9 Tips for Remodeling a Kitchen on a Budget — We all love nice food and to prepare it, we usually need to be in the kitchen and that means we will spend a lot of time in there too. Sometimes we may have to entertain our guests in there and it is important that the kitchen is able to make them as well as us feel comfortable.
9 Tips for Remodeling a Kitchen on a Budget
Now before you begin worrying that you will need to spend a fortune on remodelling, consider these tips that will help you have a really nice kitchen on a budget.
Create Space
You would be surprised how much different your kitchen will look when there is more space. Sometimes we have a lot of clutter around for no reason and the first step of remodelling would be to get rid of them. The old pan with a hole does not need to be in your kitchen anymore, those spice containers have been seated on the boards for so long yet you never use them, maybe you should throw them out and you do not have to keep old cereal boxes, throw those out too. Generally look at your kitchen and decide what really has to be there and what doesn’t.
Resurface Old Cabinets
The cost of new cabinets is usually going to contribute a great deal to the remodelling cost. You can save on that by resurfacing and repainting the old ones. If you are a DIY home owner, you will save a lot since the main cost will be on buying the best belt sander, varnish and paint while your labour will come for free. It is interesting how different the kitchen can look when you add fresh paint to the cabinets. Naturally this will work if the cabinets are still in good shape and have not been eaten away by ants.
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Do not Buy Ready to Fit Cabinets
If you cannot save the old cabinets and you must put in new ones, opt for ready to assemble cabinets instead of ready to fit. The ones you will have to assemble cost a lot less than the ones you can fit straight away. Assembly may seem like a bit of a challenge if you are not used to this kind of work so you can hire a professional but it will still be cheaper than the ready to fit ones.
Use Shelves Instead of Cabinets
Another option can be open storage, it is not a must that you have cabinets in your kitchen or you can reduce the number of cabinets and have some shelves instead. This works though if you know you do not have a lot of things to keep in the kitchen and if you are a tidy person. If you are untidy, the open shelves may end up being an eye sore so be sure that you are able to manage them.
Change the Shutters Only
The shutters of the cabinet may look old fashioned and you may think you need new cabinets but the truth is if the shelves are still working well, all you will need are the shutters for the cabinets so you will save a lot of money by changing only that yet the kitchen will actually look a lot more stylish with the new cabinets. At times you can even just change the handles and they will add modernity to your kitchen. If you know how to work with wood, you may be able to use a spindle sander to create interesting designs on the shutters to make them look different.
Add Lighting
One of the more modern kitchen designs involves using lights to enhance the beauty of a kitchen. It is amazing what added lights will do for a kitchen, you will actually be able to see things that have always been there but never really highlighted. Lighting may come with a cost, but it is not going to burn a whole in your pocket. But of course you need to have the lights strategically located and they need to be the modern type. It is also advisable to have them shining where the cook does most of the work. One of the places professionals suggest to add modern lights is under the cabinets.
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Do not Mess with the Plumbing
You may be tempted to move the washing machine or some other appliance that is connected to the plumbing system because you think you can use that space differently. If the plumbing system is working well, resist such urges because they will only cost you more. Remodelling on a budget should not involve any modifications to plumbing because you risk sending the cost higher than it should be.
Prioritise
Once you have decided what you think needs to be done, you then need to see which is more urgent than the other. Not everything needs to be done at once and sometimes you can do without certain things. You may be thinking of getting a new work top but after prioritizing, you may realise that the old one can still work and it is more important to add drawers to reduce the clutter on the boards.
Hire a Professional if you Know Nothing About This
A mistake some home owners make is to think they will save money by doing the remodelling themselves yet they do not know how to do it themselves so in the long run they end up with expenses on repairs. Hiring a professional would save you such and it is possible to sit down with a professional and they would advise you on how to save costs but still be able to pay them.
The bottom line is plan your kitchen remodelling and you will be able to see how to cut down on the costs and yet still have your kitchen looking as good as new and ready for you to entertain guests and proudly show them your remodelled cook room.
Open storage spaces are a great idea, especially for smaller kitchens, where there’s not much space for kitchen cabinets. Also, even the color of the paint used for the walls helps create the visual appearance of more space when white or light colors are used.