QUICK NAVIGATION About HDB Kitchen Design Popular Themes for HDB Kitchen Design Explore Popular Interior Styles Key Points To Consider When Transforming Your HDB Kitchen Tailoring HDB Kitchen Design to Different Flat Types Conclusion About HDB Kitchen Design Designing or renovating the kitchen of your HDB flat or BTO unit is quite an overwhelming task. […]
Kitchen renovation might be among your most important investment (that can last for years, not only helps increase your entire house’s value, but also level up your lifestyle). However, during 25 years in this business, we have heard many sad stories about homeowners in Singapore who suffered really terrible & stressful experiences during their kitchen remodeling.
Below are #11 most common mistakes people make when renovating their kitchens (you will probably want to carefully check to avoid repeating them on your own project).
Kitchen Renovation & Mistakes To Avoid
Kitchen renovation might be among your most important investment (that can last for years, not only helps increase your entire house’s value, but also level up your lifestyle). However, during 25 years in this business, we have heard many sad stories about homeowners in Singapore who suffered really terrible & stressful experiences during their kitchen remodeling.
Below are #11 most common mistakes people make when renovating their kitchens (you will probably want to carefully check to avoid repeating them on your own project).
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- #1. Not Enough Storage Spaces
- #2. Don't Keep Your Budget Under Control
- #3. Leaving Kitchen Appliances Till Last
- #4. Doing The Whole Thing Alone
- #5. Focus Too Much On Design
- #6. Lack Of Lighting
- #7. Overlook The Ventilation
- #8. Wrong Placement Of Kitchen Island
- #9. Not Enough Counter Space
- #10. Wrong Kitchen Flooring Choice
- #11. Use Improper Types Of Paint
#1. Not Enough Storage Spaces
One of the most common mistakes when renovating your kitchen is to under-estimate your demand for storage spaces. Take advantage of all storage opportunities you possibly have, even small add-ons such as: cabinets, roll-out drawers, tray dividers, … Wall-mounted pegboard is also a quite smart solution to increase your store space (and for decoration purpose as well) that you can consider.
#2. Don't Keep Your Budget Under Control
The expense to remodel your kitchen can quickly & easily rack up (especially if you don’t have a strict plan to manage your budget). A simple tip given is never spend more than 15% of your house’s value for kitchen’s renovation. Additionally, kitchen cabinets may account for up to one third of the total reno cost, so please keep it in mind before spending on other stuffs.
#3. Leaving Kitchen Appliances Till Last
Shopping for kitchen appliances might not be the most interesting task during your kitchen remodeling journey, but perhaps, it’s the most important step many people forget to plan from the beginning. That’s true, we can see how much easier it is to pick your cabinets & countertops (with dimensions) to well fit your existing refrigerators, induction/gas hops, dishwashing machines, microwaves, … (Imagine that you did the whole thing in reverse, that could be a disaster).
#4. Doing The Whole Thing Alone
Even if you’re going to implement your DIY kitchen renovation, you still should consult with an expert for some benefits below:
- Monitor & refine your remodeling plan: telling you what works and what doesn’t.
- Recommend you some reliable brands & wise choice of materials.
- Provide you some tips & ideas you’ve possibly never heard about.
(And if you don’t know, Weiken is regconised as the most trusted reno expert in Singapore with over 25+ years in operation).
#5. Focus Too Much On Design
At Weiken, we always strictly require the beauty and aesthetics elements for all of our designs. However, the great balance between a design’s appearance & functionality is much more important (especially for the kitchen remodeling).
#6. Lack Of Lighting
Everyone agrees on the importance of having enough lighting in the kitchen. Additionally, for specific tasks and use purpose, you may want to have different & proper lights, such ash: when preparing meals, chopping vegetables, manipulating on kitchen appliances (task lighting), when having dinner (soft lighting) and when showing off your kitchen in normal condition (LED accent lighting).
#7. Overlook The Ventilation
Ventilation system is always a significant element to focus on during the renovation process, especially for open kitchens. A good ventilation system can not only prevent food odors from getting out into the air, sticking to the walls & furniture, but also remove extra heat, smoke & moisture.
#8. Wrong Placement Of Kitchen Island
Kitchen island is an amazing solution to expand your preparation area. However, if your kitchen space is quite limited (with lots of appliences installed), an improper placing of kitchen island may bring many troubles to you. For example, if the island is too close to other units (refrigerators, stove top, …), it will badly affect the traffic flow inside your kitchen.
(For safety, you should leave at least 4 feet of empty space surrounding the island – that’s to allow a proper & convenient traffic flow and permit any kitchen components’ doors to easily open when being placed opposite to the island).
#9. Not Enough Counter Space
Try asking a housewife and she will tell you how frustrating & uncomfortable to cook in a kitchen lacking counter spaces. This normally comes together with the mistake #3 above, that’s when you didn’t well plan for all appliences & tools placed on the countertop at the beginning of renovation process. There are, however, some cases where you prioritize the aesthetics rather than functionality, but you still need to carefully consider before engaging with the option of narrow counter space.
#10. Wrong Kitchen Flooring Choice
Never save your money by spending on cheap & thin flooring materials (that won’t last and perhaps will cost you extra for fixing). Modern vinyl flooring (from Floor Xpert, for example, with typical features: scratch resistance & water resistance) is definitely the best choice nowadays.
#11. Use Improper Types Of Paint
There are quite many types of painting in the market, that’s why you should clearly understand what the correct type to use for different purposes. For example: the latex-based type should be used for wall painting, while gloss paint is specific for metal & vinyl surface.
Informative and useful post on what mistakes to avoid during a kitchen renovation. Thanks for writing and sharing this post with us.
I had send an email to Weiken for a quote but no respond.
Informative and insightful post on home renovation. Thanks for writing and sharing this post with us.