Well the last few days we’ve been coming to terms with the $33,000 (oh plus gst) quote to to create one big space out the back for our new kitchen. I loved the builder when he came out to the house and said ballpark $20,000 then came back with a much bigger quote. Yikes. That doesn’t include the kitchen or cost of installing….just removing walls, levelling ceilings, putting in beams and other preparation jobs. We’ve never renovated before so this really is renovation for dummies here. We have no idea how much these things cost. But I’m wondering should I have married a builder or an accountant? Not sure about that yet.
Thankfully I know exacty what I do want because I’ve been living in ‘1970’s brown kitchen land’ for almost 3 years. I can’t find any redeeming features of my current kitchen from the cork tiling and smelly cupboards to the carpet panels on the breakfast bar – um, no I’m not joking. And since a cat has come to live here the carpet has become her scratching post. Eventhough she has a scratching post.
So this is my kitchen inspiration that I will be giving the kitchen guy this week. It will work in our new space and is totally my style. I really love the glass cupboards up the top too! Out of reach for me to stuff things up there. There are quite a few things that I need like a double door fridge, handles and knobs with a more antique feel, antique tapware, an island big enough to seat 6, an appliance cupboard for my microwave and toaster and caesarstone benchtops in ‘snow’. What do you think? I just love the perfect symmetry of the back wall. It just works so well. Retro daddy likes it but unfortunately has his heart set on timber countertops for a more country look but I’m the boss – oops I mean cook – so I’m saying caesarstone! So feel free to tell me your kitchen renovation experience or dreams.
Images from here
I would get more than one builder to give you a quote, I have found they can vary quite a lot. I don’t always go for the cheapest but it helps to compare.
You’re better off with the accountant. Builders wives never have a finished house.
Ask around your area and your friends and see if anyone has a builder they used and were happy with. I think it’s always a good idea to get 3quotes, get them in writing and compare them. Read the fine print too and make sure they’ve included everything in their quote.
Good luck with it.
I think the white caesar stone rather than the wood as wood ages and isn’t so wonderful. Of course, I know nothing about caesar stone but if it’s white it has to be good. Cherrie
The budget for our kitchen when we built last year was $30,000 – so yours doesn’t seem unreasonable. I would go with ceasarstone over timber too. Timber gets very dented and scratched – although it can always be sanded and refinished. My sister has ceaserstone and it was chipped not long after it was put in, but apparently it can be repaired too? Our island is made of a composite something or other called ‘freestyle’, which I’m very happy with.
Good luck!
There are lots of hidden costs that builders are vague about. e.g electrical, plumbing, separate range hood installer (I didn’t know about that one!), cabinetry, stone mason (sealing the stone is another separate cost), tiling.
You need to be aware of what these costs are and get them quoted up front because this is where budgets blow out. If you can use your own trades people, then you should.
Your kitchen inspiration is lovely. I hope it goes well for you. xx
Definitely go the Caesar Stone. We did a big kitchen renovation 2 years ago and I love my benchtops. We got the ‘Snow’ aswell and it’s divine and so durable. Wood would definitely age and mark easier and Caesar stone is really resilient. Love it!
Kitchens cost a fortune but it’s well worth it and I adore your inspriration photos!!
woaaaaaaah! our kitchen reno quote was just under $20K but we didnt need walls removed etc. that was for a basic kitchen, no frills, no bells and whistles and no appliances.
good luck! I would love an awesome kitchen, but since this is not our last house (we have already outgrown it, but cant afford to move just yet) we will live with the fake laminate wood panel cupboard doors for now and go nuts when we can afford it more comfortably!
If I knew how to send links in the comment section I would send you a photo of my kitchen. It’s a different layout, but the style is exactly the same as your photo. I’ve been working in it for five years now and I love it more every day.
PS stick to your guns on stone bench tops. So durable for a family. We covered ours in playdough today. It was perfect.
Just tell him that wood benchtops and unhygienic and need regular maintenance (by him) – problem solved!
That quote sounds about right Corrie…we’ve done numerous renos. Agree with others…got more. Our first reno/extension – a huge rumpus room, my husband built…cost us just $16k. Cheap. 2 years later we added a decking, a study and got a wall knocked down….got a builder in this time as we had a bit of money. $33k !!! They cost a small fortune renos. But loving your kitchen of choice. I too am living in the
197o’s…oh, complete with yellow benchtop. Maybe you can offer me some tips when your done…:)
The colours are just what we got. Although, ours is a simple/modern style (flat doors etc). But I LOVE our benchtop. It is not caesar stone, but an acrylic. White with a bit of a fleck through it.
Hi Corrie
I agree with Sunnybec & Tin Can Daisy, you should definitely be quoted by more than one builder, preferably three. Oh, is the builder doing the kitchen too? Would you be better off getting that done through specialist kitchen people just not those on Willoughby Rd, some of the companies in outer Sydney are a lot cheaper and can usually do a good kitchen. Also, make sure you check the builder has current insurance and license!
Oh, and keep your eyes peeled for appliances at the Smeg sale or auctions, even if you put them away for a bit. I vote for Caesarstone too, since it sounds like it is much hardier – with a family of 6 it will cop a beating.
Our kitchen is from the 80s…. I have lived with it for 9yrs and I think it will be a few more years until we’re in a position to upgrade.
dxx
Yep go witht he three quotes rule I think.
I love the look of timber tops white, white and timber *sigh*, but I don’t think they are very practical. I think it would be too tempting to use the bench top as a chopping board for some. Especially lazy teenagers.
I’m not sure of the name of the stuff but it’s similar to ceasarstone and you can get it sanded back and repolished later on if it chips or scratches
Hi Corrie, definitely get 3 quotes more if you can manage it. We did our kitchen our June and the difference in prices we got were ridiculous. Do make sure the quotes are itemised so you know what they are charging you. Good luck!!
Check out the new Grand Designs book. Kevin McCloud gives two lists – what to spend your money on, what not to spend your money on. He is a big fan of the standard carcass kitchen, don’t spend too much on the doors, but spend money on handles. His theory – throughout the house – is spend on what you have the most contact with. Oh, and he reckons people move into a house and rip out the kitchen so don’t spend a lot on it for resale… c.f spend on the bathroom – coz a lof of you is in contact with a lot of it.
Look forward to seeing the progress in renovs.
Jenny
Sort of a similar design to our new kitchen. I went with Caesarstone either side of the stove and then an oiled Jarrah island opposite (ours is about 5 metres long).
I love our 900mm oven – we bought a De Longhi. We didn’t have a range hood installer … what the heck??!!
Our kitchen was installed in one day – fantastic!! Just had the gas, plumbing and electrics done before hand.
I have some pictures on my blog …
http://mycuttingandcreating.blogspot.com/2011/02/our-living-area.html
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About 5 years ago, we gutted 80% of our house and renovated – so happy with the end result but would NEVER go through this again. Our kitchen turned out fantastic, and there isn’t a day go by where I don’t “admire” it!
If you want to save some money and/or compromise on others – ditch the caesar stone and go for a laminex option – seriously consider it, it costs a lot less and the choices available now are amazing and look fab. I really wanted a glass splash back (which is rather long and cost a small fortune) so I went with laminex benchtops instead of stone. Whilst the reno’s were happening, I really regretted my decision. But once finished, so glad I didn’t waste money on the bench tops.
Also, we manage to fit in a “hutch”, sounds ugly, but is a cupboard with a roll down door. Looks great and is fantastic for dropping your keys, mail etc. And I get to keep my mixer out all the time, I got a couple of power points in there, and it isn’t in the way. And I just pull the door down to hide the mess!
Sorry for the long post, hope this helps!
By the way, I’m an accountant and am married to one.
We recently renovated our kitchen so I will give you some of my favorite things….get pull out shelves for the bottom cabinets, it makes it so much easier to find things. I did not put an extra sink on my island because I wanted to be able to use it for serving food at large gatherings,I did put in a bar sink on the other side of the kitchen for parties. I have hardwood floors…love them easy to clean, look great and hides dirt! Get the biggest sink available! If you entertain you can fill the sink with dirty dishes and you don’t see them, mine is stainless steel. You can also bath a small child in it if needed! I am lucky my husband is a contractor so we got a quality job. Use only a good contractor, check references and remember the cheapest price probably will not be the best one to pick. Make sure you are comparing apples to apples. Go to an independent lumber/supply store (not something like Lowes or Home Depot—chain type stores!)ask them for the names of some contractors. They know who is good. Good luck a new kitchen is so nice to work in!
We’re about to rip ours out, Corrie – pale pink (floral tiles) white and grey, stained/cracked white sink, from 1992. I’m going with off white cupboards (Alabaster) with square moulded panels, Smokey Topaz diamond gloss laminate (looks like black granite but more budget friendly) and lots of drawers. Thought we could order last week – but no, need to buy oven for dimensions first. Why didn’t someone tell me this a fortnight ago?? Now which oven/cooktop to go for. I though gas top but now having induction suggested. So many decisions to make!
Oh Corrie think hard before you commit. It’s a lot of money and not to mention the dust!! With little ones you don’t want them breathing in all the dust/fumes. Maybe selling and compromise with a different home would be easier for you all. Just a thought. Best wishes to you and your divine family
Oooh, Corrie, that kitchen is beautiful! You should check out microwave drawers. We just finished out kitchen changes and put the microwave in a cubby under the counter — and THEN I found microwave drawers. Our cabinet guy spent a lot of time changing our cabinet to make a cubby so it would be hard for me to have to change it again for a microwave drawer, but I just might have to do it!
Have a look at Corian and Durat tops before making up your mind! I am planning a white kitchen too, I am undecided between thick wooden table top and white Corian top. I also want white painted wooden floor. I wonder if it will be too white. But probably we will have an Italian fridge (smeg or bombani) in pastel colour…
Anu
Oh wow Corrie – that’s so exciting that is all happening but those figures scare me!
My dream kitchen would be similar to yours by the looks of your pins I am following! White cabinetry, traditional hardware and tapware, butlers sink. I like the look of timber benchtops for the country look (go Retro Daddy!) but caesarstone would look equally as good I think. We’re getting an island bench made at the moment out of some nice timber we had been saving for such a project and am getting a polished concrete top on it. Can’t wait to see it as it progresses!
My kitchen renovating experience – supposed to be 3 days. Reality – 10 days without a kitchen of any sort or a sink, 10 days on junk food – yuk – and 61 days of renovation. Be strong!
Agree on the caesar stone. It will add value to the house in the end!!
Also, important to think about lighting in the kitchen. You want to have nice ambiance but important to be able to see what you’re cooking!!!
And definitely get some more quotes. (Cheapest isn’t always best).
Have fun with it.
Andi xx
we got our new kitchen 3 years ago, we gutted the old one ourselves to save on costs ( then sold cupboards and bench top for $500)which helped with extra costs. It is a nightmare before you get the new one, but so worth it! Our kitchen is black bench with off white cupboards, I got every bottm section in massive draws with soft close runners, which cost more but great for 4 kids like mine who slam things shut, the soft close runners dont slam, so no broken glass ware or squashed little fingers in drawers. Yes get your oven etc first because you will need the measurements for the actual kitchen to be made. We went with Meile oven,cook top and rangehood, very happy with them, I lvoe my kitchen and love the black bench tops, I also love the stainless steel kickboard on the bottom of the cupboards, looks nice with our stainlees steel applicances and the timber floor. The kitchen was a good price, but with all the extras like plummer, electrician,tiler, plasterer etc, the price just about doubled! Be aware of ALL the costs
I’m still smiling at the visual I got when you wrote that the cat has taken to using the carpet tiles as her scratching post!!! I can so see the whole scene in my head : ))) But builder versus accountant? No question there. Definitely accountant. He will be able to ensure you have the money to pay for the builder to come in and do the work! And I absolutely LOVE that kitchen, it’s gorgeous. French inspired me thinks with clean lines and it must be caesarstone, think of all the pastry you can roll out directly on your surface! : ))
Id love to say that’s expensive but it’s hard to do a kitchen Reno below 50 k these days. They say it’s tge most expensive Reno to do in a house due to the regulations, electrical work and plumbing. Our kitchen Reno cost us 30k and we live inca two story townhouse. It’s worth it though changes tge way your family lives in the space and changes your life because it makes everything easier. Hang in there.
My old 70’s kitchen had lime green bench tops, lime tiles with acentric circles and cracked wood-look laminate for the cupboards. The renovation was a few yrs ago now and it came in at around $26,000. A wall was removed (and unfortunately for our budget asbestos was found!). I compromised with “diamond gloss laminate” for the bench tops and it’s been great. It looks shiny but feels warm to touch and it’s hardy for our family of 8.
We really had to stick to our budget, so I got plain cupboards, but I’m planning on getting nicer looking panelled ones in a few years time when there are fewer school fees to be paying!!!
Good luck with your reno – it is so worth it in the end. I still walk around saying “I love this kitchen” when I use my hidden rubbish bin, or put things away in the enormous drawers in the island bench, or sit at the bench (with computer connection!) to use the laptop, or have a house full of people and know this is the hub of a great family & entertaining area…and I haven’t even got onto the use of the quilting…er…island bench…
We have had timber in the last two kitchens we have built….I would not have anything else!! It brings so much warmth into the kitchen, plain cupboards, timber benchtops and black and white tiles, ( to match my rayburn/aga )doesn’t have to be the slightest bit $$ either this time we bought large lengths of thick timer benchtops from Ikea and got the kitchen place to shape and joint to make it fit, its Oak and its the hardest timer the kitchen installer had ever seen. It was finished with two pack floor finsh, when it gets a little dull from use you just give it a quick polish and it sparkles, I have yet to make a mark on it and even if I did it wouldn’t stand out.
what about corian? you can’t see the joins and if you burn it it can always be mended and caesarstone chips. Also, if you want to shove stuff you don`t use in the top cupboards you don`t want glass which allows you to see all the junk up there!
Hey Corrie! My husband is, indeed a builder. I’ll read your post out to him, and ask him what his ballpark quote would be.
That is a BEAUTIFUL inspiration kitchen – the white! xo
you wont regret caeser stone..i chop food on mine, and put hot pots and dishes straight from the oven on it..its awesome!!
We put in a new kitchen 1yr ago and I just adore it, I put many months of research into it to get just as I wanted, it was so worth it. We have all drawers, brilliant and I measured everything so they were the right size/depth, have all my spices etc in the drawers next to stove as with a drawers for flours etc, cereal boxes everything has a designated drawer and all measured to fit, it is wonderful. Also an open cavity to slide your chopping boards into with an adjoining one for hanging teatowels out of sight. We put a Belling stove in double oven with a slow cook oven in it, all put into constant use, I find double oven is better than 1 large oven if you are wanting to cook sweet and savoury at the same time. We have a white kitchen with buttermilk cream laminex bench tops, more than happy so far with the laminex. Our stove backs onto an external wall so we put in a heatproof glass window for the splash back, gorgeous. I could go on for ages, I do love my kitchen! Enjoy all the planning Corrie
When we built our house we ended up saving $1000’s by using granite transformations as our kitchen benchtops rather than caesarstone (or similar) and it looks like solid marble (but is just a thin overlay – can be used over existing kitchen benches) and was much more flexible in the shapes that could be achieved!
You can check out pictures at http://www.cleverdesign.com.au/benjafield.html if you’re at all interested!!
Love you kitchen pins. Can’t wait to see hoe it all works out. We are doing a new kitchen too but on the cheap and doing it all ourselves. It’s doing my head in but it will be worth it! Xx
mmmm, Ok, to comment or not to comment. As an Interior Designer and 10 years+ experience, I know that either timber or stone can work as a kitchen benchtop. Plus in my experience timber benchtops do not dent and scratch as easily as you think, why? well you would use a hardwood like Tassie Oak or Jarrah (as a couple of examples) that said Caesar stone is a completely different look and is also a reliable finish. It’s about the ‘look’ and ‘practicalitys’ and once you have made the decision stick with it, don’t umm and arr about the other option. I love the kitchen style you have chosen it clearly suits you and your aesthetic (quick summation here!). Oh and having sepcified Perrin & Rowe Tapware, they are just amazing quality and well worth every penny. Just one last comment ANY builder that tells you a kitchen can be done for the style you wanted for $20,000 is living in the ’90’s. I too would opt for a second quote to get an honest direction on actual costs. That’s all, in the end it will look terrific.
Good luck with the kitchen. We have caeserstone in our kitchen and love it. Friends of ours have the timber bench tops and it seems to dent quite alot. She only pulled out a powercord one day and it dropped onto the bench and dented it… only the second day having the kitchen;(
Hi I am finder your kitchen posts interesting as I am a kitchen designer and my husband is a cabinet maker and has bee for the last 25 hrs or so. We have our own business and I deal with people’s kitchen dreams daily. If you need any advice I am happy to help.
Good luck and enjoy.
Robyn
We had grey granite in a kitchen I renovated. Unbelievable. So beautiful…hid all the dust and flour and crumbs. Now we have black granite in a house we didnt renovate. Looks very New York BUT horrible. shows every smear of the cloth and all the crumbs and make work area very dark. Hate it. We did a laundry (that other house) with an artisan made terrazzo bench. Just gorgeous. very retro….BUT.. Be careful with the man made stone tops very popular now…wont name names… my daughter had one and a hot lasagne dish place on top cracked the bench for 30cm!
Loving your inspiration for the new kitchen Corrie, it will look gorgeous. I can’t get over how expensive reno’s are these days, it’s frightening! I have a couple of brother’s who are builders, so hopefully when we eventually do decide to renovate, the outlay will be slightly more reasonable. Look forward to seeing your plans unfold :o)
Your inspiration kitchen is beautiful! If you want to look at some other kitchens, here are a few that my friend Corbin has done: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Corbin-De-Lapp-Builders/209251225765643?sk=photos
Since he’s in So. California, not a lot of help, other than pretty pictures though…. lol
you mean there are people that will come and do the work for you? and you pay them? Amazing!! We are renovating our retirement home (we live an hour away right now) and are doing ALL the work ourselves on the weekend..
http://www.tenacresandapond.blogspot.com
now i’m going online to find someone to do the garden…I hate the outdoors..
I hope you get your kitchen renovation project started soon and I also hope that you get someone who’ll do it for a batter cost. But if you have friends who know how to build and remodel, it’ll be so peachy!
–Hardy Coufal
What a gorgeous kitchen! Oh, to cook in there!
I would steer clear of timber bench tops. We have them in our kitchen – they really need lots and lots of special care. Caesar stone is amazing. Go with that.
All the design in this post is just so gorgeous and I am sure that it will cost a lot of money to be able to have that kind of kitchen. For me one of the parts of the kitchen is the tiles. If the countertops has great design the whole kitchen will looks very amazing.
Kitchen Benchtops
That is a beautiful kitchen to aim towards! I am undergoing some Kitchen Remodeling in my NJ home and it seems like the costs just keep rising and rising! It is tough to swallow, but we are at double the costs that we were quoted! Good Luck to you!
Hi, seems like our tastes are very similar. If you would like to follow my kitchen renovation as we do it take a look at the Blog I’ve just started. I’m only new to it but hopefully I’ll get into the swing of blogging soon!!! Hope everything goes smooth for you!!!!
Smart post admin but i think you need more explanation and more Pics
and I hope to visit my blog and subscribe to me
The Advantages and Disadvantages of The Sole Proprietorship and Young Adulthood