First time homeowners rarely get the opportunity to purchase the home of their dreams.
In these instances you will probably settle for what you can live with for a period of time and consider making your own improvements after you get settled into the house.
When it comes to kitchen renovation, you could consider a completely new design costing thousands, however there are more cost effective options available that can give your kitchen a new lease of life.
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Rejuvenate old Surfaces
If your cupboards are still in good condition but suffer from a seventies laminate hangover, you can easily and cheaply recover these surfaces with laminate paint. All this project will cost you is some laminate primer paint, topcoat paint (which ever color you decide) and possibly some modern door handles.
A small tin of laminate paint can be obtained for less than $40 and will be enough to cover a standard kitchen design. If you want to match door handles consider purchasing round wooden handles and paint them the same color as the cupboards. You could also consider adding beading to the cupboard doors to give them a more stylish finish.
Dishwashers
If you haven't already got one, consider installing a dishwasher. If you live in an older house you will probably have an old single bowl sink and drainage board. Most people these days consider a dishwasher a necessity rather than a luxury.
Obviously you will need a plumber to install the dishwasher, but you can do the initial work for the job. Decide on a suitable location and set to removing any drawers or cupboards in the area. You will probably lose one and a half to two cupboards, but if you have other storage areas it is well worth the loss.
Wooden Floors
Particular floor surfaces also add value to a kitchen. If you have flooring over wooden floorboards perhaps you could consider removing the other flooring and polishing the wooden floors.
All the equipment that you need to polish floors can be readily obtained from equipment hire businesses. You just need a basic understanding of how the equipment works and can do the entire job yourself. Polished floorboards add a sense of style and sophistication to a kitchen and make it appear warm and inviting.
Adding Storage
Finally consider if there is the potential to increase the overall storage capacity of the kitchen. One of the problems identified with many older kitchens is that there isn't enough space to store all the gadgets, utensils and food. See if you can add some extra cupboard space along walls, if the kitchen is large enough consider adding an island bench.
Things to consider when adding storage are to ensure cupboards are not too high otherwise they will not get used properly and to make sure there is sufficient room to open doors without impacting on general movement in the kitchen.
The kitchen is the hub of the house in many cases. In order to get the most value from your property you need to ensure that your kitchen is looking its best. You do not have to spend large amounts of money on renovating your kitchen to improve the value.
The key things to remember when renovating on a budget are doing as much of the work yourself and if you need to purchase new fittings or fixtures, to purchase good quality ones because inferior quality goods will show.
by Manuel Kupka
