• May 8, 2015

Visualise your kitchen renovation

How to make your kitchen renovation as simple as can be.

Firstly you need the money to do it - that is pretty obvious and worth waiting until you have that organised so you can do it properly.

Get out of the way

Yes as handy as you may think you are - you may need to simply get out of the way, get out of the house/unit and allow the tradesmen to do their job.

A kitchen renovation may involve the following trades-:

• Builder
• Carpenter Cabinet maker
• Electrician
• Plumber Gas Fitter
• Tilers
• Flooring experts
• Painter

One person needs to be in charge so that you can communicate effectively with that person who will then use their expertise to organise the trades.
So that person is exreemly important. Normally that would be a builder.

A good builder will consult with you and hand you a quote.
Award winning builder Gold Coast Shamus Cameron may be your best ally here.
They will organise all of the trades and ensure the least disruption as possible.
However demolishing a kitchen and rebuilding it is a noisy and dusty affair.
You really do not want to be around when all of that happens - so there is the element of trust you need.

There are few people who can organise every detail of a kitchen in one go so you are going to need to be reasonably flexible.
Dave of goldcoastjoinery.com.au who specialises in kitchen renovations Gold Coast is very good at working with clients as the project evolves.
Getting the right appliances is important and having a flexible approach if necessary. You may need to keep your existing microwave and refrigerator for example, but also need to let go of some older appliances.

A good builder will make allowances for issues as they arise. For example you may choose some tiles that are real stone and require a special saw with water flowing to be able to cut properly - if your quote is organised well you can easily identify what the builder has allowed for tiling and accept you will be paying a few dollars extra for your choices.
So it is not about - but you said it would cost this much. If you are reasonably fair in your dealings and don't try to screw tradesman down on prices when circumstances are different than quoted you will end up with a better result.
This all comes back the the builder you choose to start with. Go by reputation and check some work they have performed that is similar to what you plan.

Stone benchtops

Depending on the products chosen the usual strategy is to build the kitchen at a joinery then install. Once installed the stone top is measured and fitted.

Plumbing Issues

A good plumber will be involved in demolition as well as fitting out the kitchen.
That is at different stages of the kitchen renovation so the scheduling and co-operation required is very important.
Sometimes there are unknowns like what condition of and where pipes were initially placed.

Electrician very important

Electrical Services for example may need to advise on what lights can be used based on the existing power supplies.
Dimable efficient lights may be a good choice if possible. Fitting of kitchen appliances appropriately so that issues do not arise if there is a need for appliance repairs in the futre.
Even the best brands can have issues when it comes to kitchen appliance repairs.

Painter preparation

One of the last trades is the Painter. Gold Coast Painter with over 25 years experience Blair Friend is meticulous when it comes to preparation and choice of colours. In recent times the trend is for whites or off whites to be used and letting the furniture or appliances add the contrast.

Don't forget the neighbours

It may not be easy on your neighbours during construction but if planned well you can at least warn them.
Be aware of future issues that could cause a problem - for example if you are renovating a unit be wary of plumbing issues that can be difficult to fix later.
Simple things like how the builder removes rubbish is important - dropping a skip on lawn for a week may really upset some people.

You have to work hard too

If you are looking for specific appliances do some home work and shop around. A good builder will allow you to choose anything you want.
However well intentioned you may not be aware of issues arising out of your choices.
You may buy the beautiful taps but not realise you also needed a special plate or fastener to install them.
Or the taps cannot be placed in the standard position assumed at the start.
The plumber may then have to make a special trip to purchase these.

If you are pressed for time you could consider using professional bond cleaners to help clean up properly so you move in to a fresh clean house.