Home
Improvement Guide
A
New Kitchen
Nowadays,
a kitchen is more than just a place to store food and cook.
For many people it forms the hub of the home and has replaced
the dining room as the place to eat. So kitchens need to look
good as well as be functional. Even if you live in a small
flat it will pay to install a new kitchen – in its recent
DIY survey Woolwich gives a kitchen 7/10 when it comes to
adding value to your home.
If you install a new kitchen you should get your money back
when selling as long as you don’t go mad. A top-of-the-range
Bulthaup kitchen, for example, could set you back £35,000,
but you don’t need to spend anywhere near that to get
a stylish kitchen. A property expert from the Woolwich says:
“Pick the best kitchen you can afford, while keeping
the outlay in proportion to your home’s value –
installing something out of Homes and Gardens in
a standard semi is a waste of money.”
Shaker
ranges
Modestly priced kitchens can be found on the high street.
MFI, for example, stocks a range of Schreiber and Hygena kitchens
in a variety of styles. Magnet Kitchen has four shaker ranges,
12 urban-living ranges and 17 period-living ranges. On its
website it gives a price comparison by using a standard L-shaped
layout. DIY stores such as B&Q, Homebase and Wickes stock
a wide range too. If you want to go for free-standing units
try IKEA or Habitat. IKEA’s Varde kitchen has a range
of free-standing floor and wall units.
Most suppliers offer a range of units, worktops, taps, cookers
and in-cupboard storage, as well as appliances. In-cupboard
storage helps you organise your kitchen: carousels make the
most of corner cupboards, and all cupboards and drawers can
be filled with storage trays and pull-out baskets. MFI, for
example, does a pull-out chrome larder that will fit into
a tall cupboard. It even has a pull-out ironing board and
a pull-out table. It may be easy buying everything in one
place, but there’s nothing to stop you mixing and matching
to find the best options. B&Q, for example, stocks basic
units without doors. A carpenter could make up doors for you.
This may be particularly useful if you don’t need to
replace the entire kitchen. Alternatively, you could choose
basic units but splash out on an expensive worktop to give
the kitchen a designer look.
Planning
your kitchen
The main centres of activity in your kitchen are the fridge,
sink and oven. These must be positioned to gain optimum efficiency
from your layout. The idea is, you go to the fridge for ingredients,
take them to the sink to prepare, then to the oven or hob.
The sink, however, has other roles: making drinks, draining,
washing up, etc.
Even the position of your bin has an impact on kitchen ergonomics.
It should be situated where you prepare food, so you can dispose
of rubbish without having to carry it across the kitchen (and
risk scattering peels over the floor). To make life even easier,
you can have worktop access to a bin fitted in a base unit,
so you can sweep rubbish straight in, no hassle.
A logical approach to storage will enable your kitchen to
run smoothly. Your oven is usually the main centre of activity,
and you need to balance equipment and ingredients in the surrounding
units. Base cupboards or deep drawers either side of your
oven are the best place to store heavy cookware, and a rail
above your hob is the ideal place to hang utensils.
Storage may seem straightforward but to achieve a functional,
ergonomic kitchen, it needs a little more thought. For example,
a crockery cupboard directly above your dishwasher makes unloading
easy.
Source: Magnet Kitchens
Things
to consider
- Think
about how you will use your kitchen. Use graph paper to
plan out your kitchen accurately. You can print some off
the MFI website. Magnet also has cut-out appliances that
you can print off its website.
- It’s
important to get key elements such as the cooker, fridge
and sink in place first.
- Note
where existing electricity points, plumbing outlets and
gas supply-points are located. It can cost a lot to move
them.
- Ideally
you should have a socket for every appliance. You will also
need sockets for your cooker if you have an electric one.
- Every
kitchen should have ventilation. The cooker may come with
an extractor or ensure you have one fitted into your kitchen.
- Your
radiator will add to your installation bill if you want
to move it. The central heating boiler may be in the kitchen.
You may want to add it to your design, move it, or get a
new one, but remember regulations about where it can go.
- Plumbing
may be costly. Include the cost of plumbing and wiring,
new light fittings, wall and floor tiles and new accessories
in your budget.
Contacts
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