Being prepared for a big reno, such as a kitchen renovation, is the #1 key to a successful renovation. The more you plan ahead and the more knowledge you have going in, the less stress and problems you will encounter. In our Love Your Home seminars, we teach home owners the keys to successfully renovating their kitchens and bathrooms. In this post, we explore the starting points of planning: learning to identify which type of renovation you will be doing and the amount of time and money you should plan on for each.

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Why do I want to renovate?

There are many good reasons to renovate a kitchen, but the reason why you are renovating will often dictate the type of renovation you do. So, begin the planning process by answering the question:

Why am I renovating my kitchen?

Some common answers to this question might be:

Out of date
Cabinets are wearing and falling apart
I’m moving and want to maximize the money I sell my house for
I just bought the house and hate the kitchen
I’ve never had enough storage, so I want a new kitchen
This kitchen is too small, and I want a larger space
I entertain a lot, and everyone congregates in the kitchen, so I need a better layout and more space

These are just a few of the reasons we commonly hear. Your reasons might be very different, but in the end, it’s very important for you to have a clear understanding of the real reason for renovating. We’ve had clients call us in for a kitchen renovation quote. They wanted to relocate fixtures, change the layout and design of the kitchen, and make many other costly plans. When we found out they were renovating in order to put the house on the market, many of their plans didn’t make sense. They would never see a good return on their investment. What they really needed was a combination of cosmetic and remove-and-reinstall renovations in order to update the look of their kitchen and maximize the money they would get on the sale. This is a good example of why it’s important to understand why you are renovating in the first place.

Types of Kitchen Renovations

There are three types of renovations:

Cosmetic
Remove and Reinstall
Custom

Some kitchen renovations fall specifically into one of these categories, while others are a combination of two.

Cosmetic Kitchen Renovations

A cosmetic kitchen renovation is a simple renovation that replaces easily removed items. This might include things such as a new countertop, a new tiled backsplash, new appliances, new hardware on your cabinet doors and drawer fronts, or a new coat of paint in the kitchen.

Cosmetic kitchen renovations are typically the type you would do if you were selling your home and just a few things needed upgrading before you put your house on the market. You might also do a cosmetic reno if you just moved into your home and really hate the paint colour, the countertop, etc. You might also opt for a cosmetic kitchen reno if you just want to refresh your kitchen but don’t want to spend the money on a whole new kitchen. We often have clients who plan on moving in 3-5 years and want a nicer-looking kitchen during that time frame but can’t justify all new cupboards.

How long does a cosmetic kitchen renovation take?

This is always a tough question to answer because it all depends on what you plan to include in your mini-renovation. If all you’re doing is painting the kitchen, you can select your paint colour, hire your favourite painter, and likely get it done in one day. Even if you are a successful DIY home owner, you could still get this project done in a weekend.

However, if you’re planning on a new tile backsplash or a new countertop, you need to allow a bit more time for the planning. Allow 1-4 weeks for the quote, design, and product selection. Follow that up with another 1-4 weeks for ordering the materials and waiting for them to come in. To complete the work, you need to allow 2 days up to 4 weeks, depending on how much you are planning to have done.

How much will a cosmetic kitchen renovation cost?

The range here can be very wide, depending on the amount of work you plan to have done. It can cost as little as $300–$500 for a fresh coat of paint or as much as $30,000 for a quartz countertop, plumbing items, new lighting, new appliances, new flooring, painting, and a new backsplash. A cosmetic renovation doesn’t immediately dictate a low or cheap price. You can still spend a lot of money on cosmetic upgrades. This is where you need to always remember why you are renovating. The amount of money you spend on the renovation should correspond with what you will get out of it (e.g., years of pleasure, increased value, a higher price for selling your home, etc.). Never lose sight of your WHY when you are renovating.

Remove and Reinstall Kitchen Renovations

The remove and reinstall renovation takes the cosmetic renovation one step further. With this type of reno, you would remove items and reinstall them in exactly the same location. This kitchen renovation typically involves removing kitchen cabinets and reinstalling new ones in exactly the same place. This means that your sink, fridge, and stove stay in the same spot, and the layout of your kitchen doesn’t change.

For this type of reno, you could replace cabinets and hardware and also include countertops, backsplash, light fixtures, appliances, and flooring.

How long does a Re and Re (remove and reinstall) kitchen reno take?

Good-quality cabinets take 6–10 weeks to manufacture. Even if your contractor orders their cabinets through a supplier who builds them on an assembly line in a factory, you still need to count on at least 4 weeks. At Multi Trade Building Services, we manufacture our own cabinets through our cabinet maker. Every cabinet is custom made, which means you won’t have to install fillers to fill the gaps because your cabinets only come in certain sizes. If you need a cabinet that’s 27.36" wide to suit the space, that’s exactly what we build.

For a re and re kitchen renovation, plan on 2–6 weeksfor quoting, designing, and product selection. Ordering materials can take 4–10 weeks, and the actual work on site will typically take 2–5 weeks, depending on how extensive you get with the renovation.

How much will a Re and Re kitchen renovation cost?

The answer to this question will depend a lot on the size of your kitchen as well as the quality of the cabinets you select. For example, stained maple cabinets are going to cost a lot more than thermofoil cabinets.

At the low end of this scale, plan on budgeting $15,000–$20,000. This will get you nice, basic cabinets and hardware, as well as a basic laminate countertop. You would keep the existing flooring and appliances. At the other end of the scale, you could spend up to $50,000+ to get upgraded cabinets, a stone countertop, a new backsplash, new plumbing items, new flooring, and new appliances. Of course, your renovation might fall somewhere in between these two extremes, depending on the choices you make.

Custom Kitchen Renovation

With this type of renovation, the sky’s the limit! Let your imagination run wild and create the kitchen of your dreams. This is the type of renovation you would do if you needed to create more space, open up the space, or completely change the layout of your kitchen.

This renovation includes things like redesigning the layout of your kitchen. This might mean moving the fridge, stove, or sink. It might also mean getting rid of the breakfast area in order to increase the size of the kitchen. With a custom renovation, you usually need to improve the function of the kitchen.

You might also be meeting changing lifestyle needs. Your kitchen might serve a completely different purpose once the kids are grown up and have moved out of the house.

A custom kitchen renovation will often involve opening up or moving walls. When planning for this, it’s essential that you know whether the wall you’re planning on removing or moving is load-bearing or not. Consult with an Architectural Technologist before starting any demolition. DO NOT take your contractor’s word for it. Always consult a specialist, get proper drawings done, and take out a permit. Your safety and house insurance depend on it.

How long will a custom kitchen renovation take?

Check out the infographic below for a detailed breakdown of the time you should allow for this type of kitchen renovation.

How much will a custom kitchen renovation cost?

For this type of renovation, the sky really is the limit! We’ve seen clients spend as much as $100,000 on a custom kitchen renovation. One of our clients entertains a lot of his business associates at his home, and the kitchen renovation turned hosting into a pleasure for everyone. The reno included knocking out a load-bearing wall, designing space for and installing two wall ovens, two sinks plus a prep sink, all new flooring throughout the entire main floor, and the list goes on and on. Although he realized that he would never get a good return on his investment (ROI), he selected this type of renovation because it met his needs at this time in his career and life.

Typically, this type of renovation will cost $35,000–$80,000. The wide range of costs will be determined by the amount of work being done and the quality of cabinets, countertops, appliances, etc. being installed. As walls are often coming down or the layout is changing, this type of renovation almost always includes new flooring. This will often lead to the need for new flooring throughout the main floor of the house. Consider the big picture when you start this type of kitchen renovation. How will changing the design or layout of your kitchen affect the rest of the main floor or your house overall?

Many kitchen renovations fall specifically into one of the three categories outlined here. However, often, renovations will be a combination of more than one of these categories. There are many experts who will meet with you to discuss your plans. Take advantage of their many years of experience and book a consultation to ensure you are as informed as you can be when making your selections for your kitchen renovation.

If you would like to book a free quotation or initial consultation on your kitchen renovation, click here to send us a contact form. If you prefer to call us directly, you can reach us at 905-259-3344.