include energy efficient appliances, smarter lighting choices, stain proof surfaces, and durable flooring. If your kitchen has been noticeably lacking in any of these areas, be sure to address them when you redesign the space.
Increase the Value of Your Home
Last, but certainly not least – installing a new kitchen can improve the market value of your home. Now, if you have no plans to move out in the near future, remember that there is more than one definition of the word “value.” The value may lie in the improved functionality and comfort experienced by you and your family.
Hopefully, this list has helped open your eyes to some of the benefits of remodeling your kitchen. It is definitely a big job, but one that can pay off in very big ways. Good luck on your project!
AUTHOR BIO
Niv Orlian is an online marketer and the Co-Founder of DO Online Marketing, a Chicago-based company that helps local businesses like Planet Cabinets acquire, manage, and retain local customers online.
I really like how you mention that if your kitchen is stuck in a prior decade, remodeling is your opportunity to bring it up to date. I know that the kitchen in my house will be a sore spot when trying to sell my home because the appliances are very retro. I want to hire a professional kitchen remodeling service so that I know everything that is added is cohesive and looks like it fits in this century.
My wife and I have been discussing the need to update our kitchen. We wanted to do it to increase the value of our home. We didn’t take into account that renovating our kitchen can also help repair any underlying problems that we may not know about. That would definitely help us feel more at ease.