Kitchen Remodel

Michael Lang, CEO of Kitchen Bathroom Accessories, has been in the building industry for over 30 years.  He has a strong reputation for his Kitchen Remodel Designs and construction. Here are his top 11 tips when you are renovating your kitchen.

ELEVEN TIPS WHEN RENOVATING YOUR KITCHEN.

  1. Always use a licensed plumber and electrician. At the end of the job, ask for a Certificate of Compliance from these tradesmen. Apart from regulations that require certified tradesmen, if you don’t use them, you will void warranties and may not be able to claim on insurance should there be a problem.

  2. Taps must have Watermark & WELS certification. Watermark confirms the product complies with the Plumbing Code of Australia and the relevant Australian Standards, which relate to product quality, including health and safety, and warrant that it is fit for purpose. WELS is the Water Efficiency Labelling Scheme. To be WELS approved the product must first have Watermark certification. Look for the water efficiency stars on any of these products that you purchase.

  3. Think about your cooking style, to ensure that you are choosing the right appliances.  Do you cook large meals?   Then you are likely to want 900mm stove/ hotplate.  When choosing ovens, consider whether a large oven is what you need to heat each time you use it.  Otherwise 2 single ovens may be more practical.

  4. Storage space can be created under the kitchen sink and in overhead cupboards. Consider what you need to store in your new kitchen, including pantry needs, appliances (e.g. toaster, mix master) and where it would be handy to keep them.  Consider the need for accessibility to these items.  For example your party platters may be kept in the high cupboards, if you do not entertain very often. 

  5. Lighting is an important consideration.  The lights in your kitchen are likely to be on for long periods of time.  Check the electricity consumption of lights and the kind of globes that you need for a chosen light fitting (e.g. you may decide to use LED globes, long fluorescent tubes or down lights).  Try and position the lights so that the light falls in front of you, so as not to cause shadows.

  6. Kitchen sinks come in a variety of styles.  Ultimately you need to consider the depth of the sink and whether you want or need 2 sinks or 1.

  7. Power.  You will need to decide early in the build what kind of power sources you require.  Are you having a gas stove?  Do the appliances you have chosen require extra power (e.g. an indoor barbecue)?

  8. Also calculate how many power points you may need.  Take into account items that need to be connected all the time, such as your fridge, oven and if you are choosing an induction cook top or sink based food disposal system (e.g. Insinkerator).  Also include your toaster, kettle or coffee maker.  Then there are the kitchen appliances you may only use occasionally such as a stick mixer or blender.  With these items, think about where in your kitchen you are likely to use these things.

  9. Consider the durability of cabinet construction.   A cabinet with solid tops (not meaning the bench top) and backs are stronger.  Especially important at times such as standing on the cabinets to change light bulbs.  Strong hinges that aren’t going to fall off and shelves that won’t bow are all part of the formula to consider when choosing your kitchen cabinets.

  10. Cabinet finishes are what help define the look of your kitchen.  Apart from colourmoz.com/learn/seo/redirection, and door profile, there is also the kind of finish to consider.  Paint, laminate, timber are some of the finishes available.  Price and durability come into play.  But also look at the quality of the finish.  For instance “orange peel” is not a great look on a painted finish and is a sign of a cheap paint job.

  11. Taps come in so many different shapes and sizes.  There are also options of pull out hoses and different spray functions.  These features can be very useful when trying to fill a tall pot or vase, or when rinsing steamed rice or strawberries.
    Provide plumbing to the fridge area.  If you do not have a water dispenser in your fridge now, you may choose to do it in the future.  Plumbing for the fridge is cheaper and easier to do as you are renovating your kitchen, and may not even be possible at a later time.

 

Most importantly, look carefully at the way you use your kitchen.  Are you an aspiring master chef or do you just want a place to store milk and bread?  Your decisions when creating your kitchen are directed by the manner in which you use your kitchen and are likely to in the future.