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About to start a kitchen remodeling project? Have you considered your budget? Before you go on saving every penny (nothing wrong with that) consider the flip side. Here’s why you should spend more. Read on!
Our kitchens are one of the most used areas of our homes. Sure, you might spend more of your time in your lounge or asleep in your bedroom, but you aren’t doing anything. You are sleeping or sitting watching TV or reading. You’re not continually using the appliances, opening, and closing cupboards, washing and cleaning, or putting pressure on work surfaces. Our kitchens get plenty of hard use. Even more so if you have a family, or you eat in your kitchen, as well as cooking in there.
So, it only makes sense that they might not last as long as other rooms or meet our needs as easily. Your lounge only needs a coat of paint and some new soft furnishings to look brand new. Your kitchen needs a little more thought than that. It might also need more of a financial commitment.
Yes, you can complete kitchen renovations cheaply, of course, you can. You can buy cut-price appliances, cheaper materials and budget fixtures and fittings and you can save a fortune by installing it yourself. But this can be a mistake. Typically, spending more on a high-quality kitchen with professional design and installation can be well worth it.
What's Inside
Where Should You Spend?
Like anything else in life, there are things in your kitchen that will cost more than others, and things in your kitchen that are worth paying more for. There are also areas that you can save. If there are appliances that you’d like but don’t know how much use you might get out of, by all means, try budget options first, and consider an upgrade later. You don’t need to buy fancy tableware for day to day use, and the finishing touches like wall hangings and blinds shouldn’t need to cost the earth.
It’s worth spending more on professional design and installation, to make sure you make the most of your space and get a kitchen that is highly functional and works for you. It’s also worth making an investment in worktops and counters, which get a lot of use and need to be hard-wearing. Your flooring should be durable and getting the lighting right can make all of the difference. Then, think about what matters to you. Invest in the things that are important and save on the things that aren’t.
Your Kitchen is the Most Important Room in Your Home
But why is it worth spending more on your kitchen? Well, of all of the rooms in your house, some would argue that the kitchen is the most important. It’s where you prepare your meals. It’s used more frequently than most other areas. It can be a place to entertain, to experiment and to have fun.
If you’ve got a kitchen that you love, that’s easy to use, and that works well, you are more likely to use it, experimenting with recipes, trying new foods and honing your skills.
Pay for Installation to Save Time and Reduce Stress
Many people make the mistake of paying for quality supplies and materials and then trying to save by tackling the design and installation themselves. If you’ve got plenty of experience and know what you are doing, this can work well, but that’s not usually the case.
Installing your own kitchen takes time and causes plenty of stress. It can disrupt family life for weeks, if not longer, lead to arguments and mistakes, and often ends in a kitchen that isn’t quite right.
If you are going to pay more for a quality kitchen, it’s also worth paying more for professional installation. They’ll help you to get the kitchen of your dreams, working to complete your kitchen renovations within your budget, without sacrificing on quality. In most cases, they’ll complete the work far quicker than you’d be able to do it yourself, saving you time and minimizing disruption to your day to day life.
It Will Last Longer
Often, doing things cheaply creates a false economy. Yes, upfront costs are low, but having your kitchen renovated, or replacing parts and appliances every few years will work out significantly more expensive than spending money on top quality materials and installation in the first place. Don’t go over budget and leave yourself with debt for the kitchen of your dreams, but spend what you can afford on high-quality, even if it means doing a bit at a time, and you’ll have a kitchen that lasts, and needs less money spent on it in the coming years.
A High-Quality Kitchen Will be More Durable
Your kitchen should be enjoyed, not merely used. You should be able to invite the kids in to bake; you should be able to put some music on and dance around while you make dinner. You certainly shouldn’t have to worry about things breaking or wearing out from too much use. Spending more on your kitchen means that you’ve got a more durable space that’s ready for some hard use and tough love.
Spend More to Get it Just Right
If you’ve got a dream kitchen in mind, it’s certainly worth paying to bring it to life. A lot goes into a kitchen. It’s definitely more than a few cupboards and large appliances like an oven and fridge. You might want a specific kind of sink, hanging rails for your pots and pans, a magnetic strip for knives, or floating cupboards that light up when you open the door. On the other hand, you might not have a clue what you want aside from a few vague ideas that don’t seem to fit together. A designer will help you to work it out.
Avoid Silly Mistakes
Let’s face it; we’ve all been in a kitchen where you have to open one cupboard to be able to open another all the way, or where one of the drawers doesn’t open fully because something else is blocking it. You might have seen corner cupboards that aren’t used at all because they are too awkward or large empty gaps that don’t seem to have any purpose.
Paying more for your kitchen means that everything will work well. All the spaces will be utilized, the cupboards will be smart, and even those hard to reach areas will have a function. A designer and installation team will make sure your kitchen is highly functional, however awkward or small space might be.
A High-Quality Kitchen Will Increase the Value of Your Home and Appeal to Buyers
Many people view the kitchen as the heart of their home. When prospective buyers look around, a good kitchen can be high on their wish list. Having a high-quality kitchen will increase the value of your home and appeal to viewers if you ever decide to sell.
Having your kitchen renovated is an exciting thing. It brings new life into your home, adds opportunities to socialize and entertain, and can even encourage you to cook more and eat a healthier diet. But it can also be stressful, and it’s easy to make mistakes. So, if the time has come to splash out on your kitchen, make sure you do things properly to avoid upset and further costs down the line.
