How to Plan a Kitchen Renovation

It goes without saying that one of the most common rooms in a home to renovate is the kitchen. As you may or may not know, kitchens have the potential to sell a home, which is why it’s always a good idea to invest in a kitchen renovation. However, you do need to be smart about it. It’s essential to plan every aspect of your renovation. You must not overcapitalise, and you must set a realistic budget and stick to it. These are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of kitchen renovation rules. There are many more rules, tips, and considerations to aid the planning process, which we look at today in this article.
Ross’s Discount Home Centre is here to serve you, not only by providing high-quality kitchens and kitchen renovation products but also in providing expert help, advice, and support to see you through your kitchen renovation. Whether you’re planning a full kitchen renovation or looking to get the most bang from a small budget, this article will help you stay on track, on budget, and accomplish your goals.
So, how do you plan a kitchen renovation? Planning starts with research, followed by design, setting a timeline, organising tradespeople, and demolishing. Only then can any new work commence.
Key Takeaways
- Proper planning is crucial for a successful kitchen renovation, starting with research, setting a realistic budget, and avoiding overcapitalisation.
- The ideal kitchen renovation budget should be no more than 3% of your home’s value to prevent overspending.
- Major cost considerations include services like plumbing, electrical, and tiling, as well as products like cabinets, benchtops, and appliances.
- DIY tasks such as demolition and using pre-assembled cabinets can significantly reduce renovation costs.
- Designing the kitchen layout is key to ensuring functionality, especially focusing on the kitchen work triangle, storage, and bench space.
- A detailed project timeline helps coordinate tradespeople efficiently and avoids delays during the renovation process.
- Gathering multiple quotes and checking reviews is essential for choosing reliable and affordable tradespeople.
- The demolition phase requires proper tools, safety precautions, and the disconnection of plumbing and electrical services
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Research
The first step in planning a kitchen renovation is to put the time in to do a little research. Look online for design inspiration, new product releases, and even tradies. Look into the styles of design you like, product options, and the cost of items. And look to other resources like our guide to kitchen renovations in Perth; this will help you set a realistic budget.
Along with our website, there are also a plethora of excellent online resources to help you save money and find the best deals. From forums and chat rooms to popular websites like Houzz and The Block, there are endless opportunities for ideas and planning to help ensure your kitchen renovation goes smoothly.
Don’t forget to also follow local regulations. Commerce WA is a great resource in this respect, as too is HIA.
Budget
With a little research under your belt, you can now turn your attention to setting a budget. Setting a renovation budget is a vital stage of the planning process that shouldn’t be underestimated.
Base your kitchen renovation budget on what you can afford to invest vs. the maximum investment before overcapitalising; this is key. To work out what your maximum investment is, I recommend you use the 3% rule, which is no more than three percent of your property value. This rule is backed by Australian renovating-for-profit queen Cherie Barber.
So, for example, if your home is valued at $700,000, then you should be looking to invest no more than $21,000 in your kitchen renovation.
However, it’s worth noting that this amount is below the median kitchen renovation cost in 2023. According to the latest AU House & Home Renovation Trends Study, the typical kitchen renovation over the past year cost around $30,000.
If you want a more accurate cost estimate, I highly recommend RealEstate.com.au’s renovation calculator.
As a side note, if you are renovating your entire home, your budget should be 10% of your property’s value.
Cost considerations
There are many cost considerations to factor into a kitchen renovation budget, which are often overlooked, causing budget blowouts.
Your renovation budget needs to include the following products and services:
Kitchen Renovation Services:
- Builder / Cabinet Maker
- Plumber
- Electrician
- Tiler
Kitchen Renovation Products:
- Kitchen cabinets
- Benchtops
- Kitchen Sink
- Kitchen Tap
- Splashbacks
- Kitchen Tiles
- Appliances
- Electrical Fittings
- Lights
- Flooring
- Kitchen Accessories
Always remember to allow a 10% buffer for unforeseen expenses. It’s also important to factor in the shipping costs for any products you purchase online. However, this isn’t a problem if you shop online with Ross’s Discount Home Centre, as we offer delivery to Perth Metro.
Cost-savings
If you are renovating on a tight budget, then there are many cost-saving measures to avail. You can forgo the need for a builder or cabinet maker altogether by simply doing your demolition work and by choosing pre-assembled kitchen cabinets.
Removing an old kitchen to make way for a new kitchen is a straightforward task that just requires a few tools and a little muscle. You can save hundreds of dollars by doing this stage of the renovation yourself. Moreover, you can save thousands using our pre-assembled kitchen cabinets rather than having your cabinetry made by a cabinet maker.
There are many other cost-savings to be had in a kitchen renovation, from doing your own painting and installing your tiled splashback to shopping online for discount kitchen products. Ross’s Discount Home Centre has long been providing Perth residents with high-quality kitchens at the lowest possible prices. Be sure to compare our prices with our competitors to see how much you can save!
Design
Now it’s time for the fun part of planning a kitchen renovation—the design!
Start by looking at the existing area and determining if any structural changes are required. Do any walls need to be moved? Will the space remain the same size? Once you know the answer to these questions, you can start thinking about the layout, which is the most vital element of designing a kitchen.
Did your previous layout work? Was it functional? If the answer is no, then you will need to consider other layout options that work in your space. You can read a couple of my earlier articles, ‘How to Choose the Right Kitchen Layout Shape‘ and ‘How To Choose The Right Kitchen Layout Shape‘, for ideas and inspiration.
Once you have an idea of the layout, you can design your new kitchen, Start by measuring your existing kitchen to ensure accuracy in your design. Once you have these measurements, you can start creating your dream kitchen using our free 3D kitchen planner. Our kitchen planner provides all the tools you need plan your kitchen right, from creating your space to filling it with your desired cabinet configuration. You can even choose your benchtop, flooring, etc.
Design Considerations
As mentioned, getting the design right is vital. A kitchen renovation is a significant investment. It will cost you to change the design once the renovation has started, and the final design will be with you for at least ten years.
Consider the following elements when designing your kitchen:
- Layout
- Functionality & the kitchen work triangle (find out more here)
- Storage
- Bench space
- Style
- Cabinetry
- Hardware
- Appliances
Each kitchen component must be cohesive to provide a highly functional and aesthetically pleasing space. Never sacrifice functionality for luxury features; always buy the best quality materials you can afford within your budget.
I strongly urge you to read my earlier article, ‘The Biggest Kitchen Design Mistakes To Avoid‘, to ensure you don’t make any of these rookie mistakes.
Design Savings
For those planning a budget kitchen renovation, know you don’t have to compromise design to stay within budget. There are countless ways to achieve the look of a high-end kitchen on a shoestring budget.
As mentioned earlier, one of the best cost-saving design options is to opt for pre-assembled cabinets over custom cabinets. They are not only cheaper, but they provide easy DIY installation for further cost savings. Other design options for maximum savings include choosing a laminate benchtop over an engineered stone and opting for a tiled splashback over glass or stone. (Read our post, Kitchen Splashback Trends, for the latest kitchen tile trends.)
Make sure you check out our article on how to save money on your kitchen renovation and DIY Kitchen Cabinets on a Budget for further cost savings.
Project Timeline
A project timeline is essential and should be part of your planning process. A project schedule coordinates the appearance of each tradesperson to ensure the renovation is completed swiftly and without long delays.
A kitchen renovation project timeline should include the following, in this order:
- Demolition: removing the existing kitchen to make way for the new kitchen. This should take no more than a day.
- Build work: moving walls, adding windows, etc. This usually takes one to two days, depending on the scope of work.
- Kitchen cabinetry: installing new kitchen cabinets. Allow one to three days for the cabinetry to be installed. (One day if you choose pre-assembled kitchen cabinets)
- Kitchen benchtop: installing a new kitchen benchtop. You should only need one day for the installation, but allow for the manufacturing time, which can be up to 10 days.
- Plumbing and electrical: connecting the plumbing, appliances, lighting, and powerpoints. This should take no more than one day.
- Splashback: installing the splashback. Allow one day.
- Flooring: Laying new flooring. Allow one to three days, depending on your flooring choice.
Tradespeople
With the budget and design sorted, you can approach tradespeople for quotes. As mentioned, you will need a licenced plumber and electrician to connect the plumbing and electrical components and a cabinet maker if you opt for a custom kitchen. Other trades—builders, tilers, painters, etc.—are optional and only required if you don’t want to take on any DIY work to reduce costs. And speaking of costs, check out our article, How Much Do Kitchen Renovations Cost, to get a good idea of what you can expect to pay for tradespeople and all other components of a kitchen renovation.
Supply your tradies with a detailed kitchen plan and your project timeline when requesting quotes. I recommend you gather three quotes for each trade if you don’t already have someone in mind. If you have no experience with quotes before, I recommend you take a moment to read my earlier article, ‘How To Get A Quote For Your New Home Or Renovation’.
Tradespeople considerations
It’s important not to choose tradespeople based on their quotes alone. Jump online to read customer reviews to know if their service is as attractive as their quote. Facebook and Google My Business are fantastic reference points.
Also, checking their schedule to see if they can work with your project timeline is essential. For instance, you don’t want to have an unfinished kitchen for weeks on end while you wait for your plumber to become available.
Your chosen tradies need to be reliable, affordable, and available!
Demolition
The final step in the planning process is demolition, which is also the first step of the renovation.
There is a right and wrong way to remove an existing kitchen. If you have contracted a builder, they will handle this for you. However, to save money and do this yourself, you must know a little about what you’re doing.
You must arrange a skip bin and have the right tools and personal protective equipment. You will also need to contact your plumber and electrician and have them disconnect the services before any work commences.
Suggested tools to aid the demo include a hammer, drill, crowbar, Stanley knife, flathead, Phillips and square-bit screwdrivers, a wrench, and a slip-joint plier.
With all the planning done, you are now well-equipped with everything you need to successfully execute your kitchen renovation. If you need any more help, I recommend you read our Guide to Kitchen Renovations in Perth.
Conclusion
If you’re taking advantage of the extra time spent at home to renovate your kitchen, you will need to start with planning and lots of it. By taking the time to plan your renovation, you will have a budget that ensures you don’t overcapitalise, know your preferred design style and layout, which is both functional and attractive, have affordable tradespeople on board that will work to your project timeline and understand what is needed to start the demolition to make way for your new kitchen.
Once you plan, you can start sourcing products for your new kitchen. For this, you will find no better partner than Ross’s Discount Home Centre. We have been serving Perth with quality home renovation products for over 35 years and have everything needed to complete your dream kitchen in-store and in stock.
Our vast kitchen range includes our top-quality pre-assembled kitchen cabinet range, which comprises wall cabinets, base cabinets, pantry cabinets, kitchen sinks, kitchen taps, laminate benchtops and engineered stone benchtops, kitchen tapware, and kitchen accessories. We are also one of Perth’s biggest tile suppliers and have a massive range of splashback tiles, including mosaic tiles, subway tiles, and feature tiles, along with porcelain and ceramic tiles for flooring.
Plan smart and shop smart with Ross’s Discount Home Centre. Visit our ever-changing showroom in Guildford, Perth or shop online from our online store.