According to an article by House Beautiful, a study found that more than half of people rated their kitchen to be the most financially valuable room in their house. To an experienced kitchen fitter this is far from surprising, because as we all know, the kitchen is the heart of the home.
With more and more people spending time in their kitchens to cook, socialise or even relax, we’re finding that the addition of kitchens that include modern technology or clever use of space is becoming far more common.
When do most people modernise their kitchens?
We find that the most common time for modernising a kitchen is either when you’re looking to sell a house, or when you’ve moved into one and want to change it as quickly as possible. As the room that every member of the family uses and the one which guests are often invited into, the kitchen seems to be top priority to change or personalise when moving in or preparing a house for sale.
Similarly, when working with people that have just moved into a new property, another common thing to do if they already love the kitchen (and we’ve often been told it was the room that made them fall in love with their new property) is to extend it, modernise it or to make it open plan.
The best ways to modernise a kitchen
Whatever your situation, whether you’re moving in or out of a property, a modernised kitchen will add value to your home. The return you can expect to get when adding value to a house by installing a modern kitchen can range anywhere from 4%-11% of the house’s value.
Bearing in mind how much you have to spend on improving your kitchen, our top tips for modernising a kitchen are listed below:
Top tips for modernising a kitchen on a budget
If the layout is already making the best use of the available space:
- Replace or paint the doors on cupboards if the old ones are looking tired
- Replace handles on cupboards or consider installing ‘press in’ cupboards without handles
- Replace worktops with a modern style
- Create a seating area
- Use integrated white goods where possible
- Update the lighting using a range of methods such as under unit lighting and up-lighting
- Replace the flooring with something that is fresh and easy to clean
- Accessorise without creating any clutter (e.g. make sure the kettle matches the microwave)
- Update tiling
If you need to change the layout to modernise and make best use of space:
- Consider knocking down a wall to make the kitchen open plan
- Consider extending the kitchen to make room for seating
- Consider extending to include integrated modern kitchen essentials such as in built microwave and dishwashers
- Consider adding an island for extra surface space if you have the room
- Consider creating a feature wall with open shelving or different tiling
- Consider installing a brand-new kitchen if the old one is damaged or completely outdated
Do you need a kitchen fitter to help renovate a kitchen?
If you are excellent at DIY, it may be more cost effective not to use a kitchen fitter for your kitchen renovation. However, it can be far faster, easier and more effective in terms of a professional result to use an experienced kitchen fitter.
What do kitchen fitters do?
Whether you’re installing a whole new kitchen, tiling over old tiles, building an extension or knocking down a wall to create an open plan kitchen, an experienced kitchen fitter will be able to advise you of the best ways to renovate your kitchen and then carry out the work for you.
How much do kitchen fitters charge?
Professional kitchen fitters will charge anything from £100 to change the doors on your kitchen cupboards to around £750 to install a medium sized new kitchen. However, at Abell Building Services, our expert kitchen fitters will work with you to create a tailored quote depending on your individual requirements. This will include whether you need help with any of the following:
- Organising the design of the kitchen
- Supplying the kitchen
- Fitting the kitchen
- Plastering walls
- Installing new flooring
- Tiling
- Installing new lighting
We also offer a fit-only service, for when you have already found and designed your ideal kitchen.
The best kitchen fitting services
At Abell, we want you to be happy with your new kitchen. Whether you want us to just update the cupboard doors or completely overhaul your kitchen, we will work with you to create exactly what you want.
We also aim to offer all our customers the utmost confidence in our services. Our builders and joiners are experienced, qualified and fully insured, so once we know what it is that you really want, that is exactly what you will get – without silly mistakes or costly errors being made along the way.
Whatever type of kitchen modernisation, extension or renovation you’re looking for, give us a call on 01509 734550 to start turning your plans into action, or email us using our contact form.
