Thoughts on When to Update Your Kitchen

Thoughts on When to Update Your Kitchen

Many of us think about updating or remodeling parts of our homes from time to time.  There are many possibilities, including the kitchen, bathrooms, room or deck additions, etc.  A “new” kitchen is often at the top of the list since it is one of the busiest rooms in the home, and there are a number of appliances which over time might become outdated.  Here are several suggestions about formalizing the decision to update or remodel the kitchen.

One starting point might be the status of lifestyle issues.  Have career issues, children’s’ or parents’ issues, decisions on where to live, etc., stabilized so that you are likely to remain in the home for another 5 – 10 years?  If so, updating or remodeling could be a serious consideration.

The comparative importance of the kitchen in the family’s current needs will help you decide how to proceed.  If everyone is very busy and meals are more of a requirement than an activity, and the family would love to have a new entertainment room, then the new kitchen might wait a few years.  If, however, the kids and neighbors hang out in your kitchen a lot of the time, kitchen changes could move to the top of the list.

If a move to a new house is around the corner, it might be very valuable to update the kitchen to make the house more desirable for a potential buyer.  There are considerations as to the percentage of a room update’s costs that might be reclaimed when selling, but making the kitchen very attractive might cut many months off the time for getting a fair offer for the house.

We all have regular maintenance that is required on our houses including painting, roofing, heating and air conditioning systems, window repairs, plumbing, new carpeting, decorating updates, etc.  The kitchen probably becomes a “maintenance” situation at some point.  The appliances might be of an earlier efficiency and style, cabinets eventually show wear and tear, sinks and fixtures can show wear or look a bit dated, countertops might be of earlier material and colors, the flooring could be worn, and curtains might need freshening.  To maintain a home in current style and functionality, upgrades will be needed after a certain period of time.  It might be a good approach for the homeowner to think of a kitchen upgrade in these terms, as opposed to an extravagance.

There are, of course, many levels of upgrades that can be considered.  Some relatively inexpensive items include re-painting cabinets and adding new hardware, new appliances, a new sink and plumbing fixtures, re-painting the room, and new window treatments.  The five items above can be done for quite a reasonable amount, and can make the kitchen look fresh and modern.  The sky can be the limit, and making such decisions is the homeowner’s personal choice.

There is good information and advice on all aspects of a new kitchen on the internet.  There are also many, many kitchen design websites with hundreds of helpful ideas on the project.