Kitchen improvement ideas?

[gizzygal]

Kia ora! I've just bought my first home and am firmly in the dreaming stage about what I want to do when I move in - it's currently tenanted, so I don't get the keys till January when the tenants move out, but planning and dreaming is well underway!

I'm a little stuck on the kitchen. I don't have a ton of money right now, so I'd like to do a quick once over now with a vague plan of remodelling properly in 3-5 years (this involves taking a wall out and that's a lot of faff I'm not ready for right now).

I've just discovered this wonderful community through my research/ideas gathering, and I wonder if anyone has suggestions for what I can do with this space? The photos come from the real estate listings, and the plan is my best estimates because I didn't think ahead and take a tape measure to the viewings. The rest of the house is original hardwood floors, but I'm not sure what's underneath the flooring in here.

As far as I'm concerned, the issues currently are

- not enough bench space

- likely not enough cupboard space

-fridge dominates the room/blocks light (in location as seen in photo 4).

My budget is <$5000 (preferably well under as I have several other things to do to the house!) and I'm open to just giving everything a coat of paint and changing door handles, but wondering if you have suggestions for what else I can do on that budget? My current skill level is confident with painting and putting together base units but everything else would be new, my brother-in-law is a builder so I can get help now and then if needed, but he's also just bought a house so he'll be a busy man too.

Thanks for your help!

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @gizzygal. It's fantastic to have you join us and many thanks for sharing your project.

What you do to improve the kitchen now really comes down to personal preference and what you are willing to live with for the next three to five years. The kitchen is functional at the moment so it's really the aesthetics that need to be changed. You can certainly start changing benchtops, tapware and cabinetry. Considerable thought should go into which of these can be used in the future build and which will be thrown in a skip bin as they aren't compatible with the final design.

I'd recommend starting with painting the cabinetry and changing the handles. I recently painted some similar vintage cupboards and switched out the handles. Although they are still obviously dated they look ten times better than what they did before.

We have a range of laminated timber panels which can be used as benchtops. They are relatively inexpensive and you could potentially be installed over the top of the current laminate benchtop. The panels are mostly 600mm wide and perhaps could overhang and be slightly wider than the current bench. A new sink and some new tapware would also update the look. A great example of a project that has used these techniques is 80s kitchen reno on a budget by @ProjectPete.

It would be my suggestion to make the kitchen a pleasant place to be and stop there. Don't sink too much money into things that can't be used in the future build. Of course, you could remove all that cabinetry and replace it with budget-friendly Flatpax units. It then becomes a question of where do you stop?

You might like to take a look at our Top 10 most popular kitchen projects for inspiration.

Let me mention the very knowledgeable @redracer01 to see if he had any suggestions for your project.

Please let me know if you need further assistance or had questions.

Mitchell

 

[gizzygal]

Thanks for your thoughts Mitchell! I had already saved that 80s kitchen renovation post - it's an excellent inspiration for what I could possibly do. I like the idea of using one of the timber panels for the benchtop. Keeping on dreaming...

[MitchellMc]

@gizzygal,

The laminated panels are a really great and inexpensive option for improving the look of a dated kitchen. We would be more than happy to provide assistance if you wished to install one yourself.

We look forward to following along with your project and seeing the results you achieve.

Mitchell

[redracer01]

Hello @gizzygal 

By my calculations this set up will cost you half your budget. Use the Laminated Bamboo tops to save money. If your brother has left over bench tops that would be sweet as or you could visit the local demo yard and grab yourself a bargain! I suggest the SpeRrite Acacia for the shelves if your really can't get anything else. But that's a five cabinet combo. Leave your existing pantry and just sand it down and paint with a quality brush to get a good finish. Stay safe and good luck!

Cheers,

Red

[MitchellMc]

@redracer01,

Simple, effective, and well within budget. Love it.

I'm sure @gizzygal will be pleased with your suggestions.

Mitchell