When you buy a house as a project, a kitchen makeover is likely to be high on your list of priorities. That’s because modern kitchen designs are larger since they’re the center of family life, whereas older homes’ kitchens might be cramped and dark, meant just for cooking. A kitchen, on the other hand, is one of the most difficult rooms to renovate, especially when designing a multi-functional space that serves as a living, socializing, and dining area as well as a place to prepare food. From choosing a design to extending your house, heating, plumbing, electrics, and more, this book leads you through the A-Z of kitchen remodeling tasks.
Kitchen Renovations: Structural Changes
To make a tiny area larger, you’ll need to make some structural improvements to your home as part of your kitchen makeover. This may entail adding an addition or knocking through walls to combine two or smaller areas into one bigger one. You’ll have some say in who plans and builds your expansion, depending on the sort of extension and how intricate the design is. For a more forward-thinking design, an architect is a common alternative, although architectural technologists and design-build organizations may have basic but effective house expansion ideas.
It’s important to note that even a tiny kitchen addition may completely change a space, allowing you to add a dining table or a cozy where there was previously simply a kitchen. For terraced and semi-detached buildings, side return expansions are very common. If the wall is load-bearing, you’ll need a constructor and a structural engineer to demolish it. Subject to Building Regulations, they will determine dimensions for steel inserts to be utilized to safely support the weight of the floor above. A Building Control inspector will have to sign off on the project.
Designing a New Kitchen in Preparation for a Renovation
The most usual way for your kitchen makeover is through a kitchen supplier. When you contact a specialized kitchen firm with your ideas, they will normally present you with numerous options based on the dimensions of your area and your specific requirements. There should be no pressure on you to buy your kitchen from them, and these designs are rarely charged for.
However, a kitchen supplier is unlikely to supply anything other than the kitchen installation as part of a larger kitchen remodel, such as any additions, structural alterations, or new glass. You might, however, request that your architect create a kitchen design for you as part of the overall plan. There are also design and construction businesses, as well as interior designers, who can accomplish both roles.
- How to Write a Renovation Plan for a Kitchen
- To acquire the kitchen of your dreams, you’ll need to write a brief that outlines all of your criteria. Begin with the fundamentals:
- Every kitchen requires a stove, refrigerator, and sink. Begin with these characteristics and work your way out from there.
- Examine what you already have – are there any intriguing architectural characteristics, such as ancient beams or alcoves, that you might include in your new design?
- Ample storage space in the kitchen is essential. Your storage requirements should be determined by the size of your home, the amount of kitchen equipment you own, and how and where you keep your food.
- You’ll also want to consider what activities will take place here besides cooking:
- Will you be using your kitchen just to store, prepare, and cook food, or would you like it to be a place where you can sit and eat as well?
- Is this going to be a fun place to hang out?
- Would a breakfast bar or island with stools suffice, or would a full-size table for family gatherings be preferable?
To install new heating in an old kitchen, you must first remove the old heating system.
Choosing a new heating system needs serious thought and preparation. When some individuals prefer not to have any heating in their kitchens because they believe it is superfluous in a space that frequently grows hot while cooking, those who use their kitchens for more than cooking have numerous options:
- Installing a radiator with a thermostatic radiator valve (TRV) so that it can be readily controlled is the cheapest and easiest option, but you’ll need enough wall space.
- Plinth heaters can be switch-operated electrical fan convector heaters, or they can be connected to the rest of the central heating system.
- You may use heated towel rails with tea towel pegs – there are a variety of radiator businesses that provide designs that can fit into even the smallest of places.
- Good ventilation will make your kitchen a pleasant place to be, eliminating odors and steam while maintaining a consistent temperature. You could choose a custom range hood.
The size and power of your cooker hood or fan will be primarily determined by the size of your kitchen and the amount of cooking you perform.
