First Kitchen renovation with little money

Comments (15)

Jonathan
5 years ago
I think you just need to play around a little to get a rough plan then hand it over to an independent kitchen designer.
Aside from buying a second hand kitchen (brilliant idea btw- check out the Kitchen Exchange) there are ways a brand new kitchen can be made more cost effective- choose plain flat doors, have fewer units, have fewer drawers and pull outs, have an inexpensive laminate work surface, buy cheap appliances etc etc.
Personally I would rather have a better quality kitchen and appliances even if they have been used. In my opinion the most important thing to spend money on though is a great fitter.
If it were me I would have a washer and dryer with the fridge and tall cupboard on the left hand wall, I would leave one wall free for a radiator and to reduce cabinet costs. I would also make sure the dishwasher is somewhere you can’t trip over the door and I would have uninterrupted wall space between the hob and the sink for safety.
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A15) @Dara Cooke: If you can't afford a quartz or granite worktop from day one then I would recommend using a laminate worktop as a temporary solution. If you don't put tiles up as a backsplash then replacing the worktops can be relatively easy in a couple of years.
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clintonbeattie
Original Author
5 years ago
Great stuff. Really getting this all into my head again now and some of the ideas may just work a treat.
Sam Potter
5 years ago
Join freecycle. If you don't live in an up and coming middle class area join a freecycle group in the nearest area with well off professionals who like being green. Have somewhere to stash what you find. A garage is perfect. Otherwise a shed or room you don't use much will work too. Clear a big space. Find a cheap, reliable man with a van you can use when necessary. Old geezers who do Internet shopping deliveries often have a side gig using the van. Going rate up here is £30/hr.
Eventually someone will offer a kitchen. Or part of a kitchen. Grab it. Collect what you need bit by bit.Buy a paint sprayer (£25 screwfix), and paint it any colour you want. Save a couple of hundred for a plumber to fit a radiator. And a couple more for new lino. If you want, build bits yourself, though wood and screws cost more than getting stuff off freecycle.
Good luck!
clintonbeattie
Original Author
5 years ago
Cheers. Hopefully I can get started and be ready for a summer renovation.
clintonbeattie
Original Author
5 years ago
Thanks for the layout advice Jonathan. Having all that on the left would be ideal but I may have to save money by keeping the plumbing where it is. I will try and get some actual photos up, although the kitchen is an embarrassment :-0
PRO
Handcrafted by Woodworks
5 years ago
My advice would be to assess where you want to be spending the larger part of your budget, this means deciding what is more important to you, cooking with quality appliances or being able to pull out a larder when realistically you can achieve a lot more, in terms of storage, with a shelved larder and save your money to invest in quality appliances.

Be careful with the amount of drawers,pull outs and wire works as these add to the cost of the furniture and can also be retrofitted at a later date should you free up some cash in the future.

Keep existing mains supplies where they are and use this as a guideline for the design i.e dishwasher next to sink is an industry standard and work around them.

Laminate work surfaces have come an awful long way and so have foil-wrapped doors so consider them to add the look for a little less. Invest in the carcass as this will provide the stability for future door changes if required etc, I would suggest an 18mm minimum with solid backs (18mm) on your base units and a minimum of 8mm backs on the wall units.

Finally a good quality, reliable installer will be able to make even the most cost effective kitchen look beautiful so do your homework and speak to people in your area and visit their work (if possible of course!). If you are not careful when installing the kitchen yourself you could end up blowing even more on having it put right.

By all means get in touch if you would like us to draw you up a plan, images and perspectives with a list of suppliers.

Good luck!

Joel.

Creative Director

HbW Bespoke Kitchens
clintonbeattie
Original Author
5 years ago
Wow. Thanks Joel. More and more to think about. I think getting the right installer will be a challenge.
clintonbeattie
Original Author
5 years ago
Quick question about countertops. We currently have granite and could not imagine using anything else, because you can put anything on it; very hot pans; things just out of the oven, spilling coffee cups etc and it doesn't affect the look. I feel safe in the knowledge that it will withstand all the abuse. Is there a cheaper alternative that can accomplish all of the above?
PRO
Handcrafted by Woodworks
5 years ago
Selecting the work surface material is absolutely up there with the most important decisions to make when under going a renovation. There are many different products on the market to suit specific budgets and of course laminate is the more cost effective as you can replace in time at little expense compared to solid surfaces etc.

I often champion quartz as it is a man made product guaranteeing consistency in colour and performance. It is also least porous and more hygienic making it a work horse in any kitchen environment.

Going back to the guideline of allocating budget, worktops seem important to you for both performance and piece of mind. There are acrylic based products such as Miverva and Maia which are worth exploring as more cost effective alternatives.

I hope that helps.

Joel.

Creative Director

HbW Bespoke Kitchens
clintonbeattie
Original Author
5 years ago
Brilliant! Thanks Joel. Never heard of acrylic based worktops so I will definitely check those out. :-)
PRO
Handcrafted by Woodworks
5 years ago
No problem, all the best in your search.

Joel.

Creative Director

HbW Bespoke Kitchens
clintonbeattie
Original Author
5 years ago
Just a further question before thinking more about what we need. I have read about the 5 kitchen zones.

I imagine that, from the picture I uploaded, the top will clearly be the cleaning zone (sink/washer/dryer). Opposite the coeaninv zone is storage for dishes/cutlery etc. Which works well. Thing is, the fridge is in the bottom right corner with a worktop which we use to prep food. For the most part it all works well enough. At the moment the left is the cooking zone.

I have to think of whether to keep the cooking zone to the left or use it for food storage (fridge/pull out pantry etc.) It’s a bit difficult to decide what is best as there is a thoroughfare there from the living room through to the back garden.

What are your thoughts please :-)
rinked
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
I've spent about two years looking online (in the evenings) for a secondhand kitchen with the right countertop layout. My kitchen has an L-shape that's 230x145cm (oven, fridge and washing machine are in the utility/mudroom next to it). I really wanted a quartz top, but a new one would cost well over €1500. Finally found one, a little bit too long, but the sink and hob were in the right position. Paid €500 for the entire kitchen, resold the appliances (for €450! yay!) and trashed the cabinets (they were worn out, only salvaged the handles). That was step one. Then bought ikea cabinets for €2000 (which includes 6 extra uppers to create a 'bar', but no tall units), custom fitted some and used the handles from the old kitchen we bought. Not many drawers, but all of my plates and small bowls fit into one 80cm drawer and I use melamin 'baskets' for herbs and tea. Our oven is old, fridgefreezer is secondhand, gas hob €150 and 45cm dishwasher about €800. So renovating on a budget is possible! Just make sure you know your limits, when in doubt, hire an expert (not any random cheap handyman). My husband and I have a technical background, so we can handle quite a bit. Moving plumbing and electric should not cost a fortune and are (most likely) worth it in the end. Same for plaster and heating.

Have you decided on a layout yet?
rinked
4 years ago
Sidenote: I work at a small kitchen company that also does makeovers; new doors (and hinges where needed) on existing units, new worktops, remove doors to add drawers, appliances, handles, etc. Even on 12 year old kitchens. ;) Often very cost effective, yet the existing cabinets (be it your own or another secondhand kitchen) should be in good shape. Perhaps there are companies (kitchens, carpenters) nearby that can help you out?

Ireland

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