You’re thrifty and you believe you’re handy enough to conduct your own DIY flat pack kitchen renovation, or you think you’d prefer to manage the renovation project yourself over hiring external help. Well regardless of who you are, it never hurts to enjoy a few more pieces of wisdom that can help make your renovation process easier or can save you from some financially detrimental mistakes. Keep reading to learn about the five DIY kitchen renovation project tips by QN Designs!

1) Consider Your Kitchen Workflow
Before you begin that shopping spree for those DIY flat pack kitchen modules, it’s always beneficial to contemplate how you want your kitchen to look and feel in terms of layout and space. This means discussing how you generally use your kitchen and tailoring your renovation to that typical experience or to what you want to improve upon your current usage of the room.
If you’re a person that does lots of food preparation and is a wok master over a decorative baker, consider having ample bench space that is near the stovetop while keeping the oven tower further in the corner. The golden triangle rule, which is a key principle when undergoing any kitchen renovation, comes into play here too. This rule suggests that the three main functions of the kitchen – the sink, fridge and cooktop – form the vertices of a relatively small work triangle to optimize workflow within this space.
If you want to read more about how to design your kitchen to suit your lifestyle, check out this blog. Alternatively, for ideas about how to optimize this bench space during your renovation, check out our previous blog here.
2) Timetable Your Project
Establishing a timetable for when you expect things to be done can especially help to make sure there are no hiccups during your installation phase. Timetabling achieves this by firstly ensuring that you arrange appointments with these tradies ahead of time and avoids the problem of having to wait a month before their next availability. It also allows you to have each designated tradie do their part in the correct order, such as allowing the sparkie and the plumber to do their part before the cabinet installation guys come in.
Having a timetable also keeps you accountable for your DIY flat pack kitchen renovation project you started and makes sure that you yourself don’t lag behind either. It gives you a time frame for having the fridge and dishwasher ordered before the plumber has arrived or the cabinets delivered to your house before the installation people come. Additionally, it means that you don’t keep this renovation on the back burner for the next few months but have it all done for the family to enjoy as soon as possible.
3)Allocate Yourself a Budget
If you’re new to the renovation scene, then you may not particularly know where exactly your money goes to when embarking through the project. Thus, it’s handy to have a budget to understand how much you’re spending and what you’re spending. As a general rule of thumb, industry experts claim that a kitchen renovation project is usually valued at about 5-10% of your home value. Just remember to increase your budget accordingly to account for unexpected expenses during the renovation project.
Within that figure, where you spend most of it can vary based on what you value most. For instance, if you’re an appliances guru then the latest fridge and oven may be what you invest in, or if a high-gloss premium finish on your doors is what you desire then having more of your budget allocated there may be what you do.
For a breakdown of what’s in a kitchen renovation price, even if it’s a DIY flat pack kitchen, or to better understand how to allocate your budget, check out our blog here.
4) Choose Your Appliances First
Knowing what appliances you want first makes the design process easier as you can build the cabinet sizes around your appliance sizes. Otherwise, you may find yourself being restricted in your selections and may be disappointed that you’re unable to include your double-door American fridge.
It additionally assists with the budgeting stage too as appliances eat up an unexpectedly large portion of your finances. Understanding which appliances you will include in the renovation means you can allocate the rest of your budget accordingly as well as give the option of having discounted deals when you buy all of them from the same retailer.
5) Talk to a Kitchen Designer
It doesn’t hurt to get a second opinion and talking to a professional is nonetheless a valuable opinion to have especially when undergoing a huge process such as a kitchen renovation. They can help you in your design ideas through their extensive experience to factor in both efficiency and aesthetics in ways that suit your lifestyle and preferences. From color palettes to storage options, their knowledge of the industry can provide insights that are greatly beneficial to your experience of the kitchen.