Two ways to make your kitchen renovations more affordable
Posted on: 22 March 2022
Here are two things that you can do to make your kitchen renovation more affordable.
Alter the benchtop instead of putting in a new one
Building a new benchtop can be expensive, particularly if you want to use, for example, marble or another high-end material. If your current benchtop is in good condition and the material will suit the décor theme you want the renovated kitchen to have (for example, if you're creating a rustic kitchen and the existing benchtop is solid oak, then this material would probably work well), then you should consider keeping it and having the contractor update its look by making a few affordable changes to it.
For example, if you're creating the aforementioned rustic-looking kitchen and your benchtop currently has a gloss varnish on it, you could get the contractor to take this varnish off and replace it with a matte varnish that would better suit the rustic aesthetic you're aiming for. Additionally, you could also have them sand or cut the sharp corners of the benchtop to make them rounded; this could soften the look of the benchtop and give it a less modern look. These changes will cost very little, in comparison to purchasing and having a brand new benchtop fitted, and will also be less time-consuming for your contractor, which means they'll be able complete the renovations faster.
Don't make drastic changes to the layout or the size of the kitchen features
The other way to make this kitchen renovation more affordable is to keep your current layout and, if possible, try to ensure that any new replacement features you order are the same size as the existing features. If for example, the new kitchen island you're going to have the contractor build has the same dimensions as the old one and will be in the same location, and the main difference between the old version and the new are their materials, then the contractor can use the current island's general design as the blueprint for the new one and so will have to spend less time planning the construction of its replacement.
Likewise, keeping the cabinets in the same place and choosing ones that are a similar size to the old ones may mean that the contractor might be able to use the existing holes for the screws that keep the wall-mounted cabinets secured to the walls. This will mean they won't have to create new holes, nor will they have to spend time adding filler to the old holes to disguise them (which they would need to if you put the new cabinets on a different wall and left the wall where the old cabinets were exposed).
By reducing the amount of work that the contractor has to do, you should then find that the labour-related costs of the renovation will be lower.
For more information on kitchen renovation, contact a professional near you.
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