Where to spend and where to save on your kitchen renovation

Have a tired kitchen and not sure where to start? Well, if you know one thing for sure, it’s that your kitchen needs improvement and you have a limited budget to make your dollars count.  This brief guide will help you work out where to save and where to splurge, so your kitchen can be updated and fit your expectations in no time.

Make sure you plan ahead

With the average cost of an Australian kitchen renovation being between $12,000 and $19,000, it’s important to dissect the details and get the most bang for your buck.

Over the past few months you’ve likely been thinking about how your kitchen might look and have collated numerous sources of inspiration, but have you spent the time organising everything and working out what’s really going to work for your space and lifestyle? You should.

Putting time into planning will:

• Help you avoid making expensive mistakes
• Give you the power to budget your kitchen renovation accordingly, and
• Assist you in working out a realistic schedule to work to

Think about what’s practical

While we might all want a kitchen fit for a celebrity chef, sometimes all the trimmings just aren’t practical.

Is a double sink and a huge kitchen island really necessary? Think about how practical these items are for you in the long-term. If you’re a person who likes to entertain and has a large and busy family then this might be a necessity. And if not, you could be wasting your money.

It’s important to think about your lifestyle as this can help to dictate whether you spend more on items and areas that support your day-to-day movements and priorities. So hey, if you’re a budding cook, a high-end appliance range may be worth the investment.

Consider faux or lookalike materials

 

There a plenty of high quality look-alike materials on offer, and choosing to use them doesn’t mean you’re going to reduce the quality or functionality of your kitchen. Many of these materials are just as aesthetically pleasing than their more expensive counterparts with amazing durability to boot.

Consider:

• Vinyl or laminate flooring — these materials can look just as fantastic as timber or tiles and cost a fraction of the price
• Acrylic splashbacks — these cost little to buy and install and can give you the sleek and expensive appearance you desire
• Laminate benchtops — there’s a reason why laminate is so popular in Australian homes. It’s durable, stain resistant and available in a huge range of styles and colours that successfully mimic more expensive benchtop materials

Mix and match your materials

 

You might not be able to budge on having that natural stone benchtop on your kitchen island, and that’s fine, because there are ways to make this work for a limited budget. You can splash out on expensive materials for one component of your kitchen and then choose complementary materials in other working areas.

For example:

• Install a natural stone benchtop for your kitchen island and use laminate materials in other areas
• Use melamine for cabinet, drawer and door fronts and splash out on more expensive brass fixtures
• Choose a cheaper flooring option and spend big on a modern tiled splashback or dramatic lighting

In these cases it can pay off to make a compromise with more expensive fixtures, materials and items taking centre stage. You can have a kitchen full of middle-range materials, or you can truly elevate it by choosing wisely.

Only you can work out and choose what needs replacing and how much you can afford to allocate to different components. While you might have to make some compromises, remember you can do so without sacrificing quality and style.

– Samantha Thorne is a content marketer at hipages.com.au, Australia’s number one site to hire tradies and the perfect place to find a kitchen specialist in your local area.