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Remodeling Your Kitchen on the Cheap

Landlord Advice

Remodeling is a wonderful way to transform your rental house and make it more appealing to potential tenants. When upgrading space the kitchen is among the most popular rooms to renovate though the project is known for being highly expensive. However this doesn’t have to drain your account because there are several affordable ways you can update and remodel your kitchen.

Before you start remodeling a kitchen, the following are important things you need to know:

Think about the layout. Just like the bathroom a kitchen needs to be a practical and functional space. Therefore think and plan of how to use the current shape or new layout in away that best suits your needs.
Space planning. Ensure that the planned layout is safe and also up to your convenience. Ie plan to at least have 36″ of counter space for food preparation, 24″ on one side of the sink and 18″ on the other. Also leave enough floor space in front of appliances and traffic flow.
Set your budget. Before embarking on the remodeling project, do some research on the cost of things to figure out what you can afford, the expenses involved and then draw out a realistic budget. Add another 10% for unplanned expenses.

After knowing what you want and can afford you can then get started and below are the 5 tips for remodeling kitchens on a budget:

Paint: a fresh coat of paint on the walls can transform a tired looking kitchen as this give it a fresh feel and cozy up the room without spending a lot. You can also spice up the fresh look with some wall art like playful prints as this can boost the kitchen’s character transforming it into a warm gathering space. Even the outdated cabinets can be uplifted with a new finish of paint. Use semi-gloss latex paints on trims, base boards or tables because they can easily be sponged to remove food splashes.

Update the storage hardware: Look out for assorted drawer and cabinet pulls in complementary finishes and colors (for some detailed variety and splash) from a local hardware store. Alternatively you can incorporate open shelving which can create display space decorative dishes and give your kitchen a touch of art. If you’re afraid of collecting of dust you can still replace the cabinet fronts with frosted glass as this will still offer display space and shield your dishes at the same time. Also “organizers” such as pot racks, id holders and utensil crocks are affordable ways of utilizing storage space and keeping clutter at bay.

Functional styling: The kitchen needs to be a performing space so inexpensive tiling can add a waterproof character to the often damp area behind the sink where paint or wall paper might be a problem. The floor is also another area that needs to resist water so use some resilient tiles instead of expensive hardwood that socks up spill. Cheap vinyl sheets or laminating the can do the job without the need for demolition. This can be a “do it yourself’ project thus reducing costs.

Retain the kitchen’s footprint: Kitchens usually come in several predetermined shapes so the existing layout probably works better than you may think. For instance if possible only replace the sink, faucet and counter tops. This will give your kitchen an uplift without drastically changing the shape of the kitchen or demolitions and not to mention without obnoxiously raising your expenditure. Also changing your plumbing, gas or electrical units can burn a hole in your budget so keep movement o appliances to a minimum or move them to parts that do not require moving their hook-ups.

Consult a professional: Consulting one might add more to your budget but an experienced designer has seen it all and will be able to guide you so that costly mistakes can be avoided. Not only will the designer suggest efficient layouts for cabinets, appliances etc but he/she will also assist you in creating free-flowing traffic patterns to other adjoining rooms of the house. A pro will suggest ways of minimizing your kitchen foot print which would have cost you significantly.

The above are the 5 tips for remodeling kitchens on a budge, therefore when you need to do remodeling on your rental property’s kitchen there’re several ways to strategically upgrade it without breaking the bank.