14 Insanely Actionable Kitchen Renovation Ideas That Will Save Your Money and Get Your Kitchen Remodeling Done Within Your Budget Today (2018)
Kitchens are expensive because of the number of materials used. By the time you are done making a list of everything that goes into a kitchen renovation, you’ll realize that with a few cost-saving tips you can easily save money and get your kitchen remodeling done within your budget.
The CupBoard
The expensive part of the cupboard is the door. It can be melamine, timber veneer, solid timber or polyurethane. The doors are attached to the carcasses, and with the bench tops, this assembly forms the common kitchen cupboard.
Cost-Saving Tip 1
You can buy carcasses cheaply from suppliers and fit your own doors to save money, or you can engage a kitchen company to look after all supply and installation.
Cupboards can be custom-made by a carpenter or architect, but it is cheaper to use a kit kitchen. These usually consisted of melamine carcasses with hinged doors or drawers attached.
The carcasses are propped up on legs to which a kick-board is attached. Kit cupboards are mass-produced in factories and then assembled onsite in your home. These are the most common type of cupboards for kitchens. They are used in most new apartments and houses as well as in renovations.
Bench Tops
The finish of a bench top is dependent on price. Laminate is the cheapest, with granite and stone at the expensive end. Bench tops are fitted on top of cupboard carcasses, at the height of between 850 mm and 950 mm, with holes cut out for sinks and stoves.
Cost-Saving Tip 2
If you are handy, you can try installing them yourself but, if you’re measuring is slightly off, it can cost you a lot for a new linear strip of countertop material. This is perhaps one of the few exciting components of your kitchen that you can install on your own. Use drawing boards and make sure your measurements are on the up and up throughout.
Door Handles and Hardware
‘Hardware’ refers to the hinges that hang the cupboard doors and the drawer runners. Anything that you’ll have to get from the hardware store to complete your component is hardware.
Cost-saving tip 3
Look for good-quality solid metal hardware rather than plastic. Plastic might be cheap but you’ll probably need to replace the part a few weeks later.
Metallic handles are also easier to clean than plastic. That will probably save you on other bills besides your renovation credit card bill.
If you’re renovating or just maintaining and repairing, remember that shiny new door handles will revive a tired old kitchen.
Dishwashers
There are dishwashers for all applications, and they can range in looks from standard white to stainless steel or integrated models which look like another cupboard. Most are 600 mm wide, but there are also 450 mm wide models to save space (although these usually cost around the same price as the 600 mm ones).
Dishwashers can be built-in, portable or benchtop mounted and can usually be plugged into a normal power point.
Cost-saving tip 4
If you have hard water, you may need a water softener. The low-water usage models save the most money in the long term and usually operate at a water temperature of 50°C.
Here it’s all about saving on power. We are assuming you want to replace the dishwasher while renovating the kitchen as a whole. Look for energy-efficient dishwashers while shopping. Green technology is making cost saving a little easier on the hands so this would be the perfect time to get an energy efficient dishwasher if you don’t already have one.
Fridges and Freezers
Leaving space for the right fridge or freezer is important when planning your kitchen, as they vary widely in size. You can also choose to buy integrated refrigerators that are concealed as part of the kitchen cabinetry.
The size of the fridge or freezer you buy will depend on the number of people it has to service. Couples who live in the inner city and eat out will need something much smaller than a family with three kids.
Cost Saving tip 5
The fridge is one of the biggest power consumers in the home, so choose an energy-efficient model which will suit your needs.
Make sure there is good ventilation around a refrigerator so that it doesn’t have to work at its maximum energy output. Good-quality refrigerators have thick insulation around the refrigerated area to maximize power efficiency.
Stoves and Ovens
You get what you pay for when it comes to cooking equipment. Separate stove-tops and ovens are more flexible, as you can lay out your kitchen in a way that suits you.
Cost-Saving tip 6
Ranges (with the oven and stove in one unit) are often sturdier. Electric cooking equipment has gone high-tech and now can be just as efficient as gas.
The better the cooking equipment, the more powerful the heat and the more control you will have over it.
It gets even better
These days, most ovens are electric and are often permanently wired on their own circuit. Gas stovetops are popular, but require good range hoods to cope with the heat and steam output.
There is a new generation of steam and convection cookers that use low energy but offer good-quality cooking results.
Exhaust Systems
The more you spend on powerful cooking equipment, the more you will need to spend on ducting the cooking fumes out of your kitchen. Many cheap apartments or project homes have a range hood that vents into the ceiling cavity, which is not good if you cook a lot of stir-fries at high temperatures. The steam carries droplets of fat into the ceiling cavity, leaving your ceiling prone to damage and your house smelling like a fast-food outlet.
Cost-saving tip 7
The cheapest range hoods are the single-motor slide-out types starting at around $300; the good quality, top-ducting range hoods with stainless steel canopies can cost between $1000 and $3000.
Splash-backs
These go above the bench tops on the walls to protect them from splashes of food and fat residue. They can be cheap and cheerful. A lick of gloss paint or high-tech and expensive green glass panels or marble.
Cost-Saving tip 8
Instead of going high-tech with some high-end expensive equipment, gloss paint will do just fine. There’s actually paint meant for kitchen walls that are conscious of this. You’ll then be able to use conventional cleaning soap and detergent to make the work of the splash backs easier.
Kickboards
These are attached in between the floor and the bottom of the cupboard carcasses and stop dirt from getting underneath your kitchen cabinets.
Cost-saving tip 9
They are, literally, the boards your shoes will kick against, so if you wear dark-soled shoes, don’t get white kick- boards. The kit kickboards usually come routed with a little gadget to attach them to the legs of your kitchen cabinets.
Melamine is cheap and commonly used, but kickboards can be created in any finish such as timber, aluminum or even granite.
Floors
Kitchen flooring should be practical. It is worth spending money on good quality, non-slip and easily washable floor surface in the kitchen as this will be the dirtiest floor in your house.
Cost saving tip 10
Cheaper efficient options include linoleum or vinyl-lock flooring (can be as cheap as $3 per square foot). If your budget has room for style and efficiency, stone flooring could be the go, but the price will be well over $50 per square foot.
Lighting
The way you light up your kitchen will also work to determine the general outcome of your renovation. Depending on the color of equipment in your kitchen, you can easily choose an ambient color that’s comfortable for everyone.
Cost-saving tip 11
One cost-saving way is to light your kitchen relevant to the task beneath the light or task lighting. Task lighting is important in the kitchen. You need good light over the sink, the stovetop and preparation areas. Plan your lighting needs and go for washable and hardwearing light fittings.
Taps
When it comes to taps, user preference and budget are really the determinants when it comes to kitchen renovation.
Cost-saving tip 12
You need one good-quality kitchen tap, usually a mixer. Most taps, regardless of price, will do the job you need them to do, but some people are prepared to pay a lot more for the right design.
Electrics
The switches and sockets can also contribute to the cost saving way of kitchen renovation. But you are probably better off consulting an architect or electrician if you don’t know anything about electricity.
Cost-saving tip 13
If you change the configuration of a kitchen, the power points to run the dishwasher, range hood, fridge, and stove may need to be moved. It is also wise to plan where you need counter top power points and install ‘quad’ points rather than ‘doubles’.
Plumbing and Laundry Facilities
The kitchen sink, garbage disposal unit and dishwasher should be the only kitchen features that require plumbing. These can be moved, but bear in mind that it is cheaper to leave any plumbing where it is as moving drains and pipes can be expensive.
Cost-saving tip 14
Installing laundry facilities in a kitchen can be a useful space saver, but make sure you check the latest Building Code of Australia requirements and amendments. There are two key issues when it comes to creating a concealed laundry within a kitchen.
One is making sure that there is enough ventilation in the cupboard for the washing machine and dryer to run efficiently (some cupboard manufacturers are creating ventilated and expensive doors for this purpose) and the other is creating space for a separate laundry wash tub.
Final thought
Talk to us and learn how you can save more money on a kitchen remodeling!