If you’ve been busy doing lots of spring cleaning in your home recently, you’ve probably noticed, in the clean-up, various areas of your property which are looking a bit worn or otherwise not their best. Alternatively, if you’re considering selling your property or if you’re getting ready to host a big event, you may be eyeing off your home’s décor and thinking about what you would like to change.
Since the kitchen is one of the most important rooms in the whole house, this is a common place where people like to start with renovations. However, doing a remodel or starting over from scratch in your kitchen can be a big investment when it comes to money, time and energy, so it’s important to work out if an overhaul is really required yet. To help you make the decision, read on for some ways to tell if it’s time to update your kitchen.
The Space Isn’t Big Enough
Obviously one of the key indicators that it’s time to re-do your kitchen is when the space simply isn’t big enough for your needs. It might be that it can’t house the number of people who have to be in the area at once (e.g. you and your partner cooking and washing up together or your family eating breakfast together), or that there isn’t enough storage space to hold all your kitchen items.
In particular, you may find there isn’t enough walkway area to move about in, or that you don’t have enough cupboards, drawers, and/or bench space. If you remodel your kitchen you may be able to knock down walls to give yourself more area to play with, or you could redesign the space so that it’s more user-friendly when you’re done.
The Layout Just Doesn’t Work
Oftentimes homeowners find that the current layout of their kitchen just doesn’t work because things aren’t in the most convenient places. In addition, sometimes it’s not just about convenience either, but also about safety – for example, old range-top islands can lead to burns and fires if pot handles are knocked when they’re being used.
If you renovate your kitchen, you’ll be able to set it up in a new way that gives you all the functionality you have been sorely missing. You will be able to change things so you don’t have to spend so much time looking for things you need as you work in the space, or moving pots and pans, chopping boards, and other items around when you’re cooking. Also, a kitchen update can mean you don’t get regularly frustrated by how hard some things are to reach.
There are Old Appliances
If you’re sick of using old appliances which take ages to heat up, don’t cook properly, are mismatched, or just plain ugly, it’s also likely time to get a kitchen renovation happening. The problem with old appliances in your cooking area is that they’re often hard to swap out for more modern products because the current holes they’re set in don’t work with the sizes and shapes of new appliances. As such, you can’t simply buy new devices and be done with it.
Re-do your whole kitchen, though, and you’ll more easily be able to make way for the latest appliances which are more energy efficient (saving on money and helping the environment in turn), and which are fitted out with the latest and greatest features. Plus, if you want to sell your home, having an updated kitchen with lovely new appliances will help you to generate more interest from potential buyers.
Too Much Maintenance is Required
Another key sign that your kitchen needs an overhaul sooner rather than later is when you notice that you have to continually maintain things in the space, or pay a lot of money for a handyman or other specialist to come in and repair things for you.
It may not be hard or costly to hire someone to replace something like a leaky tap, but if this is the case, look for faucet repair services or other options in your area, and if you have an unreliable oven or stovetop, flooring which is constantly lifting or peeling, or tiles which are cracked or too hard to clean, it may actually cost you less time, money and stress in the long run to just put a brand new kitchen in.
Consider the factors mentioned above when deciding whether or not to remodel your kitchen and you will find it much easier to work out the best way to go. There’s no one right answer, so it’s important to evaluate your current situation and future needs carefully.