OPINION: My kitchen isn’t terribly ugly, but I’m considering having it renovated anyway.
I’m not one hundred percent decided, because after all, the dishwasher runs well, there is plenty of storage space and the worktop is Rimu, which I don’t mind.
On the other hand, it’s out of date, at least 30 years old, two of the closet doors are hanging off their hinges and the exhaust fan sounds like a SpaceX Dragon rocket launch.
Things
The bench is a not entirely unacceptable rimu, but a lot of space in the closet is wasted on this wall.
A hot water tank takes up a lot of space and is no longer used because we have gas hot water.
The worst thing about the kitchen is that it doesn’t have space for a large refrigerator, so a small undercounter model – not really enough for us hungry people.
We have a large fridge-freezer, but it’s in the hallway, bathroom, and laundry.
The oven needs cleaning too, so it might really be time for a whole new kitchen.
I’ve lived here for about two years and during that time I’ve insulated the floor, filled in hot gas water, pulled up new curtains and painted a room. I also had the floor sanded and polished in the dining room and two bedrooms.
When I pulled up the living room carpet, expecting to get this polished too, I found most of it plywood instead of the beautiful old Rimu. Woah, that was an expensive find.
I called in the master builder and carpenter Dirk Heffter, and one of his team laid bamboo floors for me instead. That looks great.
Dirk is an advocate for a good job and I trust him.
Things
If this kitchen is being renovated, the built-in cabinets will have to go. Where do I set up the paper mill?
He came over to take a look at the kitchen and had lots of ideas on how to do it on a budget.
While he was there, he fixed half a dozen of those tricky inlaid hinges, and we joked that I didn’t need to renovate the kitchen anymore.
On this podcast, and in my job at Homed, we hear from a lot of people who do this type of Reno themselves.
Delivered
Tim and Arty’s winning kitchen ($ 19,953.05) at The Block NZ 2021 was a huge hit with the judges.
But I know my limits. I can pull up carpets. I can change lightbulbs, I can even sew curtains, but that’s about it. A friend once explained to me what to do to extend my chook run and after going through the process of digging, measuring, and pouring in concrete, I knew it would never happen.
Some of us are just not suitable for home improvement.
Still, I am a homeowner and have to renovate. So this year I paid special attention to the kitchen reveals on The Block NZ. Their bright and light kitchen renovations all cost between $ 20,000 and $ 30,000.
Delivered
Dylan’s and Keegan’s kitchen on this year’s Block NZ looks great – it’s hard to believe they only spent $ 24,583.81.
Jeremy Gray of Builderscrack.co.nz knows a thing or two about what kitchen renos cost.
Gray says a kitchen upgrade of $ 10,000-20,000 could be expected:
- new closets
- high quality fittings, furnishings and hardware
- No-name devices
- a simple bulkhead and
- new floor coverings in the lower price range such as linoleum and luxury vinyl.
Spending between $ 20,000 and $ 50,000 would also allow some plumbing and electrical appliances to be overhauled, such as: B. Soft-close drawers and high-quality tiles, floor coverings and splash guards.
Delivered
Jeremy Gray at Builderscrack.co.nz gives an idea of what you can get for your money in a kitchen renovation.
For more than $ 50,000, a homeowner could expect natural stone countertops and significant changes to the functional layout, as well as many more customizations.
I’m still waiting for my offer to come back, but in the meantime I’m turning up the mattresses and emptying the children’s piggy banks to help fund this project.
Learn about the big two rooms – kitchen and bathroom renovations – in Episode 3 of First Rung: Reno 101 – a new Stuff Homed podcast that explores the dirty, dusty, and utterly satisfying world of New Zealand’s favorite pastime. Download and subscribe here.
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