5 Thing to Think About Before Starting your Kitchen Renovation!

They say it is the kitchen that adds the most value to a home (only if it's done right that is!), but for many of us, this usually means renovating and decorating the kitchen that we have. When it comes to kitchen renovations though, there is quite a lot to consider before you start - I have shared the top 5 in this post! 

Design 

The first thing you need to consider before you renovate your kitchen, is what kind of layout you want. You usually have to factor in important thing such as gas placement and plumbing, so make sure you haven't just picked your design based purely on aesthetics - if you can't move the plumbing there's no point changing where you want your sink! Designing your kitchen maybe something that you need some professional help with, as it can be hard to work out in what position things can go on your own. 

Flooring 
The next thing to think about before you begin your renovation, is the type of flooring that you will install. After all, it needs to take a lot of wear and tear from constant use as well as regular cleaning. Think sensibly about the material that you would like to use. The most hardwearing tend to be stone and hardwood, but these can be pretty expensive, so it may be more cost effective to go for laminate or even a lino floor (which you can get in designs that actually look like wood and stone now).

You may even wish to consider installing underfloor heating if you are going for an entirely new floor. Not only can this make your kitchen a more comfortable place to spend your time, but it can even be a more efficient way to heat your home.

Cabinets
Cabinets are another feature to think carefully about before you begin your kitchen renovation - they are a central part of not only the aesthetic but also the functionality of the space as well. First to consider is whether you will replace the entire cabinets or only the doors. Obviously just changing the doors is cheaper, but if you haven't got the space you actually need for your kitchen to be organised and functional, then it may not actually be the best for you in the long run.

When it comes to the style it is essential to consider not only what will fit into with the aesthetics of your kitchen, but also what is most practical too. Gloss white cabinets look great when they're clean and smudge-mark free, but if you children and not much time for polishing, it may be hard to keep them that way!

White Goods 

It is important to do three things when you're considering your white goods / large appliances. The first is to research the review on any appliance you are considering investing in. Be sure to not only look at the reviews displayed on the company’s own site but on objective, independent site as well to get a real sense of what you are buying!

The second is to accurately measure the spaces that you have in which to install these appliances. It always helps to measure your front / back door too, to make sure they can actually fit into you

r house too! 

And lastly, if you are replacing old appliances, you need to make sure you dispose of the old ones correctly. If you don't think you can get bigger appliances such as your fridge in your car, there are companies that specialise in fridge disposal services.

DIY or Professional 
And probably one of the most important decisions to make once you've picked your kitchen, is whether you will be getting experts in to help install it, or whether you will do it DIY style (that can include finding your own fitters, outside of the company you bought the kitchen from too). There are plenty of tutorials and videos online that can help you complete your kitchen renovation if you do decide to go solo!

This is a collaborative post.