A Step-by-Step Ticklist for Creating your Dream Kitchen
Planning a kitchen renovation can be somewhat overwhelming right? You may find yourself wondering where to begin with the process. Having recently completed my kitchen renovation, I want to share a step-by-step ticklist for creating your dream kitchen so you know exactly what needs to be considered to help the whole process run as smoothly as possible.
*This post is in collaboration with Benchmarx Kitchens & Joinery.
Are you about to embark on a kitchen renovation? Well, stick around because this post is for you! For years I have dreamed of having a new kitchen. The prospect of simply owning a dishwasher was enough to make my dreams run wild! Finally after months of planning & mood boarding, our kitchen renovation began in early April 2021 and I couldn’t be happier with the outcome. We opted for a Benchmarx kitchen as they offer a complete design service from start to finish to make the process run smoothly.
Step-by-Step Ticklist:
Here’s an overview of what you need to consider when planning a kitchen renovation. I will delve in to more details throughout the rest of this post but to give you an initial idea of what I am going to discuss, here’s the main pointers:
- Inspiration & mood boards
- Finding the perfect kitchen brand
- Booking trades & getting quotes
- Budgeting your expenses
- The renovation process
About our kitchen…
We live in a victorian house so wanted a traditional shaker style kitchen, but with a modern twist! As you all know by now I am a lover of all things colour, but I wanted the cabinetry to be sophisticated and timeless for if at any point in the future I want to switch it up then the cabinetry will suit any scheme. But how did I come to decide this? Well, this brings me to the first point…
Inspiration & Mood Boards
You may already have a good idea of what colour / trend you want your kitchen to be. Spend some time scouring the internet (Pinterest is a fantastic source!) to find some kitchen inspiration pics that make you swoon and want to replicate in your own home. Determine what style kitchen you want; modern, traditional or contemporary and use this as a starting point before nailing down the finer details. You can also find tons of inspiration, including a kitchen visualiser and virtual showroom on the Benchmarx website here.
Once you have determined the overall scheme, it’s time to start considering colours & products. I am hugely motivated by visuals and therefore would highly recommend you make a mood board of all the things you want to include. Create a document that you can add pictures too, so you can visually see the design come to life. This way you can also remove / swap different products to get a feel for what works best. Here’s an example of my mood board below…
Finding the Perfect Kitchen Brand
As mentioned above, we opted for a Benchmarx kitchen as they offer a complete design service from start to finish. Not only do they have multiple kitchen ranges to suit every trend & style, but they can also help guide you to maximise your space with multiple different storage features. They even helped design a bespoke open-shelved dresser unit to cleverly disguise some pipes we had running up in the corner of our kitchen. This was all assessed and considered in their first home visit of which they took all measurements of the room to make sure the kitchen was fitted perfectly to the millimetre!
If you want to know more about how the design process works, you can book a free online or in-branch consultation with one of the Benchmarx design experts here.
Booking Trades & Getting Quotes
I’m sure you’ve heard by now that getting multiple quotes from different trades is a must! This is by far one of the most important things to invest your time in. Not only does it give you a ballpoint figure as to how much the labour is going to cost you, but it also means you can meet the fitter beforehand to discuss the design in detail. You can also make a judgement on how they may work & how efficient they will be. I know that sounds a little untrusting, but take it from me as someone who has project-managed & overseen many renovations… It’s really important to pick the right trades to get the job done as best it can be!
Get a good recommendation…
Ask your friends or family if they can give you any recommendations on fitters, tilers, electricians or plasterers – good word of mouth can tell a lot about tradesmen and they will rate highly because of it. Quite often the best trades will be booked up for months, and that’s a telling sign that you’re in for a winner! That being said though, make sure you take this into consideration when planning deadlines / dates you want things to be completed as you may need to pencil them quite far in advance!
You might want to even consider getting a project manager involved too. Quite often tradesmen will know other trades that work in different fields. We originally contacted a plasterer who knew other trades and from then they took the role as project manager to arrange and book them all – This was a huge help to us as it took the stress out of booking them all individually and the communication was left for them to discuss amongst themselves. Definitely worth considering if you find someone who’s up for it!
Need help finding trades?
If you’re stuck for finding trades then contact your local Benchmarx branch as they will have a list of trustworthy trades that they can share with you.
Budgeting your expenses.
Now it’s time for the conversation that no-one wants to have! Let’s talk money. If you’re working to a budget then it’s crucial that you note down all expenses and costs. My partner, Tom, is a bit of a spreadsheet geek and this was a saving grace for us as it really outlined what money was left in the pot – and what money wasn’t!
When planning your expenses, take note of the following:
- Cost of the kitchen – Including cabinetry, appliances, worktop, hardware, faucets.
- Additional decor – Tiles, flooring, splash back material (if not from the kitchen company), lighting & paint.
- Labour costs – Kitchen fitter, electrician, plumber, plasterer, tiler & decorator.
- Rubbish removal – Can often be arranged through the fitter so enquire about this when getting a quote!
- Variation costs – These will be given as a separate note from the trades. Variation costs is for any unexpected work that may arise when gutting the kitchen (For example we unveiled an old leaky pipe that needed replacing).
The Renovation Process!
So, you’ve planned the kitchen design, bought everything thats needed & booked all the trades. Now it’s time to finally see all of your efforts come to life! Albeit very exciting, it can also be quite stressful so allow enough time to pack up the kitchen & get everything in order ready for the renovation. Here’s some handy tips I want to share with you from having recently completed our kitchen renovation.
- Allow enough time to pack everything up. Don’t underestimate how long it takes to box up an entire kitchen! Use this time to be a bit ruthless too… Do you really need 4 gravy boats?
- Dust sheet EVERYTHING around the surrounding rooms and block off any doors / entrances you don’t want dust getting into.
- Pile things strategically so there’s enough space for the kitchen delivery – trust me, it will be a big delivery!
- Note at the end of each day what has been completed and a list of what needs to be done the next day. Keep on top of things and try to foresee the plan of action.
- If you have nervous pets, consider asking family / friends to take care of them for a few days whilst the chaos is commencing – We had our dog overnight at our parents on a couple of occasions to help ease any stress.
- Always check in with the project manager to see if things are running to schedule. This also gives them a kick up the butt too, and reminds them that you’re ON IT!
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With all of the above in mind, it’s important to remember not to let the stress get to you and actually enjoy the process! Believe me, it’s totally worth it and at the end you will have a kitchen to be proud of!
For more information , help & advice about creating your dream kitchen, visit the Benchmarx website.
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