DIY-friendly, cost-effective small kitchen renovations
Renovating a small kitchen yourself becomes manageable because you are dealing with much smaller spaces compared to oversized kitchens. Today, kitchens are increasingly becoming an important facet of overall residential home design. According to the Homeowner’s Workbook: How to Remodel Your Kitchen, most homeowners typically find themselves in a nearly year-long exploration period as they ponder whether to hire a professional or take a DIY approach to the kitchen issue. renewal.
For those who have decided to get started with the DIY approach right away, here are several simple steps worth following.
Make use of designs suitable for a small kitchen
Generally, the most widespread small kitchen designs are One Wall, U-Shape, L-Shape, Gallery or Corridor. These are great designs that offer plenty of opportunities for most DIY enthusiasts. Most small kitchens are essentially longer than they are wide. Adopt those designs that are suitable for smaller spaces.
Identify simple areas to scale down
For example, those large double sinks so common in many kitchens take up so much unnecessary space. Also, consider whether you really want to continue to have bigger appliances. Those wide side-by-side refrigerators sure are great, but do you really need them? Do you live as a couple or are you single? For example, the market also has smaller dishwashers at more reasonable prices today that may be more suitable for a small kitchen.
Determine what your values are
If it happens that, for example, storage is a priority for you, then you will have to maximize kitchen cabinets, perhaps at the expense of some appliances during your kitchen renovations. Do you really need a breakfast bar in your kitchen? If that’s the case, you may have to sacrifice some of your kitchen counter space to acquire your breakfast bar.
Joinery employee.
One of the best things about small kitchen renovation is that it becomes easier to use some DIY cabinets. These types of kitchen cabinets can be found on many shelves in many home improvement stores.
In the back of the cabinets there is so much space that it is rarely used. Maximize this by, for example, installing pull-out shelves.
Use larger tiles on the floor as they make the small kitchen look larger.
You can enhance the light intensity in your small kitchen by using brighter colored wood species for your cabinets and neutral tones for your counters.
Researchers at the Open University recommend that as we build and renovate kitchens, we should take into account the aspect of older people who live with us or even who can live independently. This calls for a radical rethink in the way we are designing one of the central features of the home, the kitchen. Researchers led by Sheila Peace, Professor of Social Gerontology, found that existing kitchen designs in general are causing problems for older users in terms of bending and reaching.
Whether renovating a large kitchen or a small one, the Open University research team has produced a design guide for kitchen designers, installers and fabricators based on their findings, titled Kitchen Made Easy: Making It Happen.
