Hard Questions To Ask Yourself When Planning A Kitchen For The Very First Time?

If you resonate with this scenario, you need to act fast: You bought this 1910 home 6 months ago, and your dilemma is the kitchen. Not exactly terrible, but you pretty much settled you’re going to remove everything in it and start all over, even if you don’t consider this your forever home. You’ll probably move the sink under a window.

But there are plenty of other decisions you don’t even think about until the project is underway. There’s no excuse for being so negligent in this vital planning stage, so here’s a handful of questions to ask yourself – you can answer them in your head, think out loud, or jot down your ideas in a journal. 

You thought marriage was tough, but it’s a walk in the park compared to a full kitchen remodel. It involves countless moving parts – for example, you have to rip out old cabinets without destroying the walls – and things to consider: how you’re going to use the place (do you imagine yourself baking cupcakes?). Commit your goals to writing.

If you like to make homemade sauces but don’t want your blender on the worktop all the time, have a pull-out shelf with a secure hold that lets you check your phone (or a friend) for ingredient measurements. 

It all boils down to two words: realistic expectations. The projects you see on TV are real, and most of them look fantastic when they’re done, but you should think of them more as “the reality you wish it was”. They’re entertaining, but happy endings are rare events. Your budget is likely 15-30% off the true cost, and you can’t score heavy discounts on products and labor – duh, you’re not a powerful TV producer.

If there’s the slightest chance your home has asbestos under the tiles, reach out for professional help because exposure comes with a great risk for cancer. So, you’re still trying to figure out what to do. If you can’t seem to differentiate between what’s necessary and what you just want to do, make up a list, compare it to the width of your wallet, and think twice about which ones deserve your time and energy. Yeah, right, you want all the bells and whistles.

But you’ll be caught off guard down the road if additional expenses pop up, and borrowing money from friends isn’t a good idea because it can lead to disputes later on. Understand what your build costs are. That way, you’ll know for sure how much you have left to invest in your new kitchen. 

Hate is a strong word. The odds are that there’s something you dislike about your kitchen. We bet you have an antique baker’s table that you use as a kitchen island – and it just doesn’t work. If you want to wash a potato and slice it for your next mash, you need to walk right over to the sink, only to make a mess on the floor on your way back.

Go over what’s bothering you. Try to think, hypothetically, of course, what would happen if you installed a modern island with deep drawers for organizing pots and pull-out garbage cabinets that save floor space. Will it make your kitchen function the way you hope it will? 

You can check real estate websites for local listings. This way, you can go and see the kitchens in person and figure out if the style actually suits you. We recommend saving photos on Pinterest to create your perfect kitchen mood board: it’s where you put your ideas and thoughts. Did a handless kitchen from Kitchen Warehouse Ltd catch your eye?

There’s no wrong answer. Instead of taking clippings from your favorite magazine, you’d better visit a kitchen showroom so you can see exactly what you’ll be getting – plus, you’re more likely to find promotions in store than online. 

Well, if you’re putting in new kitchen cabinets, you can use the home designer that works for your supplier. However, if you want to move the walls to open up the space, you might wish to use an architect to be sure the layout is safe; structural drawings and calculations will be required when you submit your planning application.

Great ones are pretty hard to find. To understand what kind of person you’re dealing with, see whether they own up to their weaknesses and suggest you hire a specialist for those areas they don’t master. If you’re anything like other homeowners, you’re convinced that a surveyor is only involved if there’s a dispute. Not quite.

They don’t act as a mediator, and they’re not supposed to take sides. You have to keep neighbors in the loop during your kitchen renovation, especially if you’re digging near their properties, and that’s where the party wall surveyor comes in… they ask for consent, so you can avoid costly delays. If there’s time, you should write to your neighbors and explain the situation. 

Once you’ve got a clear vision for the project, have a look at different showrooms before booking an appointment with a designer (or sales rep). This will allow you to understand the highest/lowest prices, but if your planning permission hasn’t been approved, there’s no point in creating a detailed kitchen design -it’s way too early.

Take lots of pictures of your kitchen so the kitchen company can get an idea of what they’re working with. Extending isn’t the only option to change the layout of your place, so if you’re in doubt, take a breath – that’s completely fine.  

Your new kitchen is an investment in your quality of life, which means it’s important to approach this very carefully – after thinking the risks through, decide if you still want to move forward with the project.