Let's start this post by introducing Number One's kitchen before we did anything to it. The photo's I am about to post are by no means fancy, but bear with me - hopefully I'll start taking some better ones with some experience!
We have a reasonable sized kitchen that I originally thought was all decaying MDF and in need of ripping out. On closer inspection, I was totally wrong and with a bit of love we felt we could change it into something Pinterest-worthy...fingers crossed. Here's what it looked like:
Yes, that's loo roll, (aka cheap napkin's for moving in cake). Moving on...
Summary of what we are working with:
- Wooden cupboard doors, with MDF interiors and sides
- 2x exposed rick walls
- Suspected Amtico Floor
- Built in dishwasher
- Basic plastic covered counter tops in a faux quartz
- Aerial dryer on a pulley system
- Built in bin (!?)
- Custard yellow tiled splash back
- One front door
- One internal wooden door
All I can really say about the kitchen is that I felt it had big potential as it's quite a large space and the units were salvageable. The floor we suspect is Amitco, a special hardware floor, that is super expensive to get fitted - needless to say this is going to stay! I'm excited to get started, and show you the results.
If you're a little bit apprehensive about what the maker's and breaker's are when looking at a property's kitchen, then never fear my five top tips are here:
1. Budget: Is there work to do? Is it affordable?
First thing to look out for is your gut feeling on the initial amount of changes you want to make when you first see a kitchen. Alarm bells tend to go off if something is very run down and neglected and it feels like a big expense could be on the cards. If that's not something you can afford to do quickly, it's a breaker (at least for me) as cooking in a run down kitchen is the pits and could be tough to save up for when you need to buy furniture and paint!
Also, watch out for newly fitted kitchen's that have odd quirks. Things like plug socket placements, can sometimes be on the bizarre A friend of mine recently bought a place where the kitchen is newly done, so you wouldn't want to shell out for a new one, but the plugs are located directly under the upper cabinets so all of the cables trail up splash back, which isn't ideal.
2. Potential: Can you work with what ya got?
Take a look at what is there with a thought in mind of how much it might cost to change. Renovating a whole kitchen is likely to be in the thousands, whereas upcycling can be in the hundreds. We were lucky with the part wood and part MDF cupboards, as it meant we have the opportunity to paint cupboards and replace hardware, keeping all the internal storage as it is. Could you do find a way to upcycle what is there already? Change the door fronts instead of the whole kitchen? Change the hardware so something a bit more 'you'? Small changes (and a good clean) can make all the difference!
Check out the flooring; as I said ours is potentially Amtico. I didn't know what Amtico was until my Mum mentioned that she suspected ours was it. If your flooring is wood, or laminate and looks well laid then bonus points! Carpet in the kitchen probably isn't ideal, unless you really like that kind of thing. It's tough to clean spills without stains and looking worn out, plus, you know, hygiene. If a small carpet has been placed in the kitchen, be sure to check underneath, as the 'house that got away' had this and when I moved it there was a big hole in the floor...
If the flooring is lino, check around for any lifting, as this could indicate damp and also that replacement flooring might be needed. Factor that into your budget!
3. Space (the final frontier); assess how you will use the room.
Every property is different, some having dining rooms in addition to kitchens. You are also different to anyone else, so where you choose to eat your dinner is yo'bidness! BUT, take into account how you are likely to use the kitchen and therefore if it's big enough.
When I cook, every utensil going get s brought out, so I know I need a lot of work surface space (and storage!) to put it all. This meant I was keen to check inside cupboards to find out what the storage situation was. Check for where the boiler lives, where gas and electric meters are as often they are hiding in what looks like a pantry cupboard and diminish what seems like available space.
Consider entrances and exits. When you leave the kitchen, you are likely to be carrying cups or plates of food, meaning clear entrances and exits are preferable. A house we saw had organised their work surfaces so that you had to turn side on to slip between the two corners to get in, as it was so narrow. Not a happy situation for someone as clumsy as me!
Finally, consider where you plan to eat and if there is enough space in the kitchen if you intend on eating in there and how many people you plan on serving at a time! If you are from a big family, it's likely that you might end up doing the same as us and spreading out into the living room. But day to day, we will probably eat at a table in our kitchen.
4. Upkeep: How clean is your house?
Take into account what surfaces the kitchen has and how you plan on cleaning them. Wooden surfaces look beautiful, but tend to have a lot of upkeep like sanding down and oiling every year. Marble is a soft stone that stains easily, so although beautiful, not the most practical.
Although not the prettiest, plastic covered counter tops are easy to look after and can be upgraded at a later date. Normally they are not something you would need to tackle first as they are fairly durable and easy to bleach down once you have the keys. The dream is a quartz or granite top...but you'll probably see that in the price of the house.
5. Cash Creator: Will it add value?
Always consider how much renovations would take when viewing properties, and where you can delay work to ensure cash flow (and savings time!). Also consider where value could be added to the house when you come to sell it on. Normally, value is found in kitchens and bathrooms, so buying a property where these are a bit run down is almost guaranteed to increase the value of your home.
The average kitchen modernisation costs around £8,000, although you can do it for a lot less. The average value a new kitchen puts on your property is 5.8% - which is nearly 18k on a 300k house. That's a BIG deal if you can afford to modernise or save up to do so. In my opinion, the key thing to look for in a new kitchen is potential to upgrade but that it is in a state that you can live in while you save, or that you can upcycle to keep it fresh for a few years.
Do you have any top tips for what to look for when viewing a property? I'd love to hear them! Join in the chat on Instagram by following me @cushionfort and comment you tip on the picture of our kitchen. Can't wait to hear them!
