How Often Should You Renovate Your Kitchen?
While the exact number of years will vary depending on things like energy efficiency, wear and tear, functionality and your personal needs, generally speaking, a kitchen should be renovated every 10 to 15 years. If you’ve had the same kitchen for any longer than this, it’s likely in need of an upgrade.
Regular maintenance and small updates when necessary can help extend the lifespan of your kitchen and delay the need for a complete renovation. That said, there are a number of signs to look out for that might suggest it’s time for a renovation.
When to Renovate Your Kitchen
Here are 6 main signs that it’s time to renovate your kitchen:
Your personal or family needs have changed
The layout isn’t functional
It lacks space
You’re thinking about selling your home
You want to be more sustainable & save energy costs
Wear and tear
1. Your Personal or Family Needs Have Changed
One of the most common reasons why people decide to renovate their kitchen is due to their needs changing, whether it be for personal or family reasons.
You might have initially bought your home on your own or with your partner, but now you’ve got a family and need a larger kitchen to support more people. If you enjoy cooking with your partner or kids, your kitchen needs to accommodate that.
Or perhaps your lifestyle needs have changed. You might be looking for more counter space because you love to entertain friends and family in your kitchen, or you would prefer eating at a kitchen island instead of a large dining table.
Whatever your needs may be, this is your chance to make your kitchen dreams a reality.
At Cwtch Haus, we dedicate time and attention to each and every one of our customers, to truly understand them, their lifestyles and their daily habits, to create a space for them that is perfectly tailored to their needs.
Get in touch for your free, no-obligation home measure and consultation with one of our designers, today.
2. The Layout Isn’t Functional
No one works well in an awkward, unfunctional space, especially in a kitchen where you’re carrying out a range of tasks like preparing food, cooking and cleaning.
Is your working area too small, cramped and lacking ‘flow’? The “kitchen work triangle” is a classic design theory to maximise the functionality of your kitchen. The 3 points refer to the kitchen’s main work areas - the oven/stove, the sink, and the fridge. The guideline states that these elements should be optimally spaced – not too close and not too far apart from each other.
Maybe you can’t open the fridge or freezer if someone has opened certain cabinets nearby. You might desire more countertop space for meal prep or the kids to do their homework on. Or perhaps the floor space itself is the issue. Many people choose to renovate their kitchen to open it up to the rest of the living space, maximising space and efficiency.
This leads us nicely onto our third point…
3. It Lacks Space
Even if you’re not a huge cook enthusiast, you still need a minimal amount of space to prepare and cook meals. You still have cookery and food to store no matter how little or often you cook.
Even renovated older kitchens can lack the storage and counter space needed to efficiently use the kitchen as many renovations are nothing more than updating cabinet drawers or resurfacing a countertop. While this type of renovation will improve the look of the kitchen, it doesn’t assist with making the kitchen easier to use.
If your kitchen feels crowded and you really struggle to find a space to fit everything in, or if you simply want to make your small kitchen look bigger, it’s time to renovate your kitchen.
How to Maximise Kitchen Space
Here are some ways you can get the most out of your kitchen space:
Sliding or pocket doors
Integrated appliances
Corner pull-out cupboards
Overhead pot & pan rack
Utilise walls for knife storage
Discover more innovative kitchen storage solutions, here.
Check out our past kitchen design projects and discover how our expert designers have helped transform awkward, outdated kitchens into spacious, functional spaces.
4. You’re Thinking About Selling Your Home
A lot of the time with home renovations, it costs money to make money. Whether you’re looking to stay put in your home throughout retirement or sell your home in the near future, a kitchen renovation is a smart way to invest in your home’s overall market value. In fact, estate agents sometimes recommend completing a comprehensive upgrade of your kitchen before placing your home on the market.
Making small improvements, like updating cabinet doors, is typically classed as decorating and may only increase your valuation by 2-3%. A full renovation, however, including remodelling, new worktops and updated appliances could see your home value rise by 10%.
What’s more, renovating your kitchen before putting your house on the market can result in a much faster sale, as ‘homes that are freshly remodelled sell much faster than houses that are outdated or in need of repairs’, as it could put potential buyers off when a house needs a lot of renovation work. Properties that can be moved into straight away however, are much more appealing.
Discover more reasons why it’s a good idea to get a kitchen renovation before selling here.
5. You Want to Be More Sustainable & Save Energy Costs
Despite the fact renovating your kitchen will initially cost you money, updating its smart technology and functionality can save you a lot on energy costs and, over time, will balance out the cost of the renovation.
A good place to start is a combi oven. These are very energy efficient and will run off electricity or gas, using a minimum amount of water and power. Its insulation prevents heat loss, which also helps cut down on energy use.
We waste a lot of water in the kitchen, whether it be leaving a tap to run until it's really cold or boiling more water than we need to in a kettle. Investing in a Quooker tap can give you both chilled, filtered water and boiling water instantly, allowing you to only ever use the exact amount of water you need.
You might also want to install new windows, which can improve ventilation throughout the kitchen, eliminating cooling costs in summer and heating costs in winter.
We can’t talk about saving energy bills without mentioning LED lights. LED lights use up to 75% less energy than conventional forms of lights and emit negligible heat energy, as the vast majority of energy is released in the form of light.
Discover more energy efficient home appliances and accessories here, and check out the manufacturers we have specifically chosen to work with, including Quooker and SycamoreLed.
6. Wear and Tear
The kitchen is one of the most used rooms in the home. It’s the place where you make food, eat and entertain guests, so they will naturally suffer from general wear and tear, whether it be broken cupboards, cracked tiles or leaky plumbing.
However, while it’s easy to fix one or two minor issues, many homeowners with significant kitchen damage use this opportunity to renovate their kitchen at the same time.
Hopefully this article has given you a better understanding of how often you should renovate your kitchen and signs to look for. For tips on renovating a kitchen in the right order, check out our blog.
Cwtch Haus dedicates time and attention to understanding our customers’ lifestyles and habits to create a space that is perfectly tailored to their needs. We work to ensure that your space is not only beautiful but practical for your everyday use.
Get in touch for your free consultation and design from one of our experts. For more advice, head to our kitchen design blog page or get in contact about our renovation services.
Written by Kate Jones for Cwtch Haus.
