Seddons Guide to updating your kitchen on a budget

Here is the latest instalment of our series of blog posts on home improvement.  We recently blogged about which home improvements can add value, and which may not. This week, we are focusing on kitchens with our guide to updating your kitchen on a budget.

The kitchen is often cited as the heart of the home and is the living space we apparently spend most time in.  It is certainly true that a show stopping kitchen can really make a property desirable.  Unfortunately, a show stopping kitchen can often come at a breath taking cost as well as being a huge upheaval and a time consuming process.

There are a number of less drastic ways that you can improve a tired or dated kitchen to make it more appealing to buyers without breaking the bank.

A fresh coat of paint

Upgrading the decoration in a room is one of the quickest fixes there is and can be achieved on a very limited budget.  A fresh coat of paint can also have a huge impact on a room, making it appear brighter, cleaner and more spacious.    Opting for colour schemes which reflect current decorating trends will also make your space feel more contemporary.

Good lighting

Good lighting has a massive impact on a room and can really alter the mood of a space as well as providing a good working environment for cooking.  Consider replacing light fittings with something a little bit stylish to bring your kitchen more up to date.  Having adequate lighting for tasks as well as general light will also make your kitchen easier to work in, additional under cabinet lights are relatively simple to install but can help to make kitchen brighter and more functional, whereas, a dimly lit kitchen will always appear smaller and less inviting.  Halogen bulbs produce a good whitish light which is great for kitchen spaces.

Flooring

Replacing flooring is another high impact way of improving the look and feel of a space relatively quickly and it does not have to cost a fortune to make a difference.  Opting for a neutral, easy to clean floor surface in the kitchen is always a winner.   Lighter colours will open a space up and make it feel more spacious, as will showing as much of the floor as possible.   By contrast, worn and dated flooring can be a real turn-off for buyers.

Update your cabinets

There are a number of companies out there who can replace the doors on your kitchen cabinets for a fraction of the cost of replacing the whole kitchen.  This is certainly worth considering to give your kitchen a facelift.  For an even cheaper facelift, there are also a lot of products out there which you can use to paint existing cabinet doors to update them. Do be cautious here though as it can be more difficult than you think to get a good finish and a poorly executed paint job on units is not going to impress buyers.

Clearing, De-cluttering and finishing touches

Try to look over your kitchen with the eye of a buyer.  Does your kitchen workspace look cluttered? (An untidy kitchen gives the impression that there is insufficient storage whilst a clear space suggests there is plenty of storage.)  Removing small appliances which aren’t used all the time and putting them away can help to make your workspaces look larger and more streamlined.  As much as possible, tidying away the clutter and getting things off the worktops makes your kitchen look tidier and more useable.   Replacing small items like mugs and tea towels can help to update the look of your kitchen, making it appear more unified at very little expense. Finally, adding finishing touches like artwork on the walls can help to bring it all together.

For more information on selling your house or to arrange a free market appraisal, contact your local Seddons office – we have many years of experience in selling houses in Devon and Somerset and are always happy to offer advise on how to make your property more saleable.