Kitchen Renovation - Ideas please

[danwatto]

Hi All,

I have this house open for inspection, but alot of viewers are complaining the kitchen is dated.

So I want to renovate the kitchen for two main reasons:
1. Enhance appeal to tenants
2. Re-valuation to pull out equity

My budget is loosely $10k including labour.
I am using tradies etc with my PMs help as i am interstate

So far I've been recommended to replace the Benchtops, Doors and Paneling with Caesar stone bench tops and melamine doors and panels with PVC
edges.
$6800 including labour.

The stove is fine.
However the oven, rangehood, and dishwasher are old white style.
Also the kitchen sink is a single, whereas double is more normal these days.

How should I spend the rest of my budget to get the most benefit?
I'm concerned about throwing out the appliances that are in good working order when I could just wait for them to die and replace them at that stage.

Is it enough to do benchtops, paneling and doors?
Will I get a valuation increase from just that?
Note I have also replaced the fence and done a massive yard cleanup, as well as a bunch of other maintenance, the place was a bit of a mess at settlement..

 

[Brian84]

Bunnings have a nice stainless steel oven and cooktop for $550. That would look good in an updated kitchen. You don't want the old looking oven when you will have a kitchen that will look brand new. Also a new dishwasher for around $400-500 would look good to.

 

[wobbycarly]

An appliance "pack" (oven, stovetop, rangehood, dishwasher) should be ~$1200-$1500 and money well spent, IMO. Replacing bench and doors, leaving the carcase as is, can be effective. I would question whether Caesar stone is appropriate, when laminate is cheaper and looks pretty good these days. Unless it's an up-market property. (Can't tell, but from the photos, the exposed brick is a little ... shall we say ... out of fashion?)

What's that splashback? Personally, I love a glass splashback, but it's about 3 times the price of tiles; we recently got 2.5m? of tiling done for $330 (plus tiles). Looks like you have a lot of joins/corners, as well as cutouts, so I reckon $1k for glass. But IMO, you'd get a better bang for buck there than stone benchtops.

Just my 2c worth.

 

[bob shovel]

I think there is great potential for a spruce up for mega cheap!
Paint the cupboard doors (white?), replace the bench top (laminate) and put in a double sink if you fancy. Oven looks neat and with painted cupboards would be good to keep. Dishwasher neither here nor there as long is it works.
Rangehood splurge 150 bucks and get a new one. Budget spruce up and would look the goods for tenants. I dont think the big spend would add mega bucks to the value as its a good sized kitchen and your not doing any major changes with the big spend.

No ceaser stone thats crazy talk.

But if you want to burn some cash.
Go the works burger:
replace cupboard doors
new appliances, new benchtop and double sink. Spalsh back tiles would do to keep cost down.

 

[Jess Peletier]

I agree with Bob - if those doors are timber, I'd just paint them unless they're in poor condition. Then spend the money on appliances and a new benchtop.

I'd lean toward stone for added value and happy tenants - it's just more upmarket than laminate and will make the panelling look modern rather than country.

Exposed brick is back, btw.

 

[wobbycarly]

Exposed brick is back, btw.

No way!

 

[danwatto]

Thanks guys for the input

 

[wylie]

This kitchen is solid timber, and in this photo I think hadn't been cleaned in a long while. It was covered in grease, grime with a lovely coating of dust over everything. I would not have put anything in it.

After a good sugar soap clean, light sand just enough to give a little grip, four in one sealer, primer, undercoat inside and out, and topcoat, and new knobs - it makes a huge difference.

Dark, dingy, yuck!

I'd happily use this kitchen now...

 

[Jess Peletier]

Wow that's a HUGE difference! Lovely!

Re exposed brick, you can even buy exposed brick wall paper. True story.

 

[bob shovel]

This kitchen is solid timber, and in this photo I think hadn't been cleaned in a long while. It was covered in grease, grime with a lovely coating of dust over everything. I would not have put anything in it.

After a good sugar soap clean, light sand just enough to give a little grip, four in one sealer, primer, undercoat inside and out, and topcoat, and new knobs - it makes a huge difference.

Dark, dingy, yuck!

I'd happily use this kitchen now...

wow thats awesome!! paint can make such a huge change!

I was going to post my before and after but that takes the cake! great job!

And with your panelled doors I had the same and they came out nice with a coat of paint. dont let it deter you, cheaper to get paint than new doors too!

 

[Thunder]

Wow Wylie that looks fab!

Agree with Wobbycarly totally and perhaps if your benchtop is in okay condition you could resurface it with Rust-Oleum. You can but it from Bunnings and for around $200 it will look like new.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJuAedQrv7g

Also I'd consider plastering over the brick or painting it. Its making the room really dark.

 

[danwatto]

That's really nice Wylie, some good work there

 

[wylie]

Thanks all. What a difference indeed.

 

[neeko]

No way!

so is mission brown....

 

[Perp]

Exposed brick is back, btw.

It is, but with a contemporary twist - those bricks are not back.

So I agree with Thunder that it'd be worth painting or plastering over the exposed brick.

I also think stone benchtops are expected even in mid-range properties now; unless you're in a lower socioeconomic area I wouldn't consider laminate benchtops.

It may not be in the budget right now, but I'd definitely put it on my "to do" list to get rid of the overly fussy mouldings; they're very dating, too.

 

[BMan]

how did you paint the doors? brush and roller or did you spray it?
i have some passage cupboard doors painted and looks terrible, putting me off painting my kitchen cupboards.

 

[wylie]

I used brush and roller for 4 in 1 and next coat, and semi-gloss oil base for top coat was brushed. I may have rolled that top final coat but I think if I did I did a brush finish.

 

[cadence]

Fantastic job!!!
Looks great!!!